"As I told you, I found the final Horcrux, and it should be destroyed as soon as possible. Sadly, however, I can not destroy it myself, as it would be foolish of me to leave the school during these times. I think that Voldemort would seize any chance to attack the school. I know that the five of you are very advanced for your age. I think that you could, therefore, destroy the Horcrux with ease. I would, of course, get you there, using a Portkey and it would enable you to, at any time, return. Do you agree to do this task?" Dumbledore looked around, the five of them nodded, eagerly. "Good, good. Well here you go." He pulled a boot from behind his desk and handed it to Harry. "I hope to see you soon." The five of them, shocked at leaving so soon, crowded around the boot, all touching a finger to it. "One, two, three." Roxie felt a tug around her navel and a rush of air around her.
Moments later, Roxie felt her feet hit the ground and she looked around at the old, dilapidated, Riddle House. Hermione was pulling Ginny to her feet. The five of them walked around, looking at everything. Books stood on shelves weighted down with dust. They moved into the kitchen, where they saw pots and pans full of dust. It appeared that no one had lived in this house for years. The only room that seemed to have been inhabited recently was a living room on the upper story. A chair sat facing the fire. The chair had an imprint which looked as if a small child had sat there for a very long time. A rug was pulled in front of the fire, waiting for a pet to curl up on it. As Roxie looked more closely around the room, she saw something that didn't belong. The house looked as if very wealthy and proper people had lived there. They also appeared to be very normal, nothing odd remained of them. But here in the corner of this room was what appeared to be an old snake's skin.
"I know this place," Harry muttered.
"You've been here?" Roxie was shocked.
"Well yes and no. I was here in a dream two years ago. I saw Voldemort and Wormtail talking. They used this place as a hideout. And then I saw them murder the old Muggle caretaker."
"So where do we look first?" Ron asked.
"Where would be the most likely place to find a mirror?" Ginny asked almost to herself.
"A bathroom," Ron supplied.
"Don't be thick Ronald. I don't think that V…Voldemort would be likely to hide something that important in the bathroom." Hermione sighed in exasperation.
"So you know where it is do you?" Ron asked.
"Well no, but I'm pretty sure that it isn't in the bathroom."
"Let's just walk around and see if anything looks suspicious." Harry seemed to be trying to avoid an argument. The five of them walked into the next room. All of them looked, Ginny even felt along the wall as if looking for a secret compartment. Their search was for nothing though, they didn't find anything. They moved into the next room and the next. Nothing came up.
Finally they decided to move back downstairs. They walked around all the rooms, even back into the kitchen. They ended their search in the same room that they started, a study. The first search around the study yielded nothing.
"Well I guess it's not here, let's just go back and tell Dumbledore that there was nothing here," Ron suggested.
"No, I have a good feeling about this. I think we should keep looking around this room," Roxie said. Looking around at the high impressive walls and the millions of books, Roxie was convinced. This is where it is. He would want to hide it in his father's house as a last mocking of him. And this room is impressive enough for him. Taking a leaf out of Ginny's book, Roxie started to feel along the wall. Her hand stopped at the bookshelf. For no reason apparently, Roxie started to pull the books from the shelf. The other four looked around at the noise of the books hitting the floor. They all looked at Roxie. When she had emptied the shelf, she reached back. There she felt it, a snake etched into the wood.
"It's here!" Roxie shouted. "I feel a snake in the wood." The other four started to look excited. They all ran over and started to help Roxie pull books off the shelves. Then the pulled all of the shelves out. All that was left was the frame. Right at the center was the snake.
"It must be behind there," Ginny was excited.
"But how do we get to it?" Ron voiced the question that they all had.
"You could try to use Parseltongue," Hermione tried. Harry hissed out words that none of the others could understand, but the wall remained firm. Everyone resorted to silence to think.
"I know how to get through it," Roxie informed the others quietly. I've seen him use this before. They all looked at Roxie quizzically. "You have to give blood."
"How did you…" Ginny started.
"I've seen it before."
"I'll do it." Four heads whipped around to look at Ron.
"No Ron, I'll do it," Harry said.
"Stop. Don't try to be noble. You are the one who is going to have to get that Horcrux and destroy it. I'll do it."
"No I'll do it," Ginny said.
"No, you're my little sister, I can't let you do that. I'm the only one that can do it. Ginny's my little sister, so I obviously can't let her do it. I love Hermione, so she's out. Harry has to destroy the Horcrux. And Roxie, obviously knows more than she thinks. You'll probably need her to figure it out. And who does that leave? Me." Ron whipped his wand out of his robes and made a slash through the air. Ginny and Roxie gasped. Hermione let out a dry sob. Blood poured from the wounds on Ron's arm. He wiped it on the snake in the wood. It glowed and then the wall parted to reveal a room. Ron muttered an incantation to stifle the flow of blood. He pointed his wand, but nothing happened.
"Here let me do it," Hermione pulled her own wand out and muttered something. She pointed her wand at his arm, but the blood continued to flow.
"There must have been something in the spell that prevents the wound from healing or being healed," Roxie explained.
"How do you know so much about this?" Ginny looked suspicious.
"Let's just say, I've had to deal with Dark wizards before." No one questioned her further, but they gave her looks.
"So there's no way to stop this?" Harry asked. Roxie shook her head. Ron looked as if he might faint. "Ok well then, you four take the Portkey and go back to Dumbledore, I'm sure he can do something."
"I'm staying with you," Roxie said.
"I'm not leaving either," Ron added.
"Ron don't you think you're being a bit thick?" Harry asked.
"I'm staying." That settled it, no one said anymore about leaving. Instead the five of them looked around the room. In the middle of the room stood what looked like a cradle. A faint light was radiating from it. The five approached it cautiously. Roxie looked down and saw not a baby, but a mirror with an eagle on it, just as Dumbledore had predicted.
"Whatever you do don't touch…" but Roxie's warning came too late, Ginny had already reached one trembling hand into the cradle. Her fingers had barely brushed the mirror when there was a noise like a gunshot and Ginny was flung backwards by an invisible force. She hit the opposite wall, her head making contact with a sickening thud. She crumpled to the floor. Harry, Roxie, and Hermione rushed over to her. Hermione carefully adjusted Ginny, so that she was sitting against the wall, but Ginny's eyes remained closed. Fearfully, Hermione grabbed Ginny's delicate wrist, feeling for a pulse. "It's ok, Ron, she's still…" but Hermione trailed off. Ron had not rushed across the room with the others. Instead, he had remained by the cradle and was now resting against it on the floor. Hermione ran over to him. "Are you all right?" The blood had not stopped flowing and now a small pool had formed next to him.
"I just feel a little weak. Could you help me over to her?" Hermione struggled, trying to pull him up, but she wasn't strong enough. Harry strode across the room and, with muscles of a Quidditch player, pulled Ron to his feet. He flung Ron's arm across his shoulder. The two of them struggled across the room, Hermione following. Harry placed Ron down next to Ginny. Ron took one look at his baby sister's motionless body and he started to blink furiously. "She never listens," he croaked. Hermione sat down beside him and stroked his arm.
"Maybe we should go back," Hermione said to Harry.
"No. I don't want her to have gotten hurt for nothing," Ron spoke to her, but still looked at his sister.
"Hermione, you stay here with the two of them. Roxie and I'll get the mirror." Hermione nodded and then resumed stroking Ron's arm.
"Be careful," she said quietly. Roxie bent down and gave her a hug.
"You know we will," she whispered in her ear. Then she and Harry walked back towards the cradle. The light twinkled, mocking them. They stopped right next to the cradle. The mirror was right there, just out of reach.
"Ok let's make this quick. Then we can take it to Dumbledore and get Ron and Ginny to the hospital wing." Harry seemed strong, yet scared.
"Yes, but how do we get it out?" Roxie inquired. The two of them stood in thoughtful silence for a while.
"Maybe it's simple," Harry suggested. "Accio Horcrux." Just as Roxie had suspected, the mirror remained firmly on the bottom of the cradle.
"But not that simple." The two resorted to silence once again, though this time they both began to circle the cradle. After a full revolution around the cradle they began again, this time mumbling spells and charms. Occasionally, one of them would poke or prod the cradle, but to no avail. Roxie looked down once more into the cradle. The light danced in front of the mirror making it move. It began to form shapes. Balls of light, arches, and then a huge squiggle resembling a snake. Surely not. She walked around the cradle once more, this time feeling the edge. She stopped when she found what she was looking for. But how can I do this without them noticing?
At that moment, she was saved making up an excuse when Hermione shouted. "Harry, quick, Ron's…" Roxie turned and saw that Ron's eyes had closed. His head had drooped onto Hermione's shoulder. Harry sprinted across the room. Now's my chance.