Chapter 28
Only I Can Do Something
Arthur Weasley nodded his head in response to Harry's question. He had entered Malfoy Manor a number of times in his official capacity conducting searches for illegal dark artifacts. Several such items had been confiscated over the years until Lucius Malfoy moved them elsewhere, or hid them more carefully. Mr. Weasley did in fact recall the Hogwarts medal, framed and mounted on the library wall of the mansion.
Harry did not find it easy to corner Arthur to discuss the matter. The older wizard previously spent most of his time in Harry's house after the abandonment of Hogwarts and the Burrow, during the time that Harry spent with Professor Dumbledore. Now that Harry returned to Grimmauld Place, he rarely saw Mr. Weasley, who since the fall of the Ministry worked full-time for the Order of the Phoenix, spending countless hours recruiting new members and organizing the opposition force. Finally Harry managed to ask his question after breakfast, in the few minutes before Arthur planned to return to the new headquarters of the Order. Since other residents of the house occupied the kitchen and sitting room, they ducked into the library. Arthur held his robe over his left arm, dressed in casual slacks and a blue shirt, not the more formal clothing of his old job. Harry wore his favorite fading black t-shirt.
"It was not there the last time we searched it, Harry; that's why I remember it. We kept a list from our previous raids, and on our last search after you told me about Draco, we compared the list to the current contents of the house. Narcissa Malfoy must have been told to relocate most of the more questionable objects. We were a bit surprised that the medal had been moved, as it was not an item under suspicion. I have no idea where it is now."
Harry's heart sunk into his stomach. After Dobby's information, he felt certain that the horcrux remained in the Malfoy library, and they simply needed to develop a plan to steal it. Now he fell back to ground zero.
"The medal could be anywhere," Arthur advised matter-of-factly, slipping his robe over his arms. "We received reports that the Malfoy's economic situation deteriorated, especially after Lucius was sentenced to Azkaban. We believe that Narcissa sold a number of artifacts from the Manor on the black market to raise cash. Is this medal important, Harry?"
"I'm afraid it is, Mr. Weasley. This is terrible news. We really need to find it."
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With this disappointing development, after lunch Harry met in his bedroom with Ron and Hermione, and now joining them, Ginny. Ron glared at Harry, as Hermione had just curtly informed Ron that Ginny would join their effort.
Ron did not mince his words when Harry arrived. "Ginny should not be here, Harry! I was never consulted, and I do not agree. It's too dangerous, and she's not of age yet." He stood up when Harry entered, and the two best mates stood face to face, just a few feet apart.
"It's too late now," Hermione argued harshly, also abandoning her spot on the bed, "Harry already said that she can help, so I told her everything. She knows about the horcruxes, about the prophecy, about everything we've done." She stared at Harry, refusing to make eye contact with Ron.
"WHY DID YOU DO THAT," Ron shouted, still hurting from the previous evening's break-up with Hermione. He was in a supremely bad mood.
"IT'S NOT YOUR DECISION TO MAKE, RON," Ginny shouted back, "and even if I'm not of age, I can still help." She already stood by the head of Harry's bed, but took a step towards the others, venom in her eyes.
The two siblings glared at each other as Ron retorted, "IT'S TOO DANGEROUS, HARRY. SHE'S TOO YOUNG."
"SHE'S ONLY A YEAR YOUNGER THAN WE ARE. WE DID LOTS OF DANGEROUS THINGS AT THAT AGE," Hermione yelled back, her face reddening.
Ron's face grew redder still, and he opened his mouth to yell something in response when Harry finally beat him to the punch.
"SHUT UP, ALL OF YOU!" His three friends, who had been shouting at full volume, appeared shocked that Harry raised his voice. Lowering it to a near normal level, he angrily ordered, "Sit down!" Ron reluctantly returned to his chair, still irate, while the two witches sat next to each other on the bed.
Ginny rarely saw this side of Harry, and she twitched from her rage at Ron and this unknown aspect of Harry's personality. Harry remained silent for nearly half a minute, staring at his friends with anger oozing from his pores, allowing all of their blood pressure to return somewhere near normal. Finally he turned towards his best mate, speaking in a soft but irritated voice.
"I don't like it either, Ron, and I wish I hadn't changed my mind. It was a stupid act of weakness," Harry explained through gritted teeth, chastising himself, "but what's done is done. Ginny knows everything now. She's with us, so we have to deal with it." He glared at Ron, who continued to fume but did not respond.
Turning his glare to Ginny, Harry cautioned, "This is a decision that I hope I do not live to regret. But if you are going to be in on this, you must promise to do exactly what we instruct you to do. I am not a quidditch captain whose orders you can ignore. This is life and death now, understand?"
The young witch did not expect such a harsh greeting from Harry, whom she still considered to be her boyfriend on temporary hiatus. She meekly nodded her understanding, afraid to speak a word. The three agitated soldiers looked expectantly at their equally agitated general.
Harry's expression slowly softened as he summarized, "There is another horcrux. We know what it is, but we don't know where it is. That's what it boils down to." Harry provided the three a highly abridged version of the events of two evenings previous, in no mood to delve into extraneous details. He made no mention of vampires or The Blood Pub, just that they determined the nature of the final horcrux, that for a time it hung in the library at Malfoy Manor, but that its current location was unknown.
"This is terrible!" the still irritated Ron complained when Harry finished, "How are we ever going to find a Hogwarts medal? I know what you're talking about, because my great aunt has one. They gave out bunches of those medals for years and years. Hundreds must exist. Maybe thousands."
Unfortunately, Ron hit the nail on the head, and though the four discussed various ideas, the fact of the matter remained that the medal could be anywhere. Finally Harry threw himself on his bed in exasperation, Ginny and Hermione moving aside to make room.
"The most likely place is still Malfoy Manor," he concluded, "Your dad only knows that it no longer hung on the library wall. That doesn't mean that it isn't somewhere else in the house. Still the chances of it being there are not very high; I hate to run the risk of trying to break in without knowing for sure. Even if we get by the wards, it's a huge place from what I understand. It could take days to search properly." The four friends sat in depressed silence.
Ginny's presence had been disconcerting to the original three, even Hermione, and they found it difficult to speak as openly as before. Combined with the tensions between Ron and Hermione, both of whom went out of their way not to look at each other, Harry considered the entire day to be a complete disaster.
"What are we going to do?" Ginny asked, not truly expecting an answer.
"Unfortunately, I only see one thing we can do," Harry muttered from his bed, "We have to kidnap Narcissa Malfoy."
The others stared at him wide-eyed, not wanting to accept that course of action, but they recognized Harry's point. Only Mrs. Malfoy would have knowledge of the medal's location, but the task would be daunting. No doubt she currently resided in a well protected place, and her capture probably would prove more difficult than Snape's.
"How are we going to find her?" Hermione asked softly, trying her best to remain focused, "She's probably in hiding, or else holing up with Voldemort."
Harry already knew this, but he did not like to admit that this may be a matter beyond their capabilities. His mind worked furiously, but the conclusion remained clear. They needed help.
"I think it may be time to talk to Remus," he conceded reluctantly, "Maybe the Order can help us this time."
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Remus Lupin and Kingsley Shacklebolt listened intently to Harry's request, seated at the kitchen table with Ron and Hermione. Ginny reluctantly accepted the decision that she not be present, as they did not want the others to know that she had joined their group, partly to placate Ron but primarily due to the fear that Molly would blow her top.
"You know what you are asking could be extremely dangerous," Kingsley admonished the teens, "There could be losses. Is this absolutely necessary."
"I'm afraid so," Hermione replied with all the confidence she could muster, "We have tried to think of alternatives, but there are none. Mrs. Malfoy is the only person to have the information that we need."
Harry continued, "We're very close to the end. There is one last hurdle, and Mrs. Malfoy is the key." He directed his eyes at Lupin, his long hair more grey than ever. "Remus, at the Burrow last summer, you told us not to be afraid to use the Order if we needed it. Well, we need you now. We have no way of locating her. She wouldn't respond to anything we'd send her, so we can't set up a trap. We know you have spies and informants. Do you think you can help us?"
As an afterthought, Ron added, "If you can't, we're stuck. It could be months or years before we find what we need. The only quick way is to kidnap Mrs. Malfoy." Ron sat to Harry's right, Hermione to his left, using Harry as a buffer.
Remus eyed them thoughtfully, and then looked to Kingsley. Harry noted that the dark, bald Shacklebolt had not changed a bit since their last meeting except that his eyes contained even greater determination. Remus too seemed to have an air about him that did not exist before. Perhaps the Order of the Phoenix had some life after all.
"We'd like to get to Narcissa anyway; we've already spoken about it. Especially if the news about Draco is true," Remus mentioned quietly to his fellow soldier.
"It's true," interjected Harry.
"What's true?" Kingsley asked suspiciously, "What do you know?"
"Draco is dead. I killed him." His face did not change expression.
Silence filled the kitchen, until Hermione clarified, "It was an accident. Harry didn't do it on purpose, but we're almost sure he died." The two men stared uncertainly at Harry before returning to their dialogue.
"That fits our information," Remus quietly remarked to Kingsley, "Narcissa will be devastated. She could be susceptible." The co-leaders of the Order of the Phoenix obviously knew of what they spoke, but the three teens did not seek any further explanation. The rules of the game remained the same. They would leave the Order to its business, and the Order would do the same for them.
"OK, we'll see what we can find out. We have a vague idea where Narcissa may be, but we'll have to follow up. It hasn't been one of our priorities lately, but we'll make it one," Kingsley decided, a brief nod from Remus indicating his agreement.
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Over the next days, Harry suffered. No news of Mrs. Malfoy arrived, and he passed the time bored and antsy. Ron and Hermione no longer argued with each other, but they barely spoke to each other either. Hermione and Ginny spent much of their time holed up in their room talking about Merlin knows what.
That left Harry with Ron, whose depression following the break-up neared pathological levels. Harry provided Ron with a couple of opportunities to get his emotions off of his chest, but Ron for reasons only known to him refused. In the end, Harry did not care and felt he gave his friend the chance. Though Ron did not seem exactly angry with Harry, an underlying resentment could be felt, and he did not make an especially enjoyable companion. From time to time, Harry retreated to the peace of his bedroom to be alone.
The events of the previous days bothered him intensely: the ill feelings between his friends, the questionable addition of Ginny, and especially the news regarding the nknown location of the horcrux. He felt ready to move, but he had nowhere to go. They spent a small part of their days following their meeting with the Order making what plans they could, but it all seemed an exercise in futility.
While in his room, he often passed the time conversing with Issamir, who remained in the house with Harry, though Harry offered to take it anywhere it wanted to go. Issamir became his friend. First a house elf and now a snake. What next, Harry thought, a penguin?
"You are unsettled, Harry Potter. Your mind is not at peace," Issamir hissed.
"There are many things I must do, but I am unable to do them until a certain person is found. People are looking for this person, but they are unable to find her. I am frustrated."
"If you wish, I will allow you to possess me again. In my form, we can enter any building, for the measures wizards use to protect their homes do not affect serpents."
Harry stared at his serpent friend with a startled look of realization.
"That is an excellent idea, Issamir. Why did I not think of it before?"
The serpent's offer set Harry to thinking. Maybe they had been too restrictive in their thinking. Who would think to use a snake to gather information? What about house elves? Dobby already advanced their cause a number of times. It was he who acquired the veritaserum used against Snape, and to be used against Mrs. Malfoy if she could be captured. Dobby found Lefty, which led to the meeting with Amelda Barlow, which led to the destruction of Slytherin's locket. If Dobby could find Lefty, Harry surmised, surely he would be able to find Narcissa Malfoy's house elves, some of whom he must have worked with in the past.
"Why am I so stupid?" Harry chastised himself, before crying out, "Dobby."
"Yes, Harry Potter," cried the house elf with delight.
"Remember when I asked you about Malfoy Manor?"
"Of course, Harry Potter, Dobby was not able to help."
"Yes you did, Dobby, but I have another question now. You still know some of Mrs. Malfoy's house elves, right?"
"Dobby knows several of old Master's house elves. Dobby believes that at least three of them are still slaves of the bad masters." Now for the big question.
"Are you able to find those house elves, Dobby? I mean, even if they are not at Malfoy Manor, can you find them?"
The house elf thought for a few moments, and replied, "Dobby knows how to find them. It may take Dobby two or three days, but Dobby is sure he can find them."
"How?"
"A house elf's mother or father can always find the son or daughter. It is part of our magic. Dobby cannot find the Malfoy's house elves, but Dobby knows the mother of one of the house elves. Dobby believes that Dobby can find the mother, and then he can find Dotty, the Malfoy's house elf. Dotty will help Dobby."
"That's fantastic, Dobby," Harry replied with a grin, "I want you to start on this right away." The house elf's happy expression dropped, and Harry thought that he had said something to hurt Dobby's feelings. "Is something wrong, Dobby?"
"Nothing is wrong, Harry Potter, but Dobby is in the middle of preparing dinner, and if Dobby must leave right now, then Dobby cannot finish the dinner." Harry laughed.
"Please finish dinner first, Dobby, thank you very much. After dinner, whenever you are ready, you can try to find Dotty. Is that OK with you?"
Dobby's feet shuffled with excitement, "Yes, yes, Harry Potter. Harry Potter is a great wizard." And with that Dobby vanished.
"Please find Dotty," Harry muttered, "before I go mad."
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Hermione and Ginny giggled happily. They already changed the color of Harry's hair to a light brown, and now commenced the process of applying the thick layer of make-up required to conceal Harry's scar. A couple of weeks earlier, Harry might have found this amusing, but he remained on edge as November turned to December. Dobby unfortunately encountered more trouble than he thought finding Dotty's mother, and the Order had not located Narcissa Malfoy either. A month had passed since the abandonment of Hogwarts, and except for regular visits to Professor Dumbledore, Harry hardly left Grimmauld Place.
The tension among his friends hardly eased. Ron and Hermione tried their best to act civilly, which generally meant that they ignored each other. Ginny now participated in all their discussions, such as they were, which usually devolved into bitter arguments between her brother and her. Hermione did not feel she should intervene, given her difficult relations with Ron, so Harry often ended up in the role of referee. The tension among the four had never been worse.
Finally, Harry decided that a day of recreation was the medicine. Ginny and Ron had never visited a muggle zoo, and Harry only once, the day he released the snake that ruined Dudley's birthday. When Harry informed the others of the planned trip to the zoo, at first they thought he was being sarcastic. When finally he convinced them that he in fact wanted to go, the girls gleefully squealed, and even Ron felt happy for the opportunity to escape the drab confines of No. 17 Grimmauld Place.
For safety's sake, they decided that their appearances needed to be altered, even though they would be in an entirely muggle area. Ginny's hair, at her request, changed to a platinum blond, while Hermione's turned jet black, lengthened to reach down to the middle of her back. Ron elected blond as well, though not as light as Ginny's. Once the girls covered Harry's scar, they could leave. Ginny and Hermione took turns applying the foundation, each managing to caress Harry's face repeatedly in the process. Eventually, they realized that their actions failed to amuse Harry, and their giggling subsided as they quickly finished the job.
A thin layer of snow covered the ground, but otherwise they chose a beautiful cold, sunny day in London. The foursome dressed warmly in thick jackets and scarves before apparating to Kings Cross, Hermione side-along apparating Ginny. A taxi-ride later, they entered the zoo. The pure-bloods could hardly contain their excitement, both for being outside for a change, and for visiting such a typically muggle attraction. The cold clean air roused Harry's spirits as well, seemingly awakening him from a long sleep. He ambled about the zoo with his friends, laughing along with them at times, thinking deeply at others.
Yet no matter where he went, he could not escape the effects of his enemy. He noted the sparse attendance at the zoo, as at all such attractions throughout Britain. Terrorism had reached a new high, according to the muggle papers. Worse yet, many of the deaths had no obvious cause, and no organization claimed responsibility for the attacks, or for the bridges destroyed mysteriously, or for the rash of aviation disasters the like never seen before. All airports in the islands had been closed pending a full investigation, which promised to take months to complete. Few ventured out of their homes except for the bare necessities - jobs, food, and the like. Restaurants suffered and amusement parks closed almost daily. The four did not understand their good fortune that the zoo opened at all.
The muggles are suffering too, Harry told himself, they're depending on me as well, even if they don't know it. And what am I doing? Visiting a zoo! Yet think as he might, the four could do nothing more until the final horcrux could be located and destroyed. They had to find Narcissa Malfoy!
At midday, Harry purchased lunch for the four patrons at one of the few open eateries in the zoo, given the low attendance. They happily sat down inside, taking off their bulky coats and scarves, and eating some "real" muggle food. Hermione and Ginny took turns glancing at each other throughout the day, noticing Harry's reserve. Finally Hermione broached the subject.
"You've been awfully quiet today, Harry. What have you been thinking about?"
"What do you thing I've been thinking about? What do I always think about?" He responded abruptly but without malice. He did not bother to expound.
"We came here to forget about that," Ginny replied, "even if just for a few hours."
"I didn't," Harry disagreed, "I just had to get out of that house. Don't think that I'm not enjoying myself, because I am. But it's all around us. Nobody is here. Everyone is afraid, wizard and muggle. It all comes down to us. To me."
Harry said this more in a reflective tone than out of depression. He in essence opened an impromptu meeting, quickly performing the muffliato spell to prevent being overheard, though only two other patrons sat in the small restaurant.
"I've just been thinking about our options today. We've been waiting on Mrs. Malfoy for days now. Actually more than a week. Maybe we need to expand what we're doing. Maybe we are focused too narrowly attacking the horcrux issue."
Obviously, Harry had something in mind, and the other three glanced at each other, almost afraid to ask. No doubt it would be risky and dangerous.
Delicately, Hermione responded, "We'd like to know what you're thinking, Harry, but the horcrux has to be the most important goal. Anything we do can't harm that effort."
"What effort?" Harry retorted in exasperation, his hand cutting the air, "We're doing nothing right now. Voldemort has the run of the country. The Ministry doesn't exist. The muggle government doesn't have any idea of what is going on. The Order of the Phoenix is just a mosquito to Voldemort right now. It can't really do anything." Harry paused, noting the long faces of his friends. He had thrown cold water on them, but he did not care. Instead he went one step further.
"Only I can do something." He locked eyes with Hermione.
"What can you do until the horcrux is found?" Ron asked quietly, "You can't try to kill Vol . . . Voldemort yet." Harry heard Ron's statement, but still he looked at Hermione, whom he knew would understand what he meant to do.
"It could backfire, Harry," the girl with the long, straight black hair cautioned. Though her hair looked different, the eyes remained the same, and Harry knew them well.
"I'm ready now."
"What do you think you'll accomplish?"
Harry thought for a moment before asserting, "I'll show him that I can reach him, that he's no longer in control. He'll have to start worrying about me." Pausing again for a moment, he concluded, "I'll show him that I'm as powerful as he is."
"But are you?" The two stared intensely into each other's eyes.
"I am."
Ginny's eyes gradually widened during this conversation which she did not understand. She gasped at Harry's final assertion. Could he truly be stronger than Lord Voldemort? The idea seemed ludicrous. She needed an explanation of what had just occurred, but being the lowest ranked soldier in Harry's small army, she remained silent.
Ron gradually understood; "If you think you can do it, Harry, then do it! But you have to be sure."
"I can defend myself now. And I think I can cause him some pain. I want him to start worrying about me. Not because of some prophecy. But because he knows that I'm a real threat. Am I overestimating myself? I don't think so."
His friends did not know that Harry's comments had been on his mind for days. In his most recent visits with Dumbledore, they discussed the idea for hours. Harry had promised the headmaster that he would not seek to enter Voldemort's mind without Dumbledore's blessing, but Dumbledore agreed not to withhold his blessing unreasonably. He tested Harry's skills relentlessly, and Harry blocked him each and every time. His Occlumancy had become excellent, and he could erect the ice wall in his mind almost instantaneously. Dumbledore gave Harry his blessing. Reluctantly.
Hermione's mind processed the situation quickly. She no longer doubted Harry's abilities, but she wondered whether attacking Voldemort's mind would really do any good. Nevertheless, Harry had made up his mind; that much she could see. Better to support him than to attempt to talk him out of it.
"OK, Harry. I agree, as long as you think you can accomplish something useful."
A wave of relief passed through Harry's body. Without realizing it, he needed Hermione's support. He knew that entering Voldemort's mind would be difficult and risky, and for some reason having the support of his friends made the whole idea more plausible. He smiled and decided the meeting had ended.
"Let's take a look at the snakes."
As they dressed themselves anew with their winter clothing, Harry heard Ginny softly ask Hermione, "What was that all about?"
While pulling on her mittens, Hermione turned to stare at Harry and then quietly answered, "I'll tell you later."
Opposite from the morning, Harry appeared to be in an excellent mood during the afternoon while his three companions acted less exuberantly. He entertained them speaking with the snakes, and the four Gryffindors admired the African lions. Ginny stole glances at Harry whenever she could without being overly obvious. For months she felt left out, but now that she fought her way into the group, she had second thoughts. Be careful what you wish for, she recalled the old saying, you just might get it. Ron, Hermione and Harry seemed so different now - tougher, focused, risk-taking. When Hermione informed her of all they had done, Ginny held the three of them in awe. Capturing Professor Snape, destroying the three horcruxes, killing Voldemort's snake, killing Draco Malfoy. So much to absorb, yet Hermione informed her of it all rather matter-of-factly. Ginny thought herself a capable witch. After all, she accompanied them to the Ministry in her fourth year, but that was child's play compared to what they had accomplished since Dumbledore's funeral.
Just don't let me blow it, she kept repeating to herself. She could not back out now.
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The four friends returned to the warmth of Harry's house, reclaimed their natural appearances, and sat themselves in the sitting room in front of a roaring fire. Mrs. Weasley busied herself in the kitchen, as she took care of the cooking during Dobby's absence. Harry and the others sat comfortably, having enjoyed their brief escape from Grimmauld Place. The tension of recent days had receded some, though it remained just under the surface. At least for the time being, everyone appeared to be content. Harry turned to look at the fire.
At that moment, a snow covered Dobby appeared before Harry with a pop.
"Harry Potter, Harry Potter," he cried, full of excitement, "Dobby has found Dotty. Dobby knows where bad master is living."
A thin smile crept across Harry's face.