Author's Notes: Sorry about the delay. My baby was very sick for days so I had to neglect the fics for a while, then I've come back to them gradually. I hope I'll be getting back on track soon enough. Thank you for your patience.

Song: 'Goal' by Beni Arashiro (from Eyeshield 21)

Ch. 17: The Orphanage

It was Tuesday, October 23. Two young teenaged wizards, a teenage witch, and a middle-aged wizard got ready in casual, but decent Muggle clothes. They were still disguised with charms, but soon that was going to change.

Harry seemed to know perfectly well where they were going as if he had gone there before. Ron, Hermione, and Severus were amazed when Harry easily told the witch in the Knightbus where they were heading to. It was something that made Severus cringe as he remembered the conversation with Remus about Dumbledore somehow living inside Harry.

The bus arrived at the place and they all stepped down and started to walk. As they were approaching an old building that hadn't been re-painted in quite a while, they changed their appearances to normal. They passed the set of iron gates that was still the same as many years before into a courtyard. The square building was still surrounded by high railings, but to the back of the building, there was now a play yard with swings and slides. At least there were some changes from the time Dumbledore had come and instead of knocking, Harry pushed a button. A female voice came through an intercom system: "How may we help you?"

Harry was going to speak, but like in the Inn before Severus stepped up first: "We would like to see the matron, please."

The voice came again: "Interested in adopting?"

"Not really. My son is doing research on my father for school. You see my father was raised in this place."

The door opened and a young woman in a gray uniform let them pass. They followed her through an aisle until they reached an office. The hallway was neat and the floor looked shiny. Even though the building outside needed repainting, inside it was very tidy and clean. Even the office had changed. It was larger and organized instead of shabby and full of old mismatched furniture. Harry was appreciating the changes because at least the place didn't look as grim as when Tom Riddle lived there.

A woman with rounded glasses that looked like she could be in her thirties smiled at them and extended her hand to Severus: "My name is Emilda Hambly. You can sit." After the cordial handshake with Snape, the woman sat down behind a desk that looked brand new. The chairs were cushioned and comfortable and the woman even had a computer on her desk. "What brings you here?"

"My son Seth here..." Severus pointed at Harry. "...is working on a research project on his ancestors and how they grew up. It's for Mug, it's for school." Severus had been about to say Muggle school, something that made the teens laugh a bit. "My father lived here and we wanted to see if there were still records on how his life was in an orphanage."

The woman gave them a wary look, but nodded. She was certain that Snape's father hadn't been in the orphanage in her times as matron so she had nothing to worry about if it wasn't her reputation at stake. "What was your father's name?"

Harry wondered if Severus knew the name and was quickly relieved when he heard Severus reply: "Tom Marvolo Riddle."

Severus expected the woman to get up and start looking for files in drawers, but was surprised when the woman simply started to type in the strange Muggle thing in front of her. Hermione whispered to the man: "It's called a computer."

Ms. Hambly smiled and asked: "Do you want me to print his record? You are very lucky. It's a very old one. They had to transcript it to enter it in the system, but it's here. Says here that he was born in this place actually. His mother gave birth in this orphanage and died after at least giving the baby a name. There are a few curiosities about him in the file..."

Severus asked: "Print?"

Hermione quickly intervened: "Yes, we want a copy of it, please."

"I believe that your father is dead, sir?"

"Yes, he is. If he had been alive I think we would have asked him..."

"Figures!" Ms. Hambly took a few sheets of paper from the printer and neatly put them in a folder and stapled it. "Here. As this is old I do not even have to ask for an ID, but in other circumstances..." It was obvious that the woman wasn't supposed to be giving records of children that had lived there, but Tom was an exception as the record was so old. Hermione was the one to save the record in her backpack. "Is there something more you want?"

Severus looked at Harry and the boy made a saddened expression: "I would love to see the room where he used to sleep, you know, to appreciate how it must have been for him growing up here."

"You are such a nice young man! Of course! That's in the record too... Let's see..." She studied the file and then exclaimed enthusiastically: "Alright! Follow me!"

Emilda got up and they soon followed her up the stairs. Children in school like uniforms stared at them. The woman knocked on the first door in a long corridor and a ten year old boy with light curly brown hair, brown eyes, and a freckled nose opened it: "Yes? Ms. Hambly?"

The woman introduced the boy: "This is Daniel Miller. Daniel, these people would like to see your room. You see, this young man's grandfather had this same room when he grew up here. Can you let them see it?"

"Sure! Come in!" The boy let them pass and they could see that he kept his room clean.

"Can I leave you with Daniel?" asked Ms. Hambly. They nodded and she quickly left them after simply saying: "Come back to my office when you are done!"

Harry decided then to pull something up. He looked inside his backpack and got some cards. In seconds he was entertaining Daniel with tricks. Severus rolled his eyes, but Hermione and Ron were enjoying it. "Now pick another card. Any card!"

The boy smiled and chose another one. Harry mixed the cards several times and then got out the card the boy had chosen. Daniel clapped, delighted. After a while of tricks where Harry even got a bunny from his baseball cap the boy seemed like the happiest person in the world. "Now Daniel, can you go with my friends and introduce them to your friends while I admire the room my grandfather occupied?"

The boy nodded happily and took Hermione's hand. Ron followed the boy and girl, but Severus stayed in the room, locking it and warding it. "There's something in here." Harry nodded in agreement. That had been exactly the reason why Harry had wanted to explore the room. Both Severus and Harry started to scan the room when Harry looked at the floor. The floor was the same wooden floor that Tom had many years ago. Harry thought that detail was odd. The whole building had been refurbished on the inside, but that room's floor hadn't been changed as if it had a spell making people leave it as it was. Harry then concentrated on an area and with a flick of his wand part of the wood opened. He got a small box that had been hidden in it and carefully opened it. There were pieces of parchment in it and annotations. Some of the notes were of Tom's investigation on his family and the mention of discovering that the witch had been his mother and not his father. The other notes were on Horcruxes. Just like Harry had seen in Slughorn's memory Tom had started research on Horcruxes when he was still in Hogwarts and living in the orphanage.

Harry and Severus were surprised to see that Tom was already tackling objects that had belonged to the founders. There were notes on the four objects, but a mention of not having found them yet, but beside the annotation of Ravenclaw's sapphire chest there was something written:

I think I know where it is. I have a feeling I will find it.

It is ironic that they say its whereabouts are unknown

because it's the closest I have so far to find in my research.

If I find it, I will hide it where no one might ever see it again.

A vampire area might be perfect for that purpose.

No one would ever venture to find it there.

'The place where the wind blows hard and no one can reach.

The secret mountain cave in Ireland no one knows much about.'

Might consider my filthy Muggle father's property too.

Emerald orbs locked with obsidian orbs. Harry quickly saved the note while Severus destroyed the weak wards that the room had. Harry looked at Severus: "It's easy to get to Tom Riddle's abandoned mansion, but what is that place in Ireland he says?"

"I have no idea, but I do hope we don't have to go there."

"Why?"

"He mentions that it is a vampire area."

Harry quickly re-checked the note and swore.

XxXxX

Ron had given all of the sweets he had hidden in his backpack to the children. Harry even wondered how his friend had managed to keep all those sweets in there, but was glad they had served a purpose.

After they were a few yards from the orphanage Severus mentioned that they were out of gold. The last of their money had been used between the Inn and the Knightbus rides. Hermione offered to Apparate in London and go to Gringotts. They waited for a while, but she quickly came back with money from the Snape vault and the Potter vault. Harry and Severus asked her if the goblins had interrogated her, but she shook her head. Those creatures didn't care one bit about wizards and thus didn't care about the fact that the vaults of two people being tailed for entirely different reasons were having money removed by the same witch. The goblins only cared about the fact that she had the required keys.

XxXxX

They all Apparated to Little Hangleton. Severus had to stop them from quickly entering the Riddle Mansion. The wizard knew the Dark Lord had hidden in that place too at least once, although after the murder of an old Muggle by the name of Frank Bryce it seemed that the Dark Lord or anyone else hadn't returned there much. After making sure there were no Death Eaters, they explored the place thoroughly and found nothing. They even explored the garden area with no luck.

"What do we do now?" asked Ron frustrated.

Harry started to read the parchment again and Hermione, who hadn't seen the piece of paper yet, quickly gave it a look and muttered: "That is a quote."

The wizards stared at her before asking at the same time: "WHAT?"

She raised an eyebrow and smiled: "That is a quote from a book. I read it once in Hogwarts, you know, for a quick spare time read. It was a book about the best known vampire areas, places to be avoided by both wizards and Muggles."

They looked at her and Ron even kissed her quickly on the lips. "So my love, do you know where the place is?"

"Very funny, Ron. Well, we do know that it is in Ireland as the quote says... I think the place mentioned in the book is close to the Galtee Mountains..." They were all staring at her again as she casually let that detail slip. "What?" Ron kissed her again, this time deeply, but she cut it. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Harry decided to say what no one wanted to say: "I guess it's nice to have a know-it-all with us after all."

Hermione gave Harry a glare, but then looked alarmed: "Wait a minute! We are going there, right?"

Severus hid his face in his hands, Ron shrugged, and Harry nodded before saying: "That is indeed where we are going."

The girl looked like she would faint. "Harry! We have to avoid vampire areas!"

"We have no choice, Hermione! It seems that Voldemort hid Ravenclaw's chest in that place!"

"Please! Isn't there another clue? You can't be serious!" She gave Harry a pleading look. "You are serious then? What are we going to do? Apparate to Ireland?"

They all looked at each other considering how they would get to Ireland. Severus smirked: "Have any of you ever prepared an illegal Portkey?" They all gave him incredulous looks. "Didn't think so. I haven't been an innocent Death Eater. We'll use an illegal Portkey, but we will have to put great effort in making it untraceable."

The teens nodded for Severus to start his illegal work, but first they picked up a soda can from the ground.

XxXxX

Ginny had been crying for quite some time and Sappho let her do so while dealing with some of her artistic confections with dried flowers and leaves. Cassius and Theseus didn't know what to make of it either, but both ended up rubbing Ginny's back providing support in that way. It wasn't until after forty-five minutes of constant sobbing from the girl that Sappho finally spoke: "Have you given up?" Ginny shook her head. "Then why are you crying? Nothing has happened yet, right? You won't change anything by crying, child. If your business here is over then you may leave and I wish you well."

"But where can I go to?" Ginny asked taken aback. "I... I don't even know where to go now!"

"Don't you want to look for him and tell him that he is in danger?"

"But I don't know where he is!"

"Don't worry, child. You will find him. Now, I will send you to someone who might be able to help you more and enter the depths of deciphering exactly what will come upon Harry Potter."

"Please, don't tell me it's another vampire!" Ginny exclaimed sourly.

Sappho laughed. "But what do you expect me to be acquainted with, little one? Do not be scared. I won't send you to an evil being. I'm sending you to someone in Ireland."

"Ireland?" asked Ginny horrorstricken.

"I will also give you a companion. Forget-me-not?"

Miosotis almost blushed at the use of the translation of her name. "Yes, master Sappho?"

"Remember I told you that eventually you would explore the world a little?"

"Y-Yes, but..."

"No buts. You will accompany these children to Ireland. You will later on decide whether you will remain by their side or not. You are always welcome to come back to me, but now, they will need you."

"Why, master Sappho?" asked Miosotis with a supplicant gaze.

"Because they need help. You are far more advanced in magic and you have a license for Apparition. They might need those things." Miosotis nodded, but there was frustration all over her features.

"This portkey will activate in one minute." Ginny placed her hands on a bracelet that had been made with fresh plants and flowers. Cassius, Theseus, and Miosotis also placed their hands on the portkey. There was a strange glow in Sappho's dark eyes when she said: "He knows many things, but be alert for many creatures lurk on his domains and he might have forgotten about manners and hospitality."

Ginny was almost trembling by Sappho's tone of voice when she felt the sensation of being pulled by her navel. Ginny closed her eyes and when she opened them she and her companions were in a new dense forest that was full of fog. Feeling lost they started to look everywhere, including Miosotis. "Where are we?" asked Cassius preparing his bow and an arrow due to Sappho's last words before the portkey activated.

Theseus pulled on Ginny's brown jacket and she locked eyes with his. "What is it, Theseus?" He feigned having his alicorn and Ginny smiled. "No harm if we are in a magical forest, right?" Ginny voiced the spell to end Theseus' transformation and did the same for Cassius. They were stronger in their magical forms and they had longed for being normal again. Miosotis kept sniffing the air. "What's wrong, Miosotis?"

"Something is not right," Miosotis blurted. "I think we're being watched and it smells like carnations which is not natural in such an atmosphere and season."

They suddenly heard a strange cry that sent chills down Miosotis' and Ginny's spines, but the unicorn nuzzled Ginny's clothes like telling her not to worry before Cassius stated: "It's going to rain. That was an Augurey. Look there!"

Both girls looked at a tree and there was a bird that resembled a vulture and kept emitting the goose bump causing cries, and just like Cassius had announced, it started to rain. The Augurey then took flight as if relishing in the sudden downpour.

"So cold!" said Ginny. "We have to find shelter!" Both she and Miosotis screamed when they saw a dark shadow approach them and with extreme speed disarm Cassius. The young centaur had no time to react.

They all started to run in through the forest, but the shadow easily caught up with them and grabbed Ginny and pinned her against a tree. Miosotis tried to attack the creature, but the very tall creature sent her flying against another tree and she crashed against it, being automatically knocked out. Cassius also lunged against their attacker along with Theseus, but a net appeared over him and the unicorn. The tall creature stood on two feet like a man and had Ginny by the neck. Ginny's feet were two feet above the ground due to the creature's stature. A soft voice hissed: "Why are you in my forest, human? Have you come give me your warm blood?"

Ginny thought the man was going to break her neck. She stared at him and could see that he was dressed completely in black with black mantles over his clothes, making him look overdressed. He also wore a black cloth like a turban or headband, but the turban was placed in such a way around his head that it also covered his face and she could only stare at terrifying ruby red eyes. From the badly placed turban also came a mane of very straight black hair that was extremely long, longer than Renard's. Ginny felt the grip around her neck softening, but the man let Cassius' bow along with a crossbow fall to the ground to free his other hand. He then removed the part of the cloth that covered his lower part of the face and Ginny screamed as she saw his fangs ready, and closed her eyes when he said: "I will not reject fresh blood when it comes into my hands so willingly."

Thanks to the person that reviewed.