Sensing Magic
by Teddylonglong
Please refer to chapter 1 for my disclaimer and warnings. Thank you.
In the morning of the first of September, Harry and Regina returned to Hogwarts with Felix, Eileen and Lucy. Harry was surprised to see his father engrossed in a large tome, obviously waiting for them.
He quickly averted his head, when his parents began to kiss in apparent happiness upon seeing each other. 'Disgusting,' he could not help thinking.
"Do you still have time to drink a cup of tea with us?" Regina cast Severus a questioning look.
"Of course. We only have another staff meeting at two o'clock in the afternoon, which I suppose you will attend as well?"
Regina nodded. "Harry, would you be so kind and look after Felix and Eileen for an hour or two this afternoon?"
Harry smiled. "Of course. May Teddy and Lucky come and join us?"
"Of course." Regina nodded, smiling.
"If you're certain that Teddy decided to not join his fellow Ravenclaws on the Hogwarts Express?" Severus quirked an eyebrow, only to add as an afterthought, "Before you ask him over, I need to discuss something with you in private."
Harry nodded in understanding.
'Teddy, are you going to board the Hogwarts Express?'
'I was wondering if or if not. On the one hand, I can't wait to see Hermione, but on the other hand, the train ride is tedious. What about you?'
'I'm going to stay here and look after my siblings.'
'Ah, then I'll stay here, too. May I come over?'
'At two o'clock, when the staff meeting begins, and please bring Lucky.'
'Okay.'
"Teddy and Lucky will come over at two o'clock," Harry announced, before he looked questioningly at his father.
"Felix, Eileen, shall we go out onto the grounds to enjoy some quiet, before the students will be back?" Regina spoke up, smiling.
Fourteen-month-old Eileen clung to Harry. "Hawwy wif."
Harry gently picked up the little girl and handed her to his mother. "I'll be there in a little while. I have something to do first." Seeing his sister pout, he quickly kissed her onto the small forehead, before he sat on his favourite spot on the sofa, where Lucy immediately cuddled close to him.
Once Regina and the children had left, Severus made himself comfortable in his favourite armchair.
"I don't know to which extent you're aware of this, but Marvolo and Professor Dumbledore are both trying to collect Marvolo's Horcruxes. I trust that he explained everything about them to you."
Harry nodded. "I only know that Dumbledore asked me to join him collecting them, and I refused. Marvolo then told me the other day that he has recovered one item, and another item seems to have been collected by Dumbledore. Why are you asking, Dad?"
"The item, which Dumbledore collected, is the Gaunt ring. It is somehow important, although I am not exactly sure why. I believe that Marvolo would better be able to explain it."
"Shall I ask him if he can join us?"
Severus shrugged. "Why not?"
'Marvolo, Dad and I are just discussing your items. Would you perhaps join us?' Harry thought to his friend, who immediately returned a positive response.
Two minutes later, the fireplace flared, and Marvolo stepped out.
"Severus, Harry," he greeted them, smiling.
"Hello Marvolo," Harry bet his father to a response. "Thank you for coming."
"Marvolo, please take a seat. We were just talking about the Gaunt ring, and if I am not mistaken, it is somehow important. Will you please enlighten my son what this is about?"
"Ah." Marvolo nodded in apparent understanding. "The stone of the Gaunt ring happens to be the Resurrection Stone, one of the Deathly Hallows. Have you ever heard of them?"
"I only read the story of the Deathly Hallows in 'Beedle the Bard'. Is that it?"
"It is said to only be a legend, but I am not certain. Anyway, the stone attached to the Gaunt ring has the symbol of the Deathly Hallows engraved on its surface." He showed Harry an image of the symbol.
Harry frowned. "That symbol is on my invisibility cloak as well."
Marvolo nodded. "One of the items is a cloak, and as the Potters are straight descendants of the Peverell family, I believe that your cloak is one of the three Hallows. The stone is the second, and the third is the Elder Wand, which is in Dumbledore's possession."
"But still, if the ring belongs to the Gaunt family, Dumbledore had no right to take it."
"No, it was theft." Marvolo chuckled. "The ring was cursed, however, because I warded it against theft, and since Dumbledore was stupid enough to put the ring on his finger, he's now cursed."
"In which way?" Harry looked from Marvolo to his father in concern.
"His hand is black, and it's going to spread all over his body if he doesn't let me take the curse off. He's going to die before the end of the school year if the curse remains active."
Severus cleared his throat. "Dumbledore refused to let you cast any spell whatsoever at him."
"Would I be able to heal him?" Harry asked, hesitantly, gently caressing Lucy's ears, as he looked from one to the other, questioningly.
"Please don't." Severus' voice was firm, and Marvolo immediately agreed.
"If he wants to be healed, he can simply accept my offer to take off the curse."
Harry nodded in understanding. "All right, then, I won't."
"I'll tell you what." Marvolo seemed pensive, as he continued. "If you manage to somehow steal that ring back from Dumbledore… mind you, do not place it onto your finger. Do not even directly touch it. If I get it back, I'll take the Horcrux out, and I'll give you the stone. I don't know if the ring will still be intact, but it doesn't really matter. If you then somehow manage to defeat Dumbledore, the Elder wand will come to you as well."
"Why would I fight Dumbledore?" Harry stared at the older wizard in disbelief.
Marvolo shrugged. "You never know, considering how he behaves towards both of us. Anyway, if you'll somehow get the Elder Wand into your possession, which is only possible if you take it from him by a spell, you'll own all three Hallows."
"Nice, but it's only a legend anyway, isn't it?"
"Maybe not." Severus seemed strangely pensive. "It would be reassuring if Harry couldn't die, considering…"
"Have you told him?" Marvolo perked up.
Severus shook his head.
During the next few minutes, Harry's world was turned upside down. 'I have one of Marvolo's Horcruxes in my head?' he thought with a combination of disbelief and horror. 'That's why he became my mind friend. That's why we can look into each other's heads.'
"Sorry, Harry. Please believe me that I didn't know before the summer solstice. I am just developing a ritual to take out the Horcrux from behind your scar on Samhain. I can't promise anything yet though."
"All right. Thank you, sir," Harry replied, knowing that Marvolo would not willingly harm him. "I'll try to get back your ring for you. Please give me a few days."
"Thanks, Harry. No hurry. I don't think he'll have a plan how to destroy it yet."
HP
Harry became soon distracted, when his friends returned to Hogwarts that evening. To his amazement, most of his friends had been made prefects. Hermione and Teddy were the Ravenclaw fifth-year prefects, Draco the Gryffindor prefect, Ginny and Theo the Slytherin prefects and Neville the Hufflepuff prefect together with Susan Bones.
The thought 'I wonder if I'd have been made a prefect if I had been sorted into a house' crossed his mind, while he absentmindedly watched the Sorting ceremony from the Slytherin table; however, he decided to quickly dismiss the thought, as it was no use to ponder something that was never going to happen.
HP
When Harry returned home shortly before curfew, he made himself comfortable on the sofa together with a very sleepy Lucy.
"Dad, do you have any idea how I'd be able to steal the ring back from Dumbledore? Isn't he even wearing that thing?"
Severus let out a deep sigh, before he quickly explained to Regina what it was about.
"I know the story of the three Hallows from my childhood," she admitted, smiling.
"He must have worn it at least for a certain time for the curse to affect him that much, but I don't think that he's stupid enough to still be wearing it. I didn't notice the ring on his finger either."
"If he kept it somewhere in his office, I might be able to sense Marvolo's magic from it." He remained pensive for a moment. "The question is how to get into his office without him noticing."
Severus let out a small scoff. "Don't tell me you're going to try stealing the ring right from under his nose."
Harry shook his head. "No, if I try to get it from his office, provided that he has it in his office and not in his private rooms, I'll do so during a staff meeting."
"Wouldn't Fawkes or any of the portraits of the former headmasters give you away to him?" Regina cast him a concerned look.
Harry remained pensive for a moment, before he slowly suggested, "Perhaps, Felix could distract Fawkes and ask him to play together for a while. You know how Fawkes loves to play with us in our phoenix forms."
Severus nodded. "That might work."
"As to the headmasters' portraits, I could simply turn myself invisible before popping right into his office."
"You're the only person who would be able to do such a thing." Severus smirked. "Everyone else would end up in front of the gargoyle."
"I don't think so. Wouldn't the Unspeakables be able to pop right into the office, too?"
"Ah, that might be. Do you know how to cast a sleeping spell?"
Harry grinned. "Oh Dad, believe me, the Unspeakables have taught me all kinds of useful spells. Yes, I will cast a sleeping spell at everyone and only wake up Godric, so he can advise me if necessary."
To his relief, his parents agreed that it might be a good plan. "Perhaps, you can do it on Sunday during the meeting of the Order of the Phoenix," his father suggested. "If the headmaster for some reason leaves the meeting, I shall warn you immediately."
HP
On Sunday afternoon, while Severus was attending the meeting of the Order of the Phoenix and Regina was looking after the children, Harry suggested to Felix, "Why don't we go flying in our phoenix forms for a while?"
"Yes, yes, yes." Felix excitedly transformed into his green wind phoenix form.
"Let me ask Fawkes if he'd like to come."
#Yay.#
'Fawkes, would you like to go flying with Felix and me for a while?'
An instant later, the fire phoenix flashed into the Princes' living room. Harry transformed into his phoenix form, and the three birds headed out onto the grounds for a flight in the warm and sunny autumn day. After a while, before they flashed back home.
#I just have a quick errand to do. I'll be back in a little while,# Harry informed Fawkes and his brother.
#We'll be here.# Fawkes' voice was reassuringly calm, so that Harry did not worry about the phoenix possibly following him.
Receiving nods of understanding from the two phoenixes, Harry transformed back and retired to his own room, where he turned himself invisible, before he popped right into the headmaster's office.
He swiftly cast a sleeping spell at the headmasters in their portraits, before he enervated Godric, knowing that his great grandfather would always be on his side.
He concentrated on Marvolo's magic, feeling certain that he should be able to sense it coming from the ring he was looking for.
'It's in the top drawer of the desk,' he realised. However, when he tried to pull it open, he inwardly groaned. 'Of course, it's locked, but where will he hide the key?'
'Godric, do you perhaps know where he keeps the key?'
'No, I don't, but what are you doing here anyway?'
'I want to take the Gaunt ring back, which he stole from Marvolo.'
'Ah, that's all right then.'
Harry pondered the predicament for a moment, already readying himself to spend a few weeks in the spy chamber of the founders' quarters to observe Dumbledore, when he was alone in his office, when an idea struck his mind. With a flick of his hand, he turned the outside of the drawers invisible. 'It's in the top drawer,' he confirmed and quickly tested if the second drawer was locked as well. He smiled upon noticing that he could easily open it.
'Nothing easier than that, considering that the Unspeakables have taught me all their tricks,' he thought, as he made the bottom of the top drawer disappear, so that all the contents fell down into the second drawer. Carefully opening the second drawer, he took out the ring and quickly slid it into his robe pocket. He closed the drawer and turned the outside of the drawers back to normal, confirming that everything looked like before.
He swiftly woke up the other paintings, before he hurriedly popped right into Marvolo's living room, turning visible as he arrived.
"I've got it." He placed the item on the nearby table. "Sorry, but Felix and Fawkes are waiting for me. I need to go. Bye."
With that, he returned home and transformed into his phoenix form, before he flashed out into the living room to once again join his brother and Fawkes. While they played together, Marvolo's thought of gratitude penetrated his mind.
HP
On Wednesday evening after dinner, Dudley kept Harry back. "Harry, I need to speak with you in private. Do you have two minutes?"
Harry cast his cousin a surprised look. "Of course. Any time." He inwardly grinned, as he could well imagine the reason for his cousin's uncharacteristic excitement. 'On Saturday, the third-years will be allowed to go to Hogsmeade for the first time,' he thought, knowingly.
He led the other boy into the founders' quarters and motioned him to take a seat. "What's wrong?"
Dudley wrung his hands in obvious excitement. "It's about Hogsmeade."
Harry nodded in understanding.
"Do you think I could invite Astoria to go on a date with me? I mean, not together with everyone else, but just the two of us? Ah, I mean, yes, I could ask her, but will she agree, or will I risk our friendship by asking such a thing? I mean, she's only thirteen and may not want to have a boyfriend yet."
'I am not the best person for such an advice,' Harry thought, feeling uncomfortable. "You have been best friends ever since your first day at Hogwarts, haven't you? You won't ruin your friendship by asking anything. Otherwise, your friendship isn't worth anything. Apart from that, I believe that Astoria would be happy if you asked her."
"Really? Do you really think she'd be happy?"
Harry nodded. "Yes, I think so." 'Was I that excited, when I asked Luna out the first time?' he wondered, only to recall, 'Oh yes, there was something.'
"All right. I'll ask her then. Thanks, Harry."
"Any time," Harry replied, smiling.
HP
At the same time, Albus asked Severus and Minerva into his office for a short meeting. "I won't keep you long, my boy," he reassured him, apparently having noticed Severus' frown.
Once they were seated in the headmaster's office, the old wizard pensively rubbed his beard, before he informed them that someone had to have broken into his office. "They stole the Horcrux from inside my drawer. Neither Fawkes nor the portraits have noticed anything."
"How would anyone be able to break into your office?" Minerva's expression was laced with disbelief. "The gargoyle would have refused them in the first place."
Albus let out a deep sigh. "I am not sure, but I suspect that Voldemort sent a house-elf to retrieve the item for him. The house-elves can pop in here, and they can turn themselves invisible and silent."
"Perhaps, you could ward your office against intrusion by house-elves?" Severus suggested, knowing that Harry would not need elven methods, as he could simply make use of Unspeakable methods if he wanted to get into the headmaster's office again for some reason.
"Maybe, that would be an idea. Nevertheless, the ring is gone," Albus replied in a grave voice. "It is important that we find all the Horcruxes. Otherwise, Voldemort cannot be killed."
Severus sighed. "Albus, you should really consider letting Lord Gaunt take the curse off your arm."
"What?" Minerva looked from him to the headmaster in apparent disbelief. "He can take off the curse?"
Albus sighed. "Apparently, he offered to do so, but I don't trust him. He is Voldemort after all," he said, forcefully, causing Minerva to let out a snort. "Severus, my boy, you don't think that Harry would be willing to heal me now, do you?"
Severus shook his head. "I am sorry, Albus, but hearing about Lord Gaunt's offer, Harry decided to not heal you, considering that much less effort would be needed if Lord Gaunt simply took off the curse."
The old wizard nodded in apparent understanding. "It's understandable. He doesn't know everything that is involved here."
'And if you told him, he wouldn't believe you anyway, because he knows better,' Severus thought in silent amusement.
HP
On Friday evening, Dumbledore called Harry into his office. 'Dad, Dumbledore just sent Twinkle to call me into his office. I'll go and see what he wants.'
'Take Lucy with you and be careful.'
'I will.'
He was called in, as soon as he arrived in front of the door. "Headmaster," he uttered a greeting.
"Harry, my boy, how nice of you to visit an old man on this fine evening. Would you care for a lemon drop?"
"No, thank you."
"I'd like to ask you for a favour. On Saturday morning, when your classmates will go to Hogsmeade, I'd like for you to accompany me to a cave, where I believe that we will find another of Voldemort's Horcruxes."
"And why should I accompany you?" Harry asked in disbelief, only to urgently think to Marvolo. 'Dumbledore intends to go to a cave and retrieve another Horcrux on Saturday morning.'
'That's fine. I already took that one and left a fake one. Let him have some fun' came the immediate and pleasant response.
Having missed the headmaster's explanation, Harry let out a sigh to win a moment to think.
"I am sorry, but I will go to Hogsmeade together with my girlfriend."
"Harry, it is much too dangerous for you to go to Hogsmeade with Voldemort on the loose," Dumbledore told him in his grandfatherly voice, causing Harry to snort.
"On Sunday morning, I'd be willing to accompany you."
"That's good, but still, you should be reasonable and stay in the castle instead of going to Hogsmeade."
"My parents believe that it is safe."
"Perhaps, they do not know the whole truth," Dumbledore said in a grave voice.
"And you know everything, sir? Why then, if I may ask, did you allow me to be neglected and mistreated by my relatives? My parents did no such a thing. They rescued me, helped me and kept me safe ever since we first met. As I said, I will accompany you on Sunday after breakfast, but not on Saturday. Good night, Professor." Looking over to Fawkes, he added, "Shall we go flying again sometime during the weekend?"
#With pleasure.#
With that, Harry swiftly left the office with Lucy in tow, before he popped them right home to discuss his excursion with the headmaster with Severus and Marvolo.
HP
On Saturday evening, Dudley once again came to speak with Harry.
"How was Hogsmeade?" Harry eyed his cousin in amusement, noticing that the other boy looked outright happy.
"It was brilliant. First of all, Astoria agreed to become my girlfriend. We then bought friendship rings." He shyly showed Harry a plain, silver ring, which he was wearing on his left hand.
"Does it have any special features?" Harry enquired, having heard of friendship rings that allowed the use of telepathy among other features before.
Dudley shook his head. "No, I didn't have enough money to have it charmed, and we agreed to both save some pocket money to have some charm added the next time we go to Hogsmeade."
Harry nodded. "I will give you the money for some proper charms. In fact, I'll go to the jeweller and talk to him in advance. I want to make a ring for Luna as well, and I will ask what's possible for friendship rings such as yours."
"Thanks Harry," Dudley replied, grinning happily. "And in the afternoon, we met with my Mum. Apparently, Mrs. Figg has given her a Portkey that takes her to Hogsmeade and back."
"Oh, that's nice."
"Mum is now working in the kitchen of the Unspeakables. Mrs. Figg introduced her to them. Apparently, she is working together with Miss Prewitt, the Weasley twins' mother."
"Aunt Petunia is working in the Unspeakables' kitchen?" Harry asked, wide-eyed. 'I can't believe it, but I'll sure go to invisibly listen into her and Miss Prewitt's conversation at the next opportunity.'
"Yes, she told me she liked it, and she seems to have found a new friend in Miss Prewitt, which is great, because she's all alone at home all the time now."
"That's true." Harry nodded in understanding. "So, she doesn't mind working together with people who are magical?"
Dudley shrugged. "Apparently not. A good example of how times can change everything. Did you have a nice day at Hogsmeade?"
Harry grinned, broadly. "Yes, it was brilliant. After doing some shopping, Luna and I roamed the village in our fairy forms for a while. It was much fun."
