DISCLAIMER: I am the author of the Harry Potter books. How dare you lock me up in this stupid hospital ward with that stupid man with the battered peacock quill! (screams)

-Chapter Twenty-

Corridors long, all empty but,

No one has sneaked out of class.

Beds are empty, no students caught,

These are all events of past.

Back to School

Harry woke up to find himself lying on a bed with white linen sheets. The room looked strangely familiar. His right arm was heavily bandaged and felt like lead.

"Oh Harry, thank God you are awake. We were so worried about you." He heard Hermione saying.

Harry turned and saw her sitting on a chair beside his bed. Ron was standing a little behind her, looking unusually pale. From his halted position, it seemed he had been pacing the length of the room. The room. Something clicked inside Harry's brain.

"Is this the hospital wing?" he asked sounding surprised.

"Of course this is the hospital wing Mr. Potter and you are back here again. I had hoped you would be a little less reckless and a little more matured once you left school, but no! You had to get into stupid things. Even a child knows that these so-called protective amulets and chains are dangerous (Harry quickly glanced at his friends and they looked sidelong at him), how could you have worn one? I ask you! Now drink this up." She handed him a steaming goblet and Harry drank the bitter olive-coloured potion wordlessly. Almost immediately, he felt warmth spreading through his body, and his arm felt less numb.

"Did you get it? The mail?" he whispered as soon as Madam Pomfrey closed the door behind here.

" Of course we did, Harry. You had already opened the trunk before you passed out. It's here, (Hermione indicated the empty chair next to her) under your cloak." As she spoke, she seemed to clutch at thin air over the chair and Harry had a brief glance of something blue and shiny.

"So you got passed the inferis?" It was not a question, but a note of praise and thanks.

Ron drew himself up. "We lighted a fire, just as you said, and held them off. Well, Hermione held them off, and I went to drag you out and to get the horcrux. Once we were out we were pretty worried because you were bleeding like hell and there was no help out there. But then Hermione looked at your cut and thought it wasn't as bad as it could be, maybe You-Know-Who could not put a more evil spell at the school of the druids, and decided we would bring you here. We were worried that the healers at St.Mungo's would have been more suspicious, but thankfully Hagrid had told us about Madam Pomfrey still staying at the school, and she completely bought our story, and then you should have seen her face when she heard you had bought an amulet from one of those shabby stalls at Diagon Alley. I didn't think anyone could look like that, except my Mom." He sighed dreamily, "We told her of course, that Hermione and I had tried to stop you from wearing it. She must tell McGonagall or Hagrid or somebody from the Order later, I do think you will hear more about amulets, mate."

"And why did you have to blame the whole thing on me alone?" Harry asked angrily.

"Because nobody would have believed it if Hermione acted so stupid." Ron replied, grinning.

"You could have still said you and I went to buy the amulet together, or you bought it and I was injured when I tried to stop you from wearing it."

"I don't think Madam Pomfrey really believed us, not the full story anyway. She knows you better to think you are so stupid, Harry, but anyway, even if she tells anyone, we are not getting detentions or points off or expulsion any more, are we?" Hermione smiled cheerfully, but Harry thought he could see something sad about her face.

Harry looked at his hand. This was not the first time he had been here to mend an arm, but the reason that time has been so silly compared to now, just a violent bludger. His thoughts strayed to Dobby, and his midnight visit to him in the hospital wing, and his warnings. Well, he had destroyed a horcrux shortly after that incident, though he had not known it then. His thoughts turned once more to the coat of mail . He opened his mouth to ask if they had tried destroying it, but Madam Pomfrey came back with another potion, drinking which, he fell asleep.

When he woke up, sunlight was filtering into the room through the drawn white curtains and both Ron and Hermione were fast asleep on their chairs. Madam Pomfrey had apparently softened up, Harry thought; she never used to allow visitors to stay overnight. Ron was sitting on the chair that had been apparently empty the evening before, his mouth hanging slightly open, and snoring gently as he clutched tightly a lump shaped bag in his chest. Inside, Harry surmised, the mail and the cloak probably were. Hermione on the other hand was leaning to one side, her head resting on her arms, and an open book that had clearly fallen down lying at her feet. Sitting up, he bent down to pick up the book. Hermione woke up with a start.

"Oh I'm so sorry I dozed off, Harry. Hagrid was here all night, he left at dawn to report somewhere, and then I was reading and…"

'That's okay, there was no need to stay up, really," he glanced at the title, "Famous Goblin Weaponsmiths" he read aloud and then lowered his voice, "have you found anything, yet?"

"Oh yes, I did. Listen to this," taking the book from him, she flipped through the pages till she found the right page, and read out in a low voice:

Welland was the most celebrated of all the weaponsmiths of his time. It was said that a weapon wrought by him was invincible in battle, unless forced to battle against its own kin. In such circumstances, the fate would be decided by the powers of those wizards or witches wielding the warring weapons. The one with the greater power would win.

" So now all we have to do is to find another weapon. If Welland was a legendary figure, we will find an antique-piece somewhere." Hermione looked excited.

"There was something like this in the book I was reading," said Harry thoughtfully, "there was something about a treaty or convention where Welland gifted Ravenclaw and Gryffindor the mail and the sword and then there were some lines about Welland, Hermione?"

For Hermione was suddenly looking thunder-struck. "Harry, I am so stupid. I knew it and I didn't think of it for once. All of us knew of the other weapon and here I was talking about searching for antique-pieces."

"You mean, Gryffindor's sword?" And suddenly he felt wide-awake, and strong. Of course, what could be more perfect than it, a sword against the shield, even though their owners might have never dreamt of battling them against each other in their lifetime? He looked at Hermione and shared the excitement that shone in her eyes.

At that moment, Ron fell of his chair with a thud.

"Go away, Fred. I am trying to sleep here." They heard him mumble and then he turned over and blinked.

"Good Morning, Ron." Harry said.
"Harry, you are awake! Hermione, where is Hagrid?"

"He went away shortly after enduring your disgusting snores for a couple of hours.' Hermione replied.

" I wasn't snoring." Ron replied hotly.

"Oh really?"

"Well, not very loudly. I bet he snores louder than me at any rate, so he can't have complained."

"Maybe, but he doesn't snore when you are talking to him."

"He wasn't talking to me. He was watching Harry."

"You could have still taken a book to stay up."

"Yeah, because I'm as mental as you."

They had to put an end to this conversion as Madam Pomfrey entered with Harry's morning dose of medicine, and to his relief, did not say anything to Harry at all about the amulet-incident, and instead berated Ron and Hermione for making noise. Soon after wards, she released him, and told him that the bandage would automatically come off in a day or two once the wound was healed. She also allowed them to take their breakfast there, which was brought in by Dobby. Then they told her they wanted to take a look around Hogwarts again, and got away.

But Hogwarts did not look like Hogwarts any longer to Harry. They stood for a while before the white tomb facing the lake, and then silently made their way through the deserted corridors, past the empty classrooms whose doors were shut. Even the ghosts looked sad. They met Nearly Headless Nick, and the Friar, silvery shadows floating at a place which itself was now a shadow of its former times. They seemed to be pleased on seeing them, and greeted them, but always they spoke in low voices. For even though no teacher would now come out of a classroom to ask them why they were not in class, they just felt that a loud noise would sound unnatural in those empty towers. Nearly Headless Nick told them that Peeves was very subdued these days, for there were no students to trouble, and kept mostly to the dungeons. Harry did not feel to sorry for not meeting him, and felt they could do without a bin of chalks or a statue over their heads when they had to deal with a horcrux at hand.

"Harry, shouldn't we have gone to Dumble…I mean, to the Headmistress' office and got the sword?" Ron asked when they had reached the seventh-floor.

"I think it will be here." Harry replied, as he walked past the tapestry of Barnabbas the Barmy, focusing his mind on destroying the mail.

A polished oak door appeared on the opposite wall, but this time the room behind it was much smaller, having a small window, and furnished with a table, on which was kept the sword of Godric Gryffindor, it's rubies glinting bright on the handle, and a glass jar containing a purple potion and three empty goblets. Beside the table stood a mannequin dressed like a warrior.

"What is that for?" Ron asked, pointing at it.

"Use your brains, Ron. It's the opponent warrior. Unless you want the sword to be run through you, that is."

Ron scowled, but instead of replying, he moved across to the table and observed the potion.

"The Room of Requirement can't be poisoning us, can it, Harry?"

"I don't think so," he replied, "but this is no time for drinks, and we should be careful about the potion nevertheless." He unfolded the coat of mail and let out a gasp as he saw the shimmering blue shirt that fell like water. It had silver badges and threads all woven into it, and in the middle was a silver belt set with two small sapphires.

"Yeah, it doesn't look like a mail, does it? Hermione thought I had got the wrong one, but see there, on the belt, and you will know."

Between the two gems was emblazoned a tiny eagle- the emblem of Rowena Ravenclaw.

"It's so beautiful, isn't it? Pity we have to destroy it." Hermione said as she draped the coat over the dummy. And then, as Harry's hand was still bandaged, Hermione and Ron held the sword together and drove it with all their might into the dummy before them. There was a loud bang, and the dummy burst into fire, and evil gray smoke began to rise up and escape through the window. But the little they had inhaled was enough. Both Ron and Hermione collapsed on the floor, their eyes shut tight and their faces deathly pale, and even Harry felt a fire within choking him. With immense will, he steadied himself against the wall and almost lunged forward to the table. He poured the potion into the three goblets and carried two of them to his friends, even though his own head was spinning. When they had recovered, Hermione sprang up and brought the remaining goblet to Harry.

The dummy was totally burned, but the coat of mail still remained on the floor. Ron went and picked it up. In spite of the ash and tar the mail still shone, but just above the belt, there was a small black hole which was still smoking.

Harry picked up the sword which had fallen from their hands. The blade shone white and the handle was warm, but it showed no other damage. "We will have to return the sword." He said quietly.

"Yes." Hermione agreed, "And what remains of the mail should also rest there, but I don't think it should be found now, in case Voldemort hears about it. We must take it with us."

Harry folded the mail again and put it inside the bag Ron had been clutching. "You are right, Hermione. Now it must go with us. But someday it will be brought back to Hogwarts."

Yes, someday, he thought silently, someday, the day will come.

P.S: Sorry guys, I am going on a vacation, so there won't be any updates for a while, but I've been nice and left no cliffies, so be nice to me and review.