Chapter 11
Draco Malfoy did not heed his father's warning. At every opportunity, he searched the Malfoy library for information on Tom Riddle. After days of turning up nothing but dust mites, he happened upon something in his father's private study.
It was an old diary. The year on the cover was 1943. The pages were blank, but the name T. M. Riddle was written in ink on the inside cover. Placing another book in the spot where he had found the diary, so that it would not be obvious that it had been taken, he took the book into his bedroom.
Sitting at his desk, he opened the diary and began to flip through the pages to see if he had missed anything. Nothing. Every page was blank. He thought for a moment, then took his wand and cast a charm to make invisible ink become visible. Still nothing.
"Reveal your secrets," he said, tapping the diary with his wand. When no words appeared, he sat back in his chair and thought a moment. Why would his father have a blank diary that belonged to Tom Riddle? If nothing was in it, why not just throw it away? There must be some sort of spell that he hadn't learned that was preventing him from seeing the writing. He was sure that, if he could find a way to read it, it would answer all his questions about Tom Riddle.
Opening a bottle of ink, he dipped a quill in it, then wrote on the first page of the diary: Who are you?
To his surprise, the words were absorbed by the parchment, once again leaving the page blank. And then, new words appeared: I am Tom Riddle. Who are you?
Draco slammed the diary closed, and then stuffed it one of his desk drawers. His heart pounded and his hands were shaking. Had Voldemort read the words he wrote? Did he know who wrote them? Did he know that Draco had his diary?
"Dobby!" he called, and the little house elf appeared immediately.
"How can Dobby help Master Draco?" he asked, bowing.
"Dobby, I want you to take something away, where no one will ever find it. I think it might be dangerous, but you can't tell my father that you've seen it."
"Yes, Master Draco. Dobby can do that, unless Master Malfoy orders Dobby to tell him what Dobby knows about the something."
Draco opened the drawer, and then gave Dobby the diary. "It was the Dark Lord's," he said. "It's a diary, and it's enchanted, but I don't know what it does."
Dobby looked down at the book in his hand, then dropped it suddenly and backed away. "Dark Lord's book is bad!" he said looking at Draco sternly. "Dobby not touch it, and Little Master should not touch it, either."
Draco thought a moment. "If I put it in a box, can you touch the box? Will you take it away if you don't have to touch it?"
Dobby nodded, and Draco went to his wardrobe to find something to put the diary in. He dumped the contents of a wooden box on his bed, and then put the diary in it. "Here," he said. "Get rid of it, and please don't tell my father that you ever saw it."
"Dobby not tell, Master Draco." He took the box and popped out of the room. Draco sat down on the bed, and then lay on his back staring at the ceiling, feeling a sense of relief. He had no idea what spells were on the diary, but he had a feeling that it would be best if no one ever found it.
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Mithrael lay on his back in the Weasley apple orchard, watching his son and his friends play quidditch. His son's talent on a broom amazed him. The Ron and the twins were good, also, and Ginny Weasley, though the youngest, was quite amazing.
He thought back on his son's reaction to meeting the pretty little red-haired girl. It was the first time that Seth had been attracted to a girl. He smiled, remembering how his son had tried to impress her, and how she had challenged him. Ginny had reached out, grabbed his son's heart, and wrapped it around her little finger. Mrs. Weasley had noticed it, also. She and Mithrael had shared a knowing look before she gave him a quick nod of approval.
Mithrael was not so sure that he was ready for his son to develop this sort of interest in the opposite sex. He had nothing against Ginny Weasley. It was that his son was too young. He would only be 12 at the end of the month, and Ginny was a year younger. He hoped that Seth would keep his wits about him when he was with her. Perhaps it was time to talk to him about such things. He had not expected to have to do it so soon.
As he went over in his mind how to approach the subject, he heard a faint pop. Turning his head, he saw a house elf standing nearby, gazing overhead at the flyers on their broomsticks. He sat up and turned toward the small elf. "Greetings, Little Brother," he said. "I am Lord Mithrael dina Lothair."
The house elf bowed very low, his forehead almost touching the ground. "Greetings, Lord Mithrael dina Lothair. I is Dobby, Master Malfoy's house elf. I is needing to see Harry Potter."
"Harry Potter is my son," Mithrael said. "I shall call him down to talk with you." He glanced up at his son, who was wrestling with Ginny over the snitch, and let out a loud, sharp whistle. Harry immediately snatched the golden ball out of the air between them and flew down to his father's side.
"What is it, Daka?" he asked, then turned his attention toward the elf and bowed. "Greetings Little Brother. I am Sethrael dina Mithrael."
"I is Dobby, and I needs to see Harry Potter," the little elf said urgently.
"I am Harry Potter," he said.
The elf looked closely, and when he saw the lightening bolt scar on his forehead, he nodded his head.
Dobby come to Harry Potter because he is Child of Prophecy. Dobby know the Great Harry Potter will know what to do."
Harry frowned. "I'm sorry. I don't understand. What is it that you want me to do?"
"Little Master tell Dobby to get rid of this," he said, indicating a box in his hand. "This be very dangerous book belonging to Dark Lord. Must be placed where it can'ts be finded. Dobby think maybe in Elfin Realm the best place. Maybe the Great Harry Potter would tell Dobby if he will take it and destroy it."
Harry reached out to take the box, but his father grabbed his arm, preventing him from touching it. "Can you open the box, Dobby?" Mithrael asked.
Dobby set the box on the ground, and then took off the top. Mithrael knelt beside it, examined it a moment, and then nodded. "We will take it with us to the Elven Realm," he said. "Your little master was right to have you get rid of it. Should you find anything else with this kind of magic, please bring it to me or my son."
Dobby bowed low, then popped out of sight.
"What is it, Daka?"
By now, the Weasley children had landed and were looking down at the box that the house elf had delivered. "It is a book that is possessed with the soul of the Dark Wizard," Mithrael said, replacing the top on the box. "It is very dangerous. We will take it to the Elders and let them decide what must be done."
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As Harry and his father walked through the forest of the Elven Realm, Mithrael decided it was as good a time as any to talk to his son about girls. "What did you think of Ginny Weasley?" he asked.
Harry grinned. "I liked her."
"Do you think she is pretty?"
"Pretty?" His son frowned, thinking for a moment. "I suppose she is. Why?"
"I thought that might have been why you liked her."
Harry shook his head. "No. Ron is not pretty, but I like him."
His father laughed.
"But Ginny, there is something different about her. It is like I know her, even though I have never met her before. She is—I know she is a girl, Daka, but I think she could be a hunter. I think she could use a bow and a sling. My mind saw her running through the forest as if she were part of it. She was like—like one of the magical animals that live there." He shook his head. "I do not know how to explain it."
Mithrael smiled, feeling a small amount of relief. He placed an arm around his son's shoulders. "You do not have to explain. I understand. You want her to be your friend."
Harry nodded. "Yes. I think she will understand me more than most people do because I think she is more like me than the others."
Mithrael nodded. "That is good. I am sure she will be a good friend, Seth."
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Harry dreamed of Ginny that night. He saw her looking out a window at Hogwarts. Behind her, in the shadows, a dark-robed figure was watching her. Beside the figure, a giant snake appeared. Its yellow eyes were reflected in the windowpane. When Ginny saw the reflection in the glass, she turned to stone. She fell backwards, and her body crumbled into ashes the way Quirrell's had when he touched Harry. The hooded figure and large snake disappeared. Harry ran to the pile of ashes on the floor and knelt down. Within the thick gray pile, something stirred. A tiny head emerged and stared up at Harry with big cinnamon-colored eyes. It was a small bird. Harry gently scooped it out of the ashes and held it in his hand. Suddenly, the bird transformed into a tiny Ginny Weasley. She stared up at him, blinking her large brown eyes, then turned into a big red bird and flew away. "Ginny!" He called after her. "Ginny! Come back!"
"Seth!"
He felt someone shake his shoulder and opened his eyes. His father was looking down at him. "You've had a bad dream," he said.
Harry sat up and rubbed his eyes. "Yes," he said. "I'm sorry I woke you."
"It's all right, Sethrael," his mother said, lifting the furs in invitation. "Come lay by me."
Harry crawled out of his own furs and curled up against his mother. She wrapped an arm around him and stroked his hair with her other hand. His father draped an arm across both his wife and son. Harry slept the rest of the night wrapped safely in the arms of his parents.
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Beneath the branches of Eldartha, Queen Thespa and the Elders gathered. Mithrael set a box on the ground and removed the top, then backed away for the others to take a look.
After a few moments, Elder Kindarth spoke. "The Dark Wizard has committed the unthinkable. He has broken his very soul. This is why his spirit roams the Human Realm. He cannot be destroyed until the pieces of his soul are destroyed or reunited."
"If this piece is destroyed," Queen Thespa said. "Then all must be destroyed. We do not know if this is the only one or if he has divided his soul many times. If there are others, we would have to find each one and destroy it, also."
"If we do not destroy it, then we must reunite the parts," Elder Kasha said. "We do not have to find them all, or even know how many there are, to perform the ritual."
"But the ritual is both difficult and dangerous," Elder Gweneth said. "It must be performed in all three realms and cannot be interrupted until it is completed."
"And the boy Sethrael is the only one who can finish the ritual," Elder Sareth said. "And he is not yet ready."
"No, he is not," Queen Thespa agreed.
"We must stop the Dark Wizard from performing the ritual to put his broken soul into a new body," Elder Kasha said.
"But we do not know the ritual," Elder Gweneth said. "How can we stop him if we do not know how to prevent it?"
Queen Thespa turned to Mithrael. "You must go to the Human Realm and find my nephew. He has knowledge of dark rituals. Tell him I need to speak to him, and bring him to me."
Mithrael bowed. "My Queen, this book must not remain in our realm. It is causing my son to have dreams, and I believe that his being near it is harmful to him. May I take the book and hide it on the island in the Realm of El?"
"Placing it in the Realm of El may destroy it," Elder Kasha said.
"No," said Elder Sareth. "It will be safe on the island. It would be destroyed, however, if one were to try to carry it into the Summerland."
"Go and take the box to the Realm of El, Mithrael," Queen Thespa said. "But hide it well. And when you have returned, let the Elders know where you have hidden it."
"Yes, my Queen," Mithrael said, bowing. He placed the top on the box and carried it from the shade of Eldartha.
"We will meet again after I have spoken with my nephew," Queen Thespa said.
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AN: Still working on Chapter 12. Will post it either late tonight or early tomorrow. MS