Save for Peeves upending what appeared to be an entire barrel's worth of ink onto a group of third-year Hufflepuffs during morning break on Wednesday, January slipped into February with very little fanfare. The members of the D.A. did their best to spread the word about their Hogsmeade plans to the blood quill's victims, and by the time the trip rolled around, Hermione had a list of roughly fifteen people who wanted to share their stories, as well as a number of others who couldn't make it to the interviews but who had agreed to have their names and pictures printed.

"I'll try to stop by around two," Harry told Hermione as they made their way into the little village.

"That should be fine," Hermione said. "Like I told everyone at the meeting, we'll be there from noon until three – you can stop in any time."

"Well, I can't really come any earlier, I don't think – I have…plans before then." Harry glanced over at Ginny as he spoke, making sure she was out of earshot, and Hermione grinned.

"You treat her well, Harry Potter," she said with mock severity as she gave him a warm hug. Harry chuckled and returned the embrace.

"Only because I know my best friend will be first in line to hex me if I don't," he said cheekily, tapping her on the nose and tugging one of her loose curls. "See you in a bit, Maya."

Harry and Ginny spent the first hour or so of their day strolling leisurely through Hogsmeade, window shopping and occasionally stopping in if something caught their fancy. They stocked up on their favorite sweets at Honeydukes, both chuckling as they pointed out the poor sods who'd clearly forgotten to pick up something for their significant others and were now rushing to fix things three days later, and as they were both in need of new quills, they made sure to visit Scrivenshaft's. As it drew closer to noon, however, Harry began to grow nervous. So far, they'd treated the trip like any other casual outing, but his plans for the lunch hour were far more along the lines of a date, and he hoped Ginny would like what he'd chosen. Valentine's Day itself had already passed, but as Hogwarts students didn't get too many opportunities to get off campus for real dates, Harry had decided to do something special.

"Gin?" he asked once she'd finished chatting with some friends. "Would you…would you like to grab some lunch?"

"Sure, Harry," she replied. "Three Broomsticks? I heard some of the others from the D.A. were meeting there."

"Er…no," Harry said. "That's not quite what I meant." Ginny cocked her head to the side.

"What did you mean, then?" she asked, sounding genuinely curious. Harry shuffled his feet, feeling just as nervous as he had when he'd first asked her out.

"What I meant is…well, I sort of had something planned…for just the two of us." He trailed off a bit at the end and inwardly grimaced at how ridiculous he sounded, but he relaxed when Ginny's curious look morphed into a delighted smile.

"Oh, you didn't have to do that!" she said. Then, seeing how tense he still looked, she added, "I would love to join you for lunch, Harry." She coaxed her arm through his, and Harry couldn't help but return her infectious grin as they walked down the high street.

"So where are we going?" Ginny asked, her eyes scanning the various shops. She had to admit she was curious – Harry had already ruled out the Three Broomsticks, the Hog's Head certainly wasn't the place anyone respectable took a date, and Madam Puddifoot's…well, girly girls like Lavender Brown fawned over the place, but the lace doilies and perfumed air reminded Ginny far too much of Professor Trelawney…or perhaps Umbridge. No, she definitely had trouble imagining Harry in such an establishment.

"I thought we'd try something different," Harry replied, his nervousness returning as he guided Ginny down a side street by Gambol and Jape's. "This place just opened up last month, but it's gotten pretty good reviews so far, and I thought you might like it…" He trailed off again as they stopped before a small but clean looking brick building, the restaurant's name marching across the storefront in gold letters against a deep green backdrop. A rolled-in awning suggested a patio underneath the snow that would allow for outside dining in warmer weather.

"The Dragon and the Unicorn," Ginny read. "I like the name."

"Let's hope the food is as good," Harry joked, though he was still nervous. He opened the door and gestured for Ginny to go in first, then gave the hostess his information. She nodded and directed them to a small table along the right-hand wall, then told them the specials before leaving them to peruse the menu.

"This place is cute," Ginny commented as she looked up from the drinks menu. And indeed it was – the space itself was small, but not overbearingly so, with a mix of both larger and smaller tables, about half of which were full, and the décor was fresh, clean, and comfortable. A small stone fireplace crackled merrily on the rear wall, and there were vases of fresh flowers on every table. It was much nicer than the average pub, but not nearly so restrictive as a fancy restaurant – in short, perfect for a casual lunch.

"Good afternoon, can I get you two something to drink?" Harry and Ginny looked up, and Ginny's eyes widened when she recognized the tall, curly-haired girl standing before them.

"Penelope?"

The waitress tilted her head to the side for a moment in contemplation before recognition lit her features.

"Ginny Weasley, is that you? My goodness, you've grown up! And Harry Potter – good to see you both."

"Er…sorry, but who are you?" Harry asked, hoping he didn't sound rude. To his relief, the girl laughed.

"Sorry about that – I'm Penelope Clearwater. I was in the same year as Percy Weasley, but in Ravenclaw." She offered a hand to Harry, and they shook.

"You were more than just year mates, Penny," Ginny said with a sly smile. Penelope blushed.

"Ok fine, I dated Percy for about a year – happy?"

"Quite." Ginny smirked, then asked, "So what are you doing around here?"

"This is my place," Penelope replied, grinning broadly. "Gemma Farley and I opened it together. It's funny, because we weren't really much more than acquaintances and fellow prefects at Hogwarts – she was a Slytherin and we didn't have many classes together – but after we'd left, we met up quite by accident in the Leaky Cauldron one afternoon. We spent some time chatting over drinks, and conversation turned to the lack of decent restaurants in the Wizarding world. Turns out we both have a not-so-secret love of cafes, and so we decided to open one – took us quite a while to find a good space and set up shop, but here we are."

"That's great!" Ginny said warmly. "I love what you've done with the place."

"Thanks – we haven't been open long, but we've done alright so far. Now, what can I get for you?"

"Hmm…well, it's your place. Any recommendations?"

"The soups," Penelope said immediately. "They're all Gemma's grandmother's recipes, and they're absolutely fantastic."

"Maybe we should try the soup and sandwich option then," Harry suggested, looking at the menu once more. Ginny agreed, and after some deliberation, Penelope returned to the kitchens with their order.

Harry's daring move of choosing an unknown restaurant turned out to be a good one – as Penelope promised, the soups were delicious, and the sandwiches, crafted on bread the two girls baked themselves, were filled with exceptionally fresh meats, cheeses, and crisp veggies. Harry and Ginny eagerly consumed every last bite, as well as two glasses each of what Penelope called Nymph's Delight, a pleasantly fizzy drink that tasted of fresh fruits and changed color with every sip. Gemma came out and introduced herself halfway through the meal, and the two hosts insisted on wrapping up a dozen of their best cookies for the couple to share with their friends. Harry and Ginny thanked the two girls profusely for such a lovely meal and wished them success before venturing back out into the cold.

As soon as they were out in the street again, Ginny threw her arms around Harry, startling him so much that he almost dropped his shopping.

"Thank you," she said softly. "You didn't have to do anything at all, not after the flowers you gave me the other day, but this was very sweet. I loved it." She stood on her tiptoes to give him a kiss, and they both smiled as they broke apart.

"It was my pleasure," Harry replied. "I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"Very much," Ginny agreed. She took his hand in hers, and they began to walk back towards the main road. "We should probably get you to the Three Broomsticks soon – we were in the cafe for over an hour."

The Three Broomsticks was as crowded as always on a Hogsmeade weekend, but the two Gryffindors easily found seats with a group of their friends near the far corner. They caught up on Quidditch scores and the latest Hogwarts gossip, and Harry felt much better for having to leave Ginny when he knew she was with good company. Just before two o'clock, he headed up to the bar and asked Madam Rosmerta for Hermione's whereabouts, then made his way to room three on the second floor. He knocked, and there was a bit of shuffling before Hermione opened the door.

"Come on in, Harry," she said. "Lee just left, so your timing is perfect." She shut the door behind Harry and returned to her place on one of the sofas in the private parlor, but Harry stopped in his tracks as he took in the sight before him. There were three armchairs by the fire, two of them occupied by Luna Lovegood and Colin Creevey, both of whom he'd expected to see, but it was the blonde witch beside Hermione who made Harry pause.

"Rita Skeeter?"

"I still can't believe you went to Rita Skeeter, of all people, Hermione," Harry commented as they worked in the Room of Requirement the next night. Thanks to D.A. meetings, prefect patrols, and Quidditch practices, it was a rare event indeed that all six of them had time to hang out like they used to, and they were taking full advantage of it.

"Trust me, Harry – if we want people to notice this, she's definitely the one to do it," Hermione replied. "Besides, she's not allowed to write anything slanderous for a year, remember? I told her I'd turn her in if she did."

"My best friend, the blackmailer," Harry muttered, though he grinned a little. Hermione swatted his arm in response and stuck out her tongue.

"You'll thank me when the article comes out," she vowed.

"Oh, stop bickering like an old married couple, you two," Draco joked. Harry and Hermione both protested when he flashed them a cheeky grin, while Ginny, Tracey, and Blaise roared with laughter.

"Prat," Hermione grumbled, tossing a crumpled piece of parchment his way. Draco caught it deftly and promptly tossed it back.

"Love you too."

"So what do you all think of the latest History assignment?" Tracey asked then.

"It's horrible," Blaise said promptly. "Binns could've at least given us a more interesting choice of people!" Their latest History of Magic assignment was a biography on a medieval witch or wizard – instead of allowing them to choose their own subjects, however, Binns had had them choose names out of a hat, and all of them were proving rather difficult to research.

"He didn't give us much, did he?" Hermione agreed. "The only remotely interesting thing I've been able to find about my person is that he founded the first magic carpet shop in Britain – that, and he also had a strange passion for cheese."

"Strange combination," Ginny said. "I don't see how either of those really makes for an essay."

"Me neither – the shop closed long before carpets were banned here, and there's only so much you can say about cheese without just writing an essay on the subject...which, in this case, is kind of beside the point."

"Who'd you get, anyway?" Draco asked Tracey. "You must've brought it up for a reason."

"I did," Tracey acknowledged. "My witch didn't really do anything extraordinary except live to be almost ninety – which, considering the average life expectancy for someone who survived childhood at that time was roughly sixty, is rather exceptional, but certainly not enough to fill an essay. However, it's her familial connections that make her interesting."

"What's her name?" Ginny asked.

"Her name was Margery Braeburn…née Ravenclaw."

"Ravenclaw?" Hermione repeated, looking shocked. Tracey nodded.

"Mhmm. She was the daughter of Alistair Ravenclaw, who was either Rowena's brother or brother-in-law – it's hard to say which, considering that none of the records about the founder say whether Ravenclaw is her birth or married surname. In any case, Margery was her niece, and by all accounts, they were quite close."

Hermione, Draco, and Harry looked at each other. Blaise and Tracey didn't know about the legend, but they'd been lacking leads for so long – could Margery Braeburn finally give them some answers? After a lengthy conversation with their eyes and the odd strange hand gesture, they decided that it couldn't hurt to let the two Slytherins in on the secret – they all trusted one another, and they needed all the help they could get.

"Trace, you might be able to help us," Harry said. He then launched into an explanation of the legend, including as much detail as he could. He told them of the Sorting Hat's prophecy and what they'd learned so far, Hermione pulling out the parchment with the exact text for them to read, and he told them about Hufflepuff's ring and what had happened when Cedric Diggory tried it on.

"This is wicked," Blaise said once Harry had finished. "And you really think these rings will help defeat the Death Eaters?"

"Well, of course," Tracey cut in before Harry could answer. When he gave her a questioning look, she said, "I take Divination too, you know – prophecies almost never come to light until they're relevant, and this one mentions an enemy. If this one follows the pattern, what other enemy would Hogwarts have? You-Know-Who's the only one who makes sense."

"Voldemort, Trace," Harry reminded her. Tracey shuddered.

"I'll get there eventually," she said. "It's harder to go around saying his name when you've grown up with people who are sympathetic to his cause."

"Alright, fine, I'll give you that."

"So you have the Hufflepuff ring, but none of the others?" Tracey asked. Hermione shook her head.

"No – which is why I got so excited when you said your person was a relative of Ravenclaw's. Since her immediate line died with her daughter, maybe Margery's will hold some answers."

"I do know a little more," Tracey admitted. "I did a little extra research, just because I was trying to see if anyone related to Margery was famous, since she herself hadn't really done anything special. One of her descendants, Thomas Bradbury, was married to a woman called Mary, who was tried and convicted during the Salem Witch Trials in America. Mary managed to escape execution – of course, she really was a witch, but she had to hide it at the time. In her honor, as well as in honor of those who were executed, one of Mary's descendants founded the Salem Witches' Institute."

"The Salem Witches' Institute was founded by a descendant of Ravenclaw?" Ginny asked. Tracey nodded.

"Basically, yes."

"Tracey, you've been a huge help, thanks," Harry said sincerely.

"Wouldn't this be a hell of a lot easier if you could just talk to the founders?" Blaise wondered. "There's got to be a portrait around here somewhere."

"Not anymore," Hermione said sadly. "It's gone." Everyone looked at her.

"What do you mean?" Draco asked.

"When Hogwarts was first built, the founders commissioned a portrait to hang above the fireplace in the Great Hall – the story's in Hogwarts, A History," Hermione began. "It was supposed to be a symbol of their dedication to the school and its purpose, a symbol that would remain long after they were gone. The founders were thrilled at the idea of watching over generations of students to come…but the portrait didn't last."

"What happened to it?" Ginny asked.

"When Salazar Slytherin left the school – remember, he disagreed with the other founders on letting anyone but purebloods into Hogwarts – Godric Gryffindor was still so angry and upset that he cursed the portrait, silencing it. Salazar's portrait self, you see, had adamantly refused to leave even though his living counterpart was gone, and Godric couldn't take it anymore. But it wasn't a mere Silencing Charm – Helga and Rowena couldn't counter it no matter what they tried, and even Godric himself couldn't figure out exactly what he'd done to it. They tried everything but eventually had to give up and admit that the portrait was frozen for good. Helga especially was heartbroken and took the painting down – nobody knows what she did with it, but it's been gone ever since."

"That's so sad," Ginny said. "And a bit unfair that that legacy was lost just because of an argument."

"But there must've been individual portraits somewhere?" Harry questioned. Hermione shook her head.

"Not in Hogwarts, no – supposedly there's a statue of Ravenclaw in their common room, and you said there's one of Slytherin in the Chamber of Secrets, but that's it. You see, back when Hogwarts was founded, prejudice against magic was running rampant, so true witches and wizards had to be extremely careful – though Slytherin's beliefs were harsh, they did have a legitimate foundation. As a result, moving portraits were rare, as it was generally too difficult to hide them effectively from non-magical company. On top of that, this was well before artists could just paint a portrait from a photograph, so the subjects actually had to sit for long hours to get their portraits done – it was risky enough that anyone took the time to get just one magical portrait made, and by all accounts, the one of the founders was quite large. The fact that they took that chance alone was astounding. I know most of the portraits in Hogwarts can move, but if you look really closely, you'll find a handful of very old ones that can't."

"So any portraits from the founders' private homes…"

"All frozen. It's really quite sad, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Harry ran his fingers through his hair and sighed, then said, "At least we've got a lead on Ravenclaw though – maybe the Salem Witches' Institute will finally give us some answers."

A/N: So what do we think of this latest development? & I couldn't resist throwing in a little Harry/Ginny sweetness to go with it :)

The thing about the portraits came to me quite randomly (while I was brushing my teeth, in fact) - I was thinking, why does canon never mention a portrait/portraits of the founders? Given their importance, there must be one somewhere, right? Probably in a place everyone can see it/them? & thus the story of the frozen portraits was born...

Fun fact of the day: while Margery Braeburn is made up, Mary Bradbury was a real person, & the details about her re: the witch trials are true as well. She's also my ancestor - since I'm a Ravenclaw, I thought it'd be fun to connect the two.

Thank you, as always, for the follows/faves/reviews, & for reading!

JKR owns all things Potter, I just play. Please R&R, & enjoy! :)