Ron, Luna, Hermione and Ginny all appeared invisible within the headmistress's room.
The headmistress was not to be seen, but that didn't stop the four explorers being any less cautious. After they set up detection wards and alarms, they quickly and quietly got to work. The portraits saw books fly out of the bookcases and open seemingly to random pages. The only sound heard was the rustle of paper. A portrait of Dumbledore looked at the books suspiciously and walked out of his portrait, so did another two past headmasters leave their portraits. A silent alarm was sounded and books soon went flying back to their original places. The air stilled. Nothing moved. Or so it would seem. Dumbledore was back in his portrait, suspicious of the happenings of the office. McGonagall burst through the door, armed and ready, though the effect was a little spoiled as there were no targets.
Did you see that? The distinct impression of Ron's voice shone through the question.
Yes we did Ron, it wasn't that impressive now.
It was for someone her age, I mean she's old enough to be our grandmother, and there she is still spritey.
Will you two be quiet, I'm trying to think on how to get in here again without getting discovered. Ginny thought broke through the couples chatter.
We remove them, look for the information then replace them. The whole reason not to steal them was not to let McGonagall know what we were looking for. Too late now, so might as well get everything.
The headmistress looked around the room, nothing was missing, well nothing as far as she could tell. She left the room after placing more charms on the room just in case of a break in.
Luna's thought flittered into their minds, She thinks it was Peeves.
Oh that's good then, we can borrow them and use a mirage charm to make it look like they are still there, thought Ron.
Good idea Ron, but why not just make a copy of the book and leave the copy here. After all we are building a large book collection, might as well be all original. Ginny's thought was loud and clear, not supidising Ron but an alternative.
Ah, well that is a better idea but what are we gonna do with all the originals in the long run, we can't have them turning up at our families homes or people will know. He argued back.
Well we could always leave them in various prominent people's homes, like a reward, or a large donation of books to various libraries. Hermione added.
Luna forced the others attention on her, Can we please just copy them now, while the headmistress is outside the room, and let's get on to the next place quickly. I don't want to be standing here all day.
Ok, ok we're copying, we're copying. Ron thought.
Hermione gave Ron a private thought, Sucker. Gladly in jest.
An hour later and over sixty books all originals copied and the copies swapped with the originals the four left the room and found themselves back in the lair.
'I'll go and sort these out now then.' Hermione commented.
'I'll help dear.' Ron said chasing after her.
Ginny yelled, 'No shagging on the books, we want to be able to read them later.'
Ron's ears turned red, whilst Hermione turned and winked at the other two girls.
Luna looked to Ginny, 'They won't be back for some time, so shall we get some practice in?'
'Might as well.' Ginny replied, looking forward to the fight ahead.
As they were duelling, casting silent spells at each other, another conversation was going on top of the fight, a very casual one, 'So you have any ideas on what to wear to this party then?' Ginny inquired.
'Well I was thinking of a flowery dress,' Luna replied as a chunk of stone debris flew past her ear. 'But I think I will go with a stately blue, you know, long split jean skirt, and a very see through top to keep Neville's attention.' She said as a sickly green light sped towards Ginny.
Ginny dived out the way and responded with white light of the torture curse. 'I don't think you need to worry about Neville, he adores and loves you, you realise. I think you might have trouble though with other boys and Neville's reaction to them. I hope he's not the jealous type.'
'So what do you think I should do?' Luna said fighting the torture curse, gritting and grinding her teeth.
'Suggestive, but don't show any actual breast, like actually wear a slip.' Ginny cried out as Luna broke the curse by returning the complement of torture. Eventually Ginny fired a well aimed tickling charm at Luna which broke her concentration for a quick stunner. After she lifted the spell of Luna the two hugged each other.
'Do you really think it will be as bad as that?' Luna asked.
'Yes I do, that's why I want to be strong against the Cruciatis curse.' Ginny responded.
'So what are you wearing?' Luna asked of Ginny.
'I don't know yet, will wait to see what Harry gets me.'
Eventually when Hermione and Ron came out of the library ready for the next part of the mission, Luna and Ginny were well rested from their exercise.
'So we ready then?' Ginny asked impatiently.
'Yes we are.' Ron replied ignoring the bard on his sister's tone.
'Well then, ready to flame in three …..' Luna spoke, the others all chorused the countdown, and flamed away.
Miles away in a run dreary street, for the weather was not very pleasant at that moment in time, four people appeared from the shadows like wraiths. They moved with confidence and a skill bespoke their ability to fight. They worked as a unit and quickly surveyed the area and made a move on the target. One door, out of many was their target. An easily miss able, unidentifiable black door, with a brass handle knocker and the number thirteen embossed on the door. The four huddled around the door, two facing inwards, attacking it with skill and determination, whilst two looked out in eerie silence. The door soon gave way to their perseverance and the four quickly got in.
'Lucky number for some, eh.' Ron commented on the house number.
'Let's remember whose house this is, so let's be careful, ok?'
The four carefully cast spell after spell trying to detect any charms, or wards on the place. As it turned out, it had no charms or wards, but there was a lot of reading material and certainly a few things in his possession that he shouldn't have had.
Hermione asked the question, 'Where did we get the address from?'
Luna answered, 'it was from his uncle, it passed into his possession, no claim was ever made on it, and no sale of the house was ever filed, so it belongs to Albus Dumbledore.'
'Oh' said a surprised Hermione, surprised at the depth of research Luna had obviously done on this place before hand.
The group rummaged around the place and picked up the various books that may help as well as their previous headmasters written works. Before they could start looking at the dark artefacts though, a voice from the grave scared them all apart from Luna.
'What are you doing in my House?' the voice of a dead headmaster terrorised them.
'We are looking for information, sir, to help end the reign of Tom Riddle. As it is, why do you have these dark objects?' Luna asked non-plaused by the effect of the portrait.
The portrait looked at Luna and laughed. 'Well, Miss Lovegood, as I see you are in fine form today, I will answer your questions if you will help me with my questions.'
'We can try sir, we can try,' replied Luna on behalf of the group. The response from the portrait was a long hard stare.
'I see you are more than what you appear, but maybe not all of it for the better. Harsh, be we shall see what becomes of it. Ask away.'
Luna repeated her earlier question.
The headmaster looked at them, their faces expectant, but not for a fun extravagant story, but the cold hard facts.
'I dabbled when I was younger. It appears from discussions with other wizards, that the stronger you are magically, the more you are drawn to the Dark Arts. So invariably, before I discovered this, I played with some, and every now and then still do. Sorry did. Some dark magic is not all the bad as it seems. The other strange thing is the stronger a wizard is, the safer they are to the dangers of dark magic. For instance, if Mr. Thomas attempted dark magic, he would have a high chance in failing, and the consequences would be grave and severe. Now if Mr. Potter tried the same thing, he would be safe, so it appears the magic attracts those that it feels can wield it safely.'
'Interesting sir, but what do they all do?' Ginny asked, slightly worried for Harry and Neville whom they all knew were both very powerful.
'Ah well, the one by the window is most interesting. You see it instils magic into muggles. For magic is linked to the DNA structure, this is counted dark as it changes peoples basic building block.'
'So wait, you are creating more muggle borns with that artefact there?' Hermione asked.
'Why yes. Our world needs more diversity if it is to survive. Look at the populations of years gone past.'
'We have,' replied Ron. 'It looks bad now, so we know we need to breed, and breed quickly if we are to survive.'
'Good for you, least you know some reasons for why I stood up to tyrants, they kill too many people for their own petty reasons. Anyway next artefact is indeed dark. The one by the piano, it charms all but the owner to sleep for a thousand years. So be careful and don't open it. Oh and yes, the bodies remain in stasis, but they can be affected by the outside world. So if you kill them, they die.'
'Good way to clear a room of Death Eaters I say.' Ron voiced.
The portrait continued, 'The dagger by the couch, it's one of three blades able to kill Phoenix's, I mean kill forever, not force a burning day, but kill. I don't know where the other two are, I have looked for them. Oh, the globe on the fire mantel, invokes despair like a Dementor on the one who holds it, useful for torturing information out of people. So yes there are my items of Dark Arts. Now have I sufficiently answered your questions?'
'Yes' Ginny and Hermione squeaked out.
'No' voiced by Luna. 'Was all of that the truth, or were parts lies?'
'Very good miss Lovegood, always check the source. It was indeed the truth. I try not to be bad, but it is hard. The reason I stopped so abruptly in my early career of the Dark Arts was the death of my wife. She died in an accident of my actions. So I have sorry had a very real reason not to like them much.'
'Ok, now I'm satisfied.' Luna filed in.
'Good,' replied the portrait, 'My questions to you are, Is Harry still alive, and how goes the war?'
Hermione answered, 'Harry and Neville are both alive and the war goes well, for we have reduced Tom's forces down immensely. We didn't realise how many people were under imperius, until we started killing the core death eaters. Then they all 'woke up' as it were.'
'Hmm, interesting. As it is, how did you find this place? I never told anyone and Aberforth never knew.'
'Oh you know, research. There is always a paper trail. I was lucky to find one.' Luna spoke with a sanity and clarity that was rare for her.
'So what do you search for?' Dumbledore's face asked.
'Well you gave Harry a mission, so were helping, like I said research.' Ginny spoke.
'Ah, interesting, well as you have managed to get here, you may take anything you like. Just be careful.'
Ginny Luna and Hermione all looked at each other all thinking, we could take the portrait, make Harry happy, and could prove to be useful, but then again we need to stand on our own two feet.
Then Ron not part of the conversation or thought process spoke to Dumbledore, 'Sir, when the war is over we will come back for your portrait, so you can speak to us in years to come, after all it's not nice to be stuck here on your own.'
The portrait smiled, 'very wise Mr Weasley, and tactful as ever in terms of stratagem that is.'
'Thank you sir.' Ron's wand came up with a quick movement and a spell later all the possessions were all shrunk and stowed away for later. The four gave their goodbyes and left leaving an empty house and a picture of their recent headmaster.
'I wonder if they know the extent of the Dark Arts I pursued when I was younger, and if they will as well. Well I hope they kill Tom and his Horcruxes, it is all I can hope for.' The image of the previous headmaster suddenly stopped moving and the room was still and silent.
Back at the base, the four unpacked and searched through the items they had recently acquired from Dumbledore's house.
'I think we might be here for some time reading all this.' Hermione spoke.
'Definitely till school starts, but we do have to keep appearing every now and then.' Ron spoke.
'We can appear in twos, still show we are around, one week, Harry and myself, next Luna and Neville.' Ginny spoke.
Neville and Harry both came out of the training room, sweat dripping off of them obviously an intensive training exercise.
'Hi guys,' Harry spoke, 'we got something to tell you.'
'What?' the group chorused.
'Well, tonight, Susan is being taken to stone hedge to meet her aunt, and two people died today by assassination. Blaise's father was one, the other,' Harry's voice got sadder and lower as he looked at Luna, the feeling of foreboding increased as everyone assumed the other target. 'Sorry Luna, your dad is dead.'
Neville put a comforting arm around her and pulled her in for a tight cuddle.
Not a whimper of sound was heard, but the tone of a girl whose reality just became all the more real.
'It was a matter of time since he published that story, I thought him dead and it being a miracle every day he was still alive. Now the miracles end and reality reverts to nature's cruel way.' Luna said.
'Pardon?' Hermione asked.
'No she's right, in her own way, Luna looks at it from the other side. And I think if she feels this way, we honour it.' Harry said, taking to Luna defence.
'I get that, it's just,' Hermione gathered her thought best not to judge or criticize anyone, 'if my mind set was like that and my parents died, I would be torn apart. Maybe I.. I don't know.' She finished lamely.
'It's ok, Hermione, we all take these things in different ways.' Ron said.
The five helped Luna cope with the loss of her father that evening when all of a sudden she just broke down in front of the others.
'I'm a heartless cow, I can't even cry over my father. I know he was mad and eccentric, and I idolised him, but…' fresh sobs burst forth. Neville held her tight and whispered into her ear, saying everything was going to be alright. The others got some wine and beer together to help ease the mourning process.
Luna talked about her father and odd little ways, the things she would miss about him. The idea of never knowing what made him like that, he always kept his own personal history to himself.
At eleven Ginny detached herself from the group, she was the one that would take Susan to see her aunt. Ginny donned the armour and weaponry, in case Madame Bones thought of other ideas.
Susan and Blaise were together, both anticipating the next few days. They wanted to help rid the world of fear and terror, they would help build a bright new world. They jumped, reflex forcing their bodies to pull wands out and point it at the dark evil presence before them that had just appeared. They both recognised Ginny's outfit.
'Hi Ginny,' Susan greeted.
'Hi Susan, Hi Blaise.' She greeted them both, 'Susan ready to go?' Susan nodded her head in eager anticipation of seeing her auntie again.
'Well then, let's go,' a second later, Blaise was left alone. He didn't have much time if he was gonna try and impress her. How many men cook? Well maybe lots, but I know a good idea when I think it.
Susan was dumped at Stone Hedge by Ginny. Susan felt the cold night bite into her thick clothes, Susan waited for half an hour with no one to talk to, Ginny was invisible, with both a disillusionment charm and Harry's cloak around her. She stalked around the site, looking for ambushes everywhere. After a while and out of the darkness all of a sudden a voice carried across theory and fear, 'Susan?'
'Yes Auntie Amelia, I'm fine and I am here as you can see.' Susan replied, not moving an inch.
'Susan, there's no one here, you can come home now. Please.' The voice quivered, the need was there for company and family.
'I'm sorry, but I made an oath, and there is someone here. Trust me I am safe and sound and learning lots. As it is you will be seeing a lot more of me later, you can trust me on that.' Susan stepped forward and embraced her auntie.
Amelia tried to apparate out there and then.
'Sorry Miss Bones, you just broke the deal.' Ginny's voice masked was cold and hard as was her wand in Amelia's neck. 'Alastor has our trust for good reasons; you just lost your footstep.'
'Please, I just want my Niece back, she's the only family I have.' Her cries wailed across the circle.
'Remember there are those less fortunate than you, you still are unmarried and hold a candle in your heart for some one. As they say, it's never too late.' A pale red flame replaced the standing spot where the dark figure and Susan Bones just stood. Three Aurors walked forward out of the darkness and from beneath invisibility cloaks.
'Mame? Are you ok?' the front one asked.
'Of course not, I just lost the chance to see my Niece again for Merlin knows how long.' Amelia collapsed on the floor, her head resting on her knees, her eyes welled with tears of regret and hope at her niece's words, you'll be seeing more of me later meant there would be other times.