8. New plans and friends

In February the Lovegood's had left and Draco and his mother were ready to leave as well. Narcissa Malfoy still didn't speak while her son had learned how to cook and listened carefully to Hermione who explained him how to live among muggles without getting any attention.

Ron stayed meanwhile with Harry. He was close to home but never left instead he cooked tea and came up with ideas how to enter Bellatrix' vault. Of course all his ideas were pointless but at least he felt like doing something unlike Harry who sat silently by the window all day like Narcissa.

"What if they never talk again?" Ron stood in the kitchen with Hermione and Draco who sighed. "My mother never talked much. I never knew why... if she was afraid of Bellatrix or did everything my father asked her to do. I thought it's how pure-bloods... Ron, you are a pure-blood too... do your parents make you marry who they choose for you?"

"What are they doing this to you?"

"Yes... I know it for many years but now Astoria doesn't want me anymore. I... I don't know where I belong anymore. We run and not support anyone anymore... my dad is dead and... it doesn't matter who will win this war we are forever doomed" Draco wanted to leave the kitchen but Ron touched his shoulder. "You finally do the right thing and that's scary. I know this. Harry and Hermione always did the right things and I was only their stupid friend and now... now I make plans and Harry is..."

"Your plans are horrible. You can't think any of them will work" Draco smiled friendly before he took the teacups from Ron's hands and brought them to Harry and Narcissa.

Astoria had returned to school without seeing Jade again. She had quickly grabbed one of Jade's gobstones before she left for Hogwarts and kept it hidden in her pocket. Daphne should get no second chance to tell Severus Snape or any other about Jade's magic.

Less students had arrived for next term. The Great Hall seemed empty and even Draco was gone. Astoria thought it was another sign he was a coward and was now convinced she wouldn't marry him instead she wanted to be free like Jade.

"But you agree we need a plan"

"Of course we need a plan but we travel for month and all we destroyed was one necklace. We will need years to destroy everything the Dark Lord has put his soul in" Hermione started to lose hope as well when a letter arrived at Xenophilius' house. Draco took it and opened it before he read it to all of them. "It says... Quibbler to thunder. Object that's not found maybe hidden where everything is hidden. Maybe lost for centuries. End"

"What? Has Luna's father lost his mind?" Ron didn't understand anything while Hermione was still thinking about it and asked Draco to read the note again. "Ron, do you remember Dean told us he would get in contact with other supporters and they look for the soul pieces to help us?" Ron nodded but didn't understand what his friend was talking about. It was Draco who first understood Hermione and stepped closer to them. "You think... Dean has found something? And it helps you destroy the Dark Lord?"

"Yes, Harry has to destroy the pieces of the Dark Lord's soul. The problem is they are all hidden. Harry destroyed the diary. Ron destroyed the necklace. Dumbledore destroyed a ring and... one is hidden in Bellatrix' vault" Hermione counted all the pieces they already knew and Draco started helping her. "Dean knows where one is and... and Jade is something is hidden in Harry"

Draco, Hermione and Ron all looked at Harry who nodded and made his friends shiver. "It doesn't matter... doesn't matter what I do... I will never know who my real mother is... if it was Lily or Petunia... I will die"

Jade worked out a list of possible secret keepers. Friends of Harry Potter and friends of James Potter were on it. While Scabior and his snatchers worked double searching missing wizards and looking for the Dursley's Jade went to every witch and wizard on her list and started asking questions.

She knew she would eventually alarm someone and it would help her discover the mistakes the Dursley will make. No muggel could be this clever and disappear to nowhere without help of a wizard. "I will find you"

"Harry... if you give up now it was all for nothing. You said it on your birthday. So many died and we can't let it happen they all died for nothing" Hermione shook Harry's shoulders before he pushed his friend away and left the house. "I need some air"

No one followed Harry outside instead Ron asked Draco to read the note again. "Dean must use some sort of code. If we understand the code we maybe find out which object he talks about and where it is"

"It's a message that should be published in the Quibble because it's for Harry. The object is lost for a long time and is hidden somewhere where everybody hides something... but Dean isn't sure about this" Hermione frowned and Draco burned the message. "No other should read it... and I think I know what it means. Lost for centuries is a tiara that belonged to Ravenclaw and in Hogwarts is a room where everybody hides things"

"Draco, that's brilliant!"

"Ron? Are you always this easily excited?" Draco giggled and Hermione had to join him while Ron dropped his shoulders and went outside to get Harry.

It frustrated her to wait for news. Scabior wasn't as quick as she hoped for. He barely brought her anything useful and Astoria's letters couldn't distract her as well. The girl had told her about taking one of her gobstones but it was the wrong one she took.

Jade was the only one who could tell how to recognize her stones. The one she had given to Astoria herself was still in her own pocket were it wasn't useful to her at the moment. At least Rita could distract her and walked in with a bright smile. "Oh, Jade, my favorite girl. I have good news for you. I noticed you are a bit stuck with your story but I have what you are looking for"

Rita didn't fail to make Jade smile. The muggle airport Heathrow had booked the name Dursley three times. Vernon and Dudley weren't of interest to Jade but it was interesting Petunia was travelling alone.

Harry and Ron came back and watched Hermione using Xenophilius' Quibbler press to produce one last example of the Quibble with only one headline over the entire front.

YES DEAN. HIDDEN IN SCHOOL.