Chapter 18
The Vault Tournament
"You could've asked me too, you know," Ron said moodily as he, Harry and Hermione sat in the Gryffindor common room later that day before dinner.
"Yeah, well, you could've hung about for a minute after we finished practice yesterday," Harry shot back. "I didn't even think about it until then, and when I looked for you, you were nowhere about. Where did you go, anyway?" Harry asked.
Ron shrugged indifferently. "I dunno, just walking around. I stopped by Hagrid's place but he wasn't there."
"Ron, I keep telling you not to bottle up your feelings," Hermione said gently. "That's the reason why things like this happen – because you don't communicate well enough with each other." Harry and Ron's eyes met for a moment, but neither of them otherwise reacted – there was no point in getting Hermione fired up as well by rolling their eyes at her.
"Anyway," Harry continued quietly, wanting to get to his point now that he had Ron and Hermione together in one spot, "I realized that we've been letting our work on Voldemort slip too much. We need to get back to locating and destroying his Horcruxes."
"Yes, but how, Harry?" Hermione pointed out. "We keep running into dead ends and false leads."
"I know," Harry agreed. "But we have to keep at it until we eliminate all of them. Hopefully what's left over will lead us to the Horcruxes." He didn't say it aloud but it was the most frustrating thing about not having Dumbledore around – they simply didn't have any firm way to find Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes. Even Dumbledore himself had to leave Hogwarts fairly often last year while searching for them, and he only came up with one solid lead, which proved to be a dead end – what they had found in the cave last summer had been a false Horcrux left in place of the real one by the mysterious R.A.B.
It was finally time for dinner, and Harry, Ron and Hermione packed up their books, dropped them off in their dormitories and walked down to the Great Hall. A short time later they were joined by Jon Crown, who seated himself across from Harry.
"How's the car?" Ron couldn't help asking.
"It's doing fine," Jon said, around a mouthful of chicken. "It was kind of fun running it at that speed – I'm sorry you didn't get to come along, Ron." Ron shrugged.
"There's always next Saturday," he said trying to sound casual, as if it didn't matter, "when the Vault Tournament begins."
Jon looked from Ron to Harry. "Were you thinking of going to that?" Both Ron and Hermione looked at Harry.
"Well, I was," Harry said. "There are some more things I'd like to discuss with Fred and George and going to watch the Tournament rounds will be a good reason to go to Diagon Alley."
"Good point," Jon agreed. "And it will be interesting to see what kind of wizards try to tackle that Vault as well. I wonder who'll want to try to open it after Gringotts's best Cursebreakers have tried and failed at it."
"I think it would be a good idea to go, too," Hermione said suddenly. Ron looked at her, suspicious. "We might be able to talk to Bill," she said, giving him a look that dared him to suggest there was any other reason on her mind.
"That's your brother, isn't it, Ron?" Jon asked him. Ron nodded, still looking thoughtfully at Hermione.
"Excuse me? Jon?" He looked around to find Deirdre Recaunt standing next to him.
"Hello," Jon said.
Deirdre looked shyly around the table. "I-I hate to bother you, but I wonder if you would have some time to help my with the Transfiguration homework Professor Tonks assigned us? I don't think I understand it."
"Sure, that will be fine," Jon said, smiling at her. "Why don't we meet in the Library in about –" he glanced at his watch "– say, an hour?"
"That would be so wonderful," Deirdre said, beaming. "Thank you so much! I'll see you then!" She turned on her heel and walked quickly out of the room.
Ron, watching her leave, turned back with almost a smirk on his face. "I think Deirdre's got a crush on somebody," he said slyly.
"Well," Jon said with an airy shrug, "she did pick the best guy in the room." Both Harry and Ron responded with good-humored jeers. Hermione's face remained carefully neutral.
As it turned out, however, dinner was about the most they saw of Jon that week other than in classes. He began helping Deirdre with her Transfiguration homework on a regular basis. He would bolt down dinner on the nights they saw him in the Great Hall, then dash off explaining he had to help Deirdre or had some special research of his own to conduct.
Harry kept trying to pull Ron and Hermione into discussions about Horcruxes to get them focused on researching the possible whereabouts of the Hufflepuff cup or Slytherin locket. Unfortunately, Ron was still fixed on the Mystery Vault and how they should have a look at it that coming Saturday – and see Fred, George and Bill as well. And when he wasn't discussing the Mystery Vault, he was on about whether Jon and Deirdre were snogging or not.
"You just can't hang out with a girl that much and not want to snog her," he mentioned to Harry one afternoon as he, Harry and Hermione were walking back to the castle from their last class of the day, Herbology.
"Is that so?" Hermione said coolly. "He was hanging out with me quite a bit at the beginning of the year. Do you think he wanted to snog me?"
"I wouldn't be a bit surprised," Ron shot back.
"Why not?" Hermione snapped.
"Because you're very good looking, and because you're the smartest witch in the school!"
"Is that why you're hanging out with me?" Hermione said, her voice becoming shrill. "Because I help you with your homework? Or do it for you, mostly," she added, harshly.
"You're not doing all my homework!" Ron fired up.
"Is that so?" Hermione stopped in her tracks. "Shall I stop and see how much of you get done in the next week?"
"Fine!" Ron said, almost shouting. "Maybe you can help Deirdre too, so Jon won't need to spend so much time with her and you two can do 'homework' together."
Hermione stared at Ron for several seconds, shock and anger written across her face; then she said in a falsely-calm voice, "I'll see you later, Harry. I have some things to take care of before dinner." She turned and dashed into a nearby girls' restroom.
Harry winced, then sighed and looked at Ron in disgust. "Can't you just give that a rest?"
"She just needs to pick one of us, him or me," Ron muttered darkly. "I don't care which."
"Don't be a git," Harry said angrily. "You do care. You wouldn't be on about it if you didn't care."
"You're not helping either!" Ron flared up at him. "You keep trying to push them together!"
"WHAT?!" Harry blinked in astonishment. "That's it. You've gone mental."
"You've been trying to get them together all week!" Ron hissed.
"I've been trying to get US all together all week!" Harry looked around; there were no other students nearby. He lowered his voice to a near-whisper anyway and continued. "We need to figure out a strategy for finding Voldemort's Horcruxes, and he's smart enough to have some ideas on how to do it –"
"And I don't, right?" Ron snapped.
"I didn't say that!" Harry said, frustrated by Ron's insistence on acting like a prat.
Ron and Hermione maintained a mutual, agrieved silence for the rest of the week, with Harry once again in the middle of it all. In one sense, at least, it was working out, because Ron was putting in more effort on his homework than he had in a long time, something he tended to be lax about that when he and Hermione were on good terms. Harry idly wondered a time or two during the week whether it would be better for them to break up so Ron could actually make it through his N.E.W.T.s without relying too much on Hermione's help.
Wednesday evening after Quidditch practice, after talking with Demelza, Jimmy and Ritchie about some new Chaser/Beater formations, Harry stopped by the Library to see if Hermione was in there. She wasn't in her usual spot, and Harry was about to leave when he thought he heard a familiar voice. Looking out cautiously from between two shelves he saw Jon and Ginny sitting together at a table, talking. They both looked very intent on their conversation; Ginny was gesturing as she spoke, something she did when talking seriously about something while Jon leaned close and was nodding at what she said.
A feeling welled up in Harry that he hadn't felt for some time – an anger that made him want to take out his wand and curse Jon on the spot for talking with Ginny the way he, Harry, should be talking with her. He spun around and ran from the Library and back up to the common room.
It happened again Thursday, this time he went to the Library deliberately, and to that same section. They were there again, just as they had been yesterday. What could they be talking about? Harry wondered. Would he even want to know? And why couldn't Ginny talk with him about whatever she was evidently pouring her heart out to Jon about? Hadn't she said Harry could come to her with anything? Didn't that mean she could come to him as well? Harry watched them for several minutes, until Madam Pince told them the Library would be closing shortly. He made his way back to his dormitory and flopped down on his bed, trying (without much success) to imagine reasonable explanations for Jon and Ginny to be talking every day that didn't involve her being interested in him.
It wasn't until Friday afternoon at dinner that they had a chance to talk to Jon again. He sat down across from Harry, who was sitting between Ron and Hermione, and asked, "How's it going?"
"Fantastic," Harry said dully, taking a huge bite of pork chop immediately afterward so he had an excuse not to continue. Ron had looked up but said nothing; Hermione had given Jon a wan smile but said nothing either.
"Are we still on for the trip to Diagon Alley tomorrow?" Jon asked softly. Harry shrugged.
"Dunno," he said with a trace of sarcasm in his voice. "Will you have time to make it tomorrow? I know how busy you've been this week."
Jon didn't immediately reply. "Well, you're right," he finally said. "I have been busy helping Deirdre with some of her schoolwork, and I've been putting time in on those brooms for the Gryffindor Quidditch team."
"Oh yeah?" Harry said indifferently. "How's that going?"
"I have four of them completed now," Jon said, now looking at Harry curiously. "Harry, is there something wrong?"
"No, nothing's wrong," Harry without looking up from his plate. "I just thought, after we'd talked with Fred and George, that you'd be around more to help us."
"Well, I am around," Jon said, having caught on to what Harry was being so cool about. "But there are only so many hours in the day and I wanted to finish what I started for you."
"For me? You're doing this for me?" Harry finally looked up, his expression angry. "That's a load of dung and you know it. You're not here to learn anything; you're here on some big holiday – driving an illegal car, talking to every girl in the place – this is all some kind of game you're playing, isn't it?"
Both Hermione and Ron were staring, shocked, at Harry's outburst. "Harry," Hermione protested, "it's not very fair of you to say that –"
"Oh no?" Harry turned on her. "Sticking up for him, are you? Because he's smart, right? Or maybe there's some other reason?"
"I'm sticking up for Jon because he hasn't done anything wrong!" Hermione fired right back. "Jon's nice, and he is smart, and you've got no business acting like this for no –"
"And maybe Ginny likes him, too?" Harry cut over her.
"What?!" Ron said.
"Harry, what are you trying to say?" Jon demanded. "There's nothing going on between Ginny and me."
"Oh, right," Harry sneered. "So why've you've been spending hours in the Library with her then?"
Jon glared at him for several moments. "Because she needs someone to talk to, someone who isn't too close to the problem she's having," he said bluntly.
"And what's the problem she's having?" Harry snorted.
"Trying to figure out what to do after you've dead and she has to spend the rest of her life without you," Jon replied.
Jon's response stopped Harry flat for several seconds. Ron and Hermione were looking at each other in astonishment.
"What's that supposed to mean?" he finally asked still angry.
Jon stood up, grabbed his book bag, and said "Come on."
"Where are we going?" Harry demanded as he, Ron and Hermione followed Jon out of the Great Hall.
"Somwhere private," Jon said as they walked across the entrance hall to the corridor opposite the Great Hall. He walked into one of the unused classrooms there and stood by the door while Harry, Hermione and Ron filed in, then pushed it shut, took out his wand and waved it at the door.
Facing Harry, Jon told him, "Ginny's had a secret for some time now, a secret that she's afraid to tell you because of what you might do if you knew about it."
Harry eyed Jon suspiciously. "Ginny's known me for a long time. Does she think I'm going to go off and do something stupid?" He turned to Hermione and Ron. "Do you know what he's on about?"
Hermione shook her head. Ron shrugged. "Don't look at me, Harry; she hasn't told me anything since I told Fred and George about all the boyfriends she'd had over the last couple of years. And, I haven't said anything to her, either," he added emphatically.
"It's about something a lot more important than how many boyfriends Ginny's had," Jon said tersely. "It's about your life, Harry."
"What about it?" Harry said shortly. "Come on, just say what you're going to say!"
"Do you remember the Christmas party Professor Slughorn had last year?" Jon asked him.
"Yeah." Harry had followed Snape and Malfoy out of that party and overheard Snape saying he'd made the Unbreakable Vow with Malfoy's mother; he fulfilled that Vow by murdering Professor Dumbledore. "I remember. But Ginny wasn't there."
"Yes, she was," Jon told him. "She was hanging back, giving you and Luna room. You remember you asked Luna to go?"
"Yeah?" Harry said again. "So?"
"Ginny ended up that evening talking to Professor Trelawney after you left. Trelawney was going on about you being 'the Chosen One' and all. She was pretty well plastered by the end of the evening." Harry said nothing, but he was not at all surprised by that.
"Ginny helped Trelawney back to her room," Jon continued. "She figured Trelawney didn't need the hassle of being found wandering the corridors of the school drunk and lost.
"Well, they got back to her residence and Ginny was about to leave when Trelawney started talking very strangely, much differently than she usually does, Ginny said. Very harshly, she put it."
Harry blinked. In spite of his disdain for Sibyll Trelawney, he knew that she sometimes spoke of things before they happened. She had done so twice: The first time had been the Prophecy she'd given to Dumbledore in the Hog's Head Inn, the year before Harry was born. The other was during Harry's Divination examination at the end of his third year, which the Dark Lord's servant, chained for twelve years, would escape that very night to rejoin his master. That prophecy came true when they discovered that Ron's pet rat, Scabbers, was really Peter Pettigrew, who did escape that night, found Voldemort, and helped revive him almost a year later. "What – what did she say?" he asked. "Did Ginny tell you?"
"Yes," Jon said, closing his eyes. "She shared what she saw with me." He spoke, remembering, "'The Chosen One shall not prevail against the Dark Lord, he shall not survive his final attack. Then the Dark Lord will return to that which he covets most, to make it his own. Only the power of seven can defeat him; only that which he hates can keep him from final victory.'"
"The power of seven?" Hermione said wonderingly. "And that which he hates."
"He hates everything, doesn't he?" Ron said darkly. "But what good does knowing that do?"
"Why didn't Ginny tell me this herself?" Harry challenged Jon. "Why didn't she tell Hermione or even Ron? I can't see her keeping something like this a secret."
"I don't know why she didn't tell you." Jon paced back and forth in the room, thinking. "If I had to guess, though, I'd say it was – fear.""She's a Gryffindor," Ron said fiercely. "She's not afraid of anything!"
"Not even spiders?" Jon said, turning to him. He looked at Harry. "Or dementors?" Ron looked away, but Harry held his gaze. "Everyone has fears. I think Ginny's fear was that you would never realize how you felt about her."
"But we did get together," Harry reminded him. "Why didn't she tell me then?"
Jon shrugged. "You'll have to ask her. She's probably the most sensible girl I've ever met, Harry –" Hermione blinked at this, but said nothing "– but even she has blind spots. I don't think she wanted to be the one to tell you Trelawney's prophecy, either directly or through your friends. She may think you'll blame her for what Trelawney said."
That startled Harry. "Why would I do that?"
She was the only one around when Trelawney made that prediction. She wonders, I think, if Trelawney would have made it if she wasn't there.
"But I told her to look at it another way," Jon continued. "If she hadn't been there, nobody might have heard it. In that case, you would not be forewarned about the final battle with Voldemort."
"Wait – h-how do we know that this is a real prediction?" Hermione objected; she looked at them imploringly, trying to see a way to explain Trelawney's words.
"It sounded real," Harry said flatly. "Trelawney's predictions sound nothing like how she teaches Divination class. She doesn't even remember them. I believe Ginny saw a real prediction."
"Harry," Ron said, stricken. "If that's true, it means Voldemort is going to kill you!"
Harry could think of nothing to say to contradict him.
They left the classroom shortly after Ron's statement. In the common room, while the others stopped, Harry ran up the staircase to his dormitory, ignoring Hermione and Ron calling his name. He threw himself onto his bed, thinking furiously about why Ginny would not have confided Trelawney's prediction to him.
After some time Neville came into the room and Harry, not wanting to talk to him, pretended to be asleep. Neville, however, barely gave him more than a glance before getting something out of his trunk and disappearing down the stairs again. Eventually Harry dropped off into actual sleep.
He dreamed a very strange dream: He, Dumbledore and Voldemort were sitting around the table in Dumbledore's old office, discussing how they might resolve the Prophecy so no one else needed to get hurt. Dumbledore and Voldemort had seemed quite at ease with each other, to Harry's confusion; he'd felt badly out of place sitting there listening to them discuss old times at Hogwarts like fast friends instead of implacable enemies.
As if this weren't bad enough, Ron suddenly showed up at the door to Dumbledore's office, agitated and trying to get Harry to leave before a fight broke out between the two. "Harry, get up and let's go!" he urged, motioning frantically for Harry to follow him. He finally came over and put an arm on Harry's shoulder.
Harry's eyes opened as Ron, leaning over him in bed, shook him by the shoulder. "Come on, Harry, let's go."
Harry sat upright. "Go where?" he said sleepily.
"Today's the first round of the Vault Tournament," Ron said. "Jon's taking us, remember?"
Harry rubbed his face, trying to clear the cobwebs and fragments of his dream from his head. "I don't think Jon's going to want to see much of me after yesterday."
"No, it's cool," Ron said. "Hermione and I talked to him, he's okay with all of us going."
"'All of us?' " Harry repeated. "Who else is going?"
"Well… Hermione wants to go along too," Ron explained. "She wants to see what all the fuss is about. And –" he looked a bit sheepish. "– Ginny wants to go along too."
"Ginny –? Ron, you didn't talk to her about what Jon said, did you?" Harry began warningly.
"No, nothing like that," Ron protested, putting up his hands. "Hermione and I saw her in the common room afterwards, when Jon wasn't around. I asked how things were going and she said she was a bit bored. Hermione said she was going with you, me and Jon to see the Vault Tournament tomorrow – today, I mean – and she's keen to go as well."
"But she's a sixth-year!" Harry protested.
"You know what, I told her the same thing, mate," Ron said with heavy irony. "But she wasn't having any of it. Said she'd walk straight into McGonagall's office and let it out about Jon's car if we didn't let her go along."
"You're joking!" Harry exclaimed. "She'd never do something like that!"
"Jon said that too," Ron said, now almost chuckling. "And she just gave him that look. He said she could go, of course."
Harry stood, taking his glasses off his bedside cabinet, where he'd apparently laid them the night before, and looked down at himself. His clothes and robe were rumpled from sleeping in them all night. "I'll need to change before we go," he said.
"Nah, I've got it," Ron said, pulling his wand out. He murmured "Spiffen" as he moved his wand up and down along Harry's legs and torso. Harry's clothes instantly smoothed out, looking neatly pressed. "Hermione's used that on me a couple of times," he admitted as Harry examined himself. "I've used it myself when I'm in a hurry some mornings."
"Thanks," said Harry. "I'll have to remember that one."
They made their way down to the Great Hall, where breakfast was nearly over. Hermione, Ginny, Jon and, interestingly, Deirdre, were seated together at the Gryffindor table as Harry and Ron walked up, sat down, and tucked into breakfast.
Harry was ravenous this morning. He filled his plate with double portions of eggs and sausages and had several slices of toast with pumpkin juice to wash everything down. He even put a bowl of corn flakes on top of that. Beside him Ron was watching with frank curiosity: Harry was eating even more than him, for a change.
"A bit peckish, Harry?" Jon asked with a grin.
"I dunno why," Harry said between mouthfuls of eggs. "I had a pretty full dinner last night."
"Oi, that reminds me," Ron said suddenly, looking at him. "Where were you last night?"
"What do you mean? I was with you," Harry said without turning. "Then I went up to bed."
"I meant in the middle of the night. I got up to take a – well, to go to the loo, and your bed was empty."
Harry thought for a second. "I don't remember getting up. Maybe you looked in Dean or Seamus's bed by mistake."
"I think I know which bed you sleep in, Harry," Ron said irritably. "Oh, forget it."
"So how shall we work this?" Jon said, as both of them finally pushed away their plates.
"It seems perfectly simple," Hermione said quickly. "We seventh-years will sign out at the front door. Ginny can take the passage to the Shrieking Shack while we walk to Hogsmeade."
"How am I going to get into the secret passage?" Ginny objected. "The common room is going to be full all day."
"You can use the Invisibility Cloak," Harry said. "Damn! I didn't think to bring it with me!"
"We'd better hurry, whatever we do," Ginny said, looking at her watch. "It's after nine now. If it takes two-and-a-half hours to get there, we won't make it there until noon or after."
"It doesn't start until two," Hermione said, looking again at the Daily Prophet article.
"That still doesn't leave us much time," Harry said, thinking. "Okay, let's do this: Ginny and I will go by the passageway to the Shack. The rest of you sign out and head toward Hogsmeade. She and I'll knock on the door to your room when we get there, Jon."
"Right," said Jon. "Let's go." He, Hermione and Deirdre headed to the entrance of the Great Hall. Ron hung back for a second.
"D'you want me to go with you and Ginny, Harry?" he said, giving Harry a look that suggested he wanted Harry to say yes. Harry, however, shook his head.
"Nah, it'll be less crowded under the Cloak. Go on with the others, we'll see you there."
Ron nodded, not looking happy about Harry's reply, but jogged to catch up with the rest of the students now lining up to be signed out by Filch at the front entrance.
"Come on, then," Harry said to Ginny, not looking at her, as they walked up the Entrance Hall's staircase and from there up to Gryffindor Tower, where they gave the Fat Lady the password ("chocolate gateau") and went up to Harry's dormitory.
He and Ginny walked in the door and were halfway to his trunk before Harry realized they weren't alone in the room. Neville Longbottom was there, sitting on his bed. Beside him was Luna Lovegood. Both of them were looking at Harry and Ginny in surprise.
"Oh, hi, Harry," Neville said, trying to sound casual and failing. "Hi, Ginny," he added, looking down. Luna just looked at both of them.
"Oh, hi," Harry said, looking at both of them carefully. Luna's eyes appeared even more prominent than before, brighter, as if they were wet. Had she been crying? "Sorry to interrupt. I just needed to get something out of my trunk."
"Your Invisibility Cloak?" Neville said abruptly. Harry looked at him. Neville's expression was shrewd. "Perhaps you and Ginny are going somewhere and you don't want anyone to see you."
"Er –" Harry began, but Ginny cut him off.
"Is that any of your business, Neville?" she said, hands on her hips and once again sounding very much like Mrs. Weasley. "Harry and I have some things to attend to and neither you nor anyone else needs to know about them until we tell you."
"You'll have to forgive Neville, Ginny," Luna said with a vague smile. "He still has a bit of a crush on you, you know."
A crush on Ginny? Harry thought, perplexed. When did that happen? And why haven't I ever heard about it until now?
"Of course," Luna continued, giving Neville a reassuring smile. "That's something he'll get over eventually now that he's with me."
Ginny's stance had softened somewhat, and her next words didn't sound quite so stern as she had before. "Well. Good, then. I hope that works out for both of you. Really." She turned to Harry. "Did you get what you needed, Harry?" she said in a brisk, businesslike tone.
"Oh." Harry unlocked his trunk and pulled out the Invisibility Cloak, then relocked it. "See you," he said to Neville and Luna. Luna waved. Ginny stepped closer to him and Harry pulled the Cloak over both of them.
As they made their way down the stairs toward the common room, Harry whispered, "What was that about?"
"I'll tell you in a minute," Ginny whispered back shortly. They made their way through the common room over to the fireplace. Harry cast Muffliato on a few students who might glance over their way if the secret door creaked too loudly, then put his hand on the wall and said, "Sudnallitit mauqnun sneimrod ocārd" to open the door to the secret passageway. They quickly followed the spiral staircase down to the base of the tower, where Harry repeated the words for the passageway out onto the grounds. Still under the Cloak, they made their way over to the Whomping Willow, where Harry used the Extendo spell to lengthen his wand and press the knot that momentarily froze the Willow. Ginny slid into the space between the roots, and Harry followed, dragging the Invisibility Cloak in behind him.
When he reached the bottom of the slide, Harry saw that Ginny was standing with the tip of her wand lit, illuminating the tunnel toward the Shrieking Shack. Standing, Harry was surprised to discover that the tunnel was now wide and tall enough to let him and Ginny walk normally. Lighting his own wand, Harry examined the walls of the tunnel. They were now very smooth and regular, not at all like the rough-hewn tunnel he'd become used to.
"Not too bad," Ginny said, wiping dirt off her robe. "Except for that first part."
"This isn't like it was," Harry told her. "This tunnel used to be much smaller. I think Jon must've gotten tired of crawling through it." They set out down the tunnel toward the Shrieking Shack.
"So… what's up with Neville and Luna?" Harry finally asked, after a minute or so of walking in silence. He wanted to ask her about Trelawney's third prediction, but he didn't want to spring it upon her all at once. With any luck this line of conversation would give him an opening.
She gave him a "who knows" look and said, "Just a row they've been having for about a month now, off and on, over how he's been acting."
"And how's that, other than cocky and self-satisfied?"
"Right," she chuckled. "I think Luna liked the quiet, somewhat insecure Neville better." Her smile faded. "Do you think Neville is being too cocky or self-satisfied for his own good, Harry? Or is he just acting different than he did before and we don't know how to deal with it?"
Harry had to think about that for a few seconds. "I s'pose," he said finally, "I see what you mean. But it hasn't been easy talking with him this year. Almost everything he says and does has something to do with him defeating Voldemort."
"Yes," she nodded agreement. "It seems like he can't let anyone forget it, least of all himself. It's like he's obsessed with the idea."
"Or Imperiused," Harry murmured. Ginny looked at him quickly.
"Do you think that could be it, Harry? Could someone have put the Imperius Curse on him?"
The thought had seemed to come out of nowhere, but now that it had formed in Harry's brain it made a lot of sense. If Neville had been Imperiused, he would simply do what he'd been told to do by the witch or wizard who put him under the curse, until he either broke free or the person who cursed him released him, or died.
"It makes sense," Harry said. He saw a dim light ahead; they were approaching the rise that would take them into the Shrieking Shack. "But we should find out how to detect the curse, to see there's really one on him."
"We can probably ask Fred and George when we're in Diagon Alley," Ginny suggested.
"Right." They reached the rise and followed it up and through the hole into the Shrieking Shack.
Ginny looked around the room; she had never been inside the Shrieking Shack before. "What a mess," she said, wrinkling her nose. "This is worse than Grimmauld Place was. Sorry," she added, remembering too late who owned Grimmauld Place now that his godfather was dead.
"No big deal," Harry shrugged. "Through here," he said, pointing to the door, and they walked down the hallway to the back of the house and into the small room where a locked door would give them access to Jon's hidden garage and workroom.
Harry knocked on the door and a few seconds later Jon opened the door, letting them into the room with the others. Harry saw how everyone else had entered the room: the wall at the far end was still open. The cover was off the Corvette and Ron, Hermione and Deirdre were examining it excitedly.
"How fast did you say it will go, Jon?" Deirdre asked him. Harry caught Hermione rolling her eyes and shaking her head slightly; apparently Deirdre had asked that question a number of times already. Jon, however, didn't seem to mind.
"I've had it up to almost 300 m.p.h., but we'll only be going about 250 on our way to London," Jon answered with a smile. "Maybe a little faster – we can cut a few minutes off our trip time."
"Let's get going," Harry said. He hadn't gotten around to asking Ginny about Trelawney's prediction while in the tunnel and the moment had passed. Well, there would be other moments, he decided, as the group argued about who was sitting where in the car.
It took a minute or so of scrambling around before everyone had settled into a seat. Jon had insisted that Deirdre sit up front next to him, while Harry sat next to the passenger side window (or "shotgun" as Jon had called it); behind Jon was Hermione, with Ginny next to her and Ron next to her.
"Everybody ready?" Jon asked, looking back to see if everyone was seated. "Okay, hang on." He mashed the pedal down and the Corvette shot forward, pushing them back again their seats. Hermione and Ginny gasped, Ron shouted "Whoa!" and Deirdre laughed delightedly. As soon as they cleared the doorway Jon pulled back on the pitch lever and the car tilted upward, rapidly gaining altitude and pressing them even harder against their seats.
"Take it easy, Jon!" Harry said loudly. "What about the door?"
"Oh, yeah," Jon said. He pressed a button on the dashboard and glanced in the rearview mirror. "It's closing." Harry looked out the back of the vehicle; sure enough, the doorway in the back of the Shrieking Shack was closing steadily.
Jon put the car into a soft bank and it curved around slowly toward the south, still rising, until they could see Hogsmeade and Hogwarts castle out the right side windows. They were now several thousand feet up and the speedometer gauge was still increasing.
"How fast are we going?" Ron asked, watching the countryside fall farther and farther away under them.
"Just passing 200," Jon said, moving the pitch lever until they were flying level. They continued to accelerate until the speedometer gauge read 265 m.p.h. Jon had taken it up to 270 but the car had started to vibrate until he backed off a bit. He pressed a button underneath the clock, which promptly went black and then displayed a map of England.
"Autopilot," Jon said. "Destination: London, England; the Leaky Cauldron." There was a small chime and the word "autopilot" appeared in the instrument cluster.
"Well, we're set for the next few hours," Jon said, settling back and smiling at Deirdre.
"Jon! This is so exciting!" Deirdre said, leaning over to put her hand on Jon's leg, who put his hand on hers. Harry, turning to watch this, also caught a look between Hermione and Ginny. Their expressions were unreadable. Hermione glanced at Harry and gave him a look, touching her lips with a finger so he'd keep quiet.
The next few hours passed quickly as the six passengers chatted about school and Quidditch and various pairings at school so far that year. Ginny mentioned she'd seen Michael Corner around with Su Li now that Cho Chang had graduated. She'd also seen Romilda Vane talking to Dean Thomas a time or two. Harry smiled momentarily at this: Ginny had dated both Michael and Dean in the past.
"And what's going on with Neville and Luna these days?" Ron said, to no one in particular. "I've seen them eating together a time or two, when Neville can tear himself away from talking about his fight with You-Know-Who."
Harry glanced back at Ginny who, seeing him looking at her, tapped the side of her nose, looked at Ron and said, "You know, they might be breaking up." Harry blinked. What was Ginny playing at?
"Really?" Ron looked nonplussed.
"Well, I hear she has a crush on a certain tall, red-haired Gryffindor Keeper," Ginny said with a straight face.
Ron snorted and sat back in his seat. "Oh, rubbish," he said dismissively, then sat forward again. "Really?"
"Ron!" Hermione said reprovingly.
"Told you," Ginny said to Hermione. She turned back to Ron and said, "I was only joking, she and Neville are still together." Probably still together, Harry amended mentally, remembering their discussion in the dormitory earlier.
Soon they were flying over London, and Jon settled them down in one of the side streets a few blocks from the Leaky Cauldron, inside a small car park. As they were climbing out of the car, Jon walked over to the attendant's shed and paid for parking for the day, leaving the man there rather confused about how the Corvette had parked without him seeing it.
Making their way through the Leaky Cauldron, they entered Diagon Alley and proceeded past Gringotts Wizarding Bank, where the Mystery Vault sat in a roped-off area in front of the bank. There were goblins standing in front of the ropes, keeping people from approaching too closely. "Move along there, no dawdling," Harry heard one goblin growl at a passerby who lingered too long in front of the artifact. Ron was staring at it intently, barely moving as he took in every aspect of the walls, door, and markings. In fact, everyone was looking at it as they passed – even Harry caught himself thinking about what riches might be inside it.
They continued on to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes where Fred and George greeted them all heartily, including Deirdre, who was still a bit shy around people she didn't know, but was beaming and excited about what she described as her first flight and trip far from home. "I've never seen so many, uh, people walking around in one place!" she gushed, pointing out the window at Diagon Alley. "And they all have something to do here!"
"More or less," Fred agreed. "Although we'd like them to have more to do here –" he spread his hands wide, indicating their shop "– than somewhere else, like Gambol and Japes."
"Where's Verity?" Ron asked, scanning the store for her.
"On lunch," George said, rejoining them from the back of the store, where he'd gone to grab a few items for restocking. "We expect to be busy just before and after the Tournament, what with people killing time before it begins and wanting to get some shopping in afterwards. The crowd for this is going to be huge."
"Have you talked to Bill lately?" Harry asked.
Both twins shook their heads. "He's been busy these last few weeks," Fred said, a bit sourly. "I think the goblins have got him doing all his normal work and preparing for this Tournament as well, on his own time."
"Bill never does anything halfway," George added. "He wants to put on quite a show for this Tournament. And we – as merchants in Diagon Alley – very much appreciate the extra business it brings in."
"Are we ready to eat yet?" Ron suddenly complained, rubbing his stomach. "I'm famished!"
"I'd like to have a look in Flourish and Blotts before we go to the Tournament," Hermione said.
"And I need to pick up some pygmy puff feed at Magical Menagerie," Ginny added.
"We've got that here!" Fred objected. "You don't need to go buying from the competition!"
"They sell at a lower price than you do!" Ginny shot back.
"We'll price-match," George said quickly, before an affronted Fred could say anything else.
A discussion started about where to have lunch. Fred, still staring coolly at Ginny, gestured Harry and George toward the back room, where they went into the office.
"Wanted to mention something before you lot headed out for lunch," Fred said after the door was closed. "Ron wrote us about the stuff you and he found of our attempts to crack the Marauder's Map, and we had a brainwave a few days ago about it." Harry nodded, interested.
"We were thinking about one of those cheeky remarks it makes when you try revealment spells on it," George continued. "And we remembered something about it."
"What?" Harry asked eagerly.
"Not much," Fred admitted. "It was that the remark about it being better to go into chartered accountancy than magic is a clue."
"A clue to do what?"
"Well, that's just it," George said with a shrug. "We don't remember what. That's the real poser about all this is: why we can't remember what we did to solve the Map. It's pretty frustrating."
"Tell me about it," Harry said feelingly. "I felt that way wondering why you'd never let me in on how you'd solved it, before. Now I know why you didn't, but it's still a mystery how!"
There was a tap on the door. Harry turned around: through the glass, Ron was pointing at his mouth and making "hurry up" gestures at him. "Must be time to feed the tapeworm," Fred said.
"I didn't know ickle Ronnie had a tapeworm," George said.
"I wasn't referring to anything inside 'im," Fred grinned. Harry smiled and shook his head.
"Thanks for the information," he said to the twins.
They set off for lunch, Hermione and Ginny apparently having decided on a place just beyond Gringotts where several types of food were served, including salads, which Deirdre had requested.
At the café, Harry told Ron and Jon what Fred and George had told him about the Marauder's Map. Ron didn't seem too keen to hear about it, as his mind was fixed on the Mystery Vault, but Jon listened intently, nodding as Harry related the twins' thoughts about the chartered accountancy remark.
"Considering how dull accounting is, to most people," Jon suggested, "I can see how it could be both a snarky remark and a clue. But how could a Hogwarts student study it?"
Harry didn't have an answer either. They ate their hamburgers and chips while Hermione, Ginny and Deirdre chattered away, the subjects changing so rapidly Harry stopped trying to follow their conversation.
Ron leaned in, motioning almost imperceptibly with one hand for Jon and Harry to come closer. "So what was that business of you and Deirdre holding hands earlier?" he asked, sotto voce.
The silence at the opposite side of the table was suddenly deafening: all three girls were looking at them. "What did you say about Deirdre, Ron?" Hermione queried.
"Ah – I just – wondered how Jon thought her Transfiguration classes were going now that he was helping her," Ron recovered.
"Why don't you ask her, then?" Ginny said bluntly.
"Didn't think I could slip a question into your conversation, actually," Ron said with a grin. Ginny and Hermione both snorted. Deirdre, looking back and forth between them, let out a loud snort as well. Harry, Ron and Jon all sat bolt upright.
"That was impressive," Jon said in a surprised voice.
"Well, I can talk, too, you know," Deirdre said huffily. "I don't just walk around with my head in the clouds all the time."
"Could'a fooled me," Ron said, but quietly enough that only Harry heard.
Deirdre then went into a ten-minute speech about all the different problems she'd encountered in Transfiguration class and how Jon had helped her through each one. Some of the things he'd had trouble with were familiar to Harry; he'd had coaching from Hermione on the very same subjects, but Deirdre's delivery was like listening to Professor Binns lecture on the goblin rebellions of the 1600's.
At some point when Deirdre paused to consider the next problem she'd had, Hermione quickly suggested that they go shopping. Harry and Ron agreed vigorously, if only to stop the Transfiguration discussion; none of the boys were very interested in following Hermione and Ginny around while they shopped. For the sake of keeping everyone together, however, they said nothing.
Finally, after spending nearly an hour wandering around Flourish and Blotts, Hermione glanced at her watch and said, "I suppose we should be getting over to the bank."
Harry and Ron looked at each other, relieved. They'd only been suggesting leaving for the Tournament for the last fifteen minutes. They made their way back along Diagon Alley to Gringotts, where a large crowd was now gathered around an open area in front of the Mystery Vault. Off to one side was a platform with a podium and rows of wooden chairs. Apparently the chairs were for Tournament contestants; there were a few people seated there watching the crowd grow with varying degrees of nervousness.
As they got closer, Harry was startled to recognize one of the contestants: the old man with wide, pale eyes sitting in the chair nearest the podium was none other than Mr. Ollivander, the owner of Ollivander's Wand Shop, which had closed over a year ago after he had disappeared. No one had seen him again until now. Harry watched as the old man sat still, almost unblinking, waiting for the beginning of the Tournament.
Nudging Ron, he pointed toward Ollivander. "Huh," Ron said, squinting at the still figure on the podium. "It took something like this to bring him out of hiding, dinnit? Think he's got a chance?"
"Ron!" Harry exclaimed, surprised at his friend's attitude. "Is that all you're thinking of – whether he might open the Vault or not?"
"Well, he obviously hasn't come to any harm," Ron rationalized.
"That's not the point. Besides, we don't know anything about where he's been! He could've come to some kind of harm, couldn't he?"
"Yeah," Ron said, shrugging. "Okay, sorry."
Immediately Harry regretted blowing up at Ron, but his selfish attitude about the Mystery Vault and gold in general had begun to irritate Harry. Seeing Bill Weasley walk out onto the platform at that moment, he decided to drop the issue. "Let's go see if we can get close enough to say hi to Bill," he said to the group in general, and they inched their way around the periphery of the crowd toward the platform.
Bill stepped up to the podium, placing his wand against his throat and saying something in a normal tone which Harry guessed was the word "Sonorous," then continued with his voice magically amplified. "Welcome, everyone. Our First Round of the Mystery Vault Tournament will begin in just a few more minutes." He tapped his throat again, then turned and walked towardFleur, who Harry now noticed was standing off to one side. Bill's face, disfigured from an attack by Fenrir Greyback the year before, made him look rather alarming, but he still had an easy and winning manner and could still be considered quite "cool" – almost more so now since his features were a badge of honor, a mark of his involvement in the Second War with Voldemort.
Bill and Fleur were still talking when the group sidled up to them and waited to be noticed. "Your guess is as good as mine, sweetheart," Bill was saying to Fleur. "We tried everything we could but this nut just wouldn't crack. Hey –" Bill did a double-take as he suddenly recognized two red-haired people in the crowd milling about as his youngest brother and only sister. "– Ron and Ginny! What a surprise! And Harry, and Hermione too!" He shook Ron's hand as he gave Ginny a tight one-armed hug, then greeted Hermione and Harry as well. "I heard Hogwarts was granting seventh-years liberty on the weekend," he said, giving Ginny a knowing look. "Did Mum forget to mention you'd skipped a grade ahead or something?"
"Don't be smart," Ginny said, feigning disappointment. "I told McGonagall I couldn't miss my oldest brother refereeing the Vault Tournament and now he thinks I'm skipping school." Bill laughed.
"Harry!" Fleur said, stepping forward to give him a quick hug then stepping back and beaming at him. "It's so good to see you today! 'Ow – How is my English sounding?"
"Very good," Harry said, impressed. "You've been practicing a lot?"
"Well, I 'ave no choice," she said, looking ruefully at Bill. "All of my bosses speak only English or Gobbledegook, so I make do with the lesser of two evils. So to speak," she added with a smile.
Bill glanced at his watch. "I've got to run, it's almost time to begin. Will you be around afterwards? Maybe we can chat for a bit."
Harry shrugged and nodded. Bill kissed Fleur quickly then ascended the platform to the podium. Fleur waved to them and disappeared back into the bank. They were off to one side of the Mystery Vault but were fairly close and could still see the entire front of the vault; their location was excellent for watching the contestants.
"Good afternoon to you all," Bill's amplified voice boomed out over the crowd. "Welcome to Round One of the Gringotts Mystery Vault competition!" The crowd began applauding and Bill put up a hand for silence. "We think you'll see some exciting magic today as our contestants endeavor to solve the secret of opening the Vault before your very eyes."
Bill held up a bronze token that was nearly palm-sized. "Each of our competitors has paid his entrance fee of 100 Galleons and has been given one of these Vault Tournament token, which enables the bearer to take part. When their name is called, each contestant will place his token into this –" Bill waved his wand and in a puff of smoke a large hourglass appeared on a pedestal next to the podium as the crowd gasped. "This is the official timekeeper of the Vault Tournament. When a token is inserted into this slot," Bill pointed to the base of the hourglass, "They will be given 30 minutes in which to try to solve the secret of the Vault. When the door is opened, I, as referee, will declare the Tournament at an end and the competitor will be awarded all the contents of the Vault – minus a five percent finder's fee to be paid to Gringotts Wizarding Bank, as per the official rules.
"Each of the contestants has been given a set of the full rules and conditions of the contest, and has signed a binding magical agreement to abide by those rules.
"Now," Bill said, turning to the row of chairs beside the podium. "Without further ado, let us meet our first competitor, Mr. Armandus Ollivander!"
The crowd cheered and applauded. Harry watched as Mr. Ollivander stood slowly and walked over to join Bill at the hourglass. Producing his token from a robe pocket, Ollivander held it out to Bill, who pointed to the slot on the hourglass's base and said, "Whenever you're ready, Mr. Ollivander, just drop it in the slot. You'll have 30 minutes after that to try and get the Vault open."
Ollivander nodded and slowly pushed the token into the slot. The hourglass flipped over and Bill said loudly, "The First Round has begun! Good luck, Mr. Ollivander!"
Whatever Harry or the crowd had been expecting, it seemed that Mr. Ollivander had his own methods of trying to determine how to open the vault. He spent several minutes simply walking around the Vault, waving his wand at it from time to time and stopping to study it minutely at different points. By his third circuit around the Vault he was tapping and feeling it at various points, drawing jeers from the crowd. At some point Bill announced, "Fifteen minutes." The crowd was calling out for Ollivander to stop feeling around the Vault but Harry knew he was using a valid method of examining it from his recollection of Dumbledore's techniques while trying to locate one of Voldemort's Horcruxes.
When Bill looked at the hourglass and announced "Five minutes," Mr. Ollivander made his way back to the front of the Vault. The crowd fell mostly silent, watching him as he moved his wand slowly back and forth in front of him. Harry could see him muttering to himself, too softly to be overheard.
Things began to move on the front of the Vault. As Ollivander's wand flicked to the right or left, the knob on its front would turn clockwise or anti-clockwise, and in the four-by-four grid different squares would move up or down, left or right. Harry could see no rhyme or reason to these motions. He glanced at Ron, who seemed nearly transported at the Vault's mechanisms. He looked over at Hermione, then Jon, but both were absorbed in watching the spectacle as well.
There was a gasp from the crowd and Harry looked back quickly, but whatever had happened, he'd missed it. "What happened?" he whispered to Hermione.
"One of the squares rotated instead of sliding to a new position," she whispered back. "I've never seen a magic square do something like that!"
Bill had just stepped forward to announce one more minute left when there was a loud clunk from the Vault. Mr. Ollivander turned to Bill, nodding, who announced, "It appears Mr. Ollivander is ready to attempt to open the Vault. Everyone, quiet please!"
Ollivander stepped up to the Vault, grasping the handle firmly and twisting it downward. There was a loud CLICK but, instead of the door opening, there was a burst of dazzling light, forcing everyone to shield their eyes.
As the light died away, there were several gasps and screams from the crowd. Mr. Ollivander stood, now seemingly paralyzed, as he had at the moment the handle clicked into place. Bill stepped over quickly, passing his wand over Ollivander's still form a few times, then signaling the emergency team from St. Mungo's, standing nearby, to take over. They rushed in, forming a cordon around him, and one of them took out a small object, a statue of St. Mungo, and held it so the others could touch it. In a few seconds they all disappeared, taking Ollivander with them.
"That was exciting, wasn't it?" Bill's amplified voice resounded again over the crowd. "He'll be okay, everyone; his pulse was very slow but steady when the St. Mungo's team checked it.
"This is the kind of thing we've come to expect from old vaults like this one. Very well protected, very powerful enchantments. And that means that there's probably something very important and valuable inside it."
Bill had stepped back to the podium. "Let's continue with our next contestant, Mr. Trevor Nott. If you're ready, sir."
There was a shout from someone in the crowd. "Go, Uncle Trevor!" Spotting the person who'd shouted, Harry saw that it was Theodore Nott, a Slytherin in Harry's year who wasn't one of Malfoy's cronies. Along with most of Slytherin house this year, he was on the outs with Malfoy now. He'd apparently made his way to Diagon Alley to watch his uncle attempt to open the Vault. Harry didn't see any other Slytherins nearby.
Trevor Nott, who'd been sitting next to Mr. Ollivander in the row of chairs next to the podium, had stood and walked swaggeringly to join Bill beside the hourglass. He was thin and weedy, like his nephew, with his long, dark hair tied behind his head. "If that old man hadn't been in the Bank when the Tournament had been announced," he drawled in a tone somewhere between bored and irritated. "This farce would have been over a half-hour ago." He slipped his token into the hourglass's base then turned and walked over in front of the Vault, wasting no time in casting various spells at the Vault.
Unlike Ollivander, however, Nott's spells seemed much more aggressive and forceful. "He's going right after it," Harry heard Jon mutter to Deirdre. "I think he's going to try and crack it rather than open it."
That's how it seemed to Harry as well. The crowd gasped at the various pyrotechnics Nott's wand produced. He seemed to be searching for the Vault's weak spot.
Ron turned to Harry. "D'you think he'll be able to break in? I thought they had to try and open the Vault!"
"I don't think it matters how they get it open, as long as it gets opened," Harry surmised.
Jon had heard them. "The contestant just has to get the door unlocked and open, by any means possible," he said. Bill announced at that moment that fifteen minutes were left.
Only a few minutes later Nott turned to Bill and said shortly, "Ready."
"Everyone," Bill addressed the crowd, which quieted down immediately. "Mr. Nott is ready to attempt to open the Vault. Everyone remain quiet, please."
Nott had taken up position about ten feet directly in front of the Vault. He made several intricate motions with his wand while mouthing words under his breath. A faint green glow began to emanate from the Vault door hinges. The glow became brighter and brighter, almost too intense to look at. Harry and the others with him shielded their eyes, as did many of the crowd.
Suddenly the green glow rebounded from the hinges to surround Nott himself, who screamed in pain as his arms and legs were twisted around behind him, leaving his fingertips touching the opposite shoulder and his feet resting near the back of his neck as he fell, face-first, onto the ground. There were screams and shouts from the crowd, including Theodore Nott, who seemed horrified to watch his uncle nearly snapped in half.
This time the St. Mungo's team didn't even wait for Bill's signal; they quickly surrounded Nott and whisked him away.
"I expect that had to hurt," Bill said, but sounding more amused than sympathetic. "We never know how aggressive these old defensive spells are going to react. It appeared that Mr. Nott's Unhinging Charm was rebounded onto him. His arms and legs were broken but hopefully, St. Mungo's staff will put him right as rain in short order."
Bill stepped back to the podium, noting that the third chair was empty. "I hope our next contestant is available –" Bill hesitated as he looked at the name, then looked around. "Is Baron Hemo von Rougeford – er, deceased, here?"
"Deceased?" Someone in the crowd said, shrilly "Wha'choo mean – like, dead?"
"Dead, but not departed," a voice said. The crowd's attention shifted, and Harry and the others turned to see two pale, silvery-white figures glide through the front wall of the Bank.
Harry recognized both of them immediately. The one who had spoken, well known to him and most other Gryffindor students, was their own House-ghost, Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, or as he was more familiarly known, "Nearly-Headless Nick." Nick was dressed in his usual doublet, plumed hat, and ruffled tunic.
The other, a grim, silent figure whose clothing was covered in silvery bloodstains, was none other than the Bloody Baron, the Slytherin House-ghost. As they glided by, Nick, seeing Harry, touched his hat momentarily with a nod to acknowledge him.
"Good afternoon," Nick said, a bit nervously as they glided up to stand next to Bill in front of the hourglass. "Sorry not to be out here with the rest of you, but we didn't want to cause any unnecessary excitement."
"I see," Bill said. "It's quite an honor to have both of you gentlemen here all the way from Hogwarts. Do you have your token?"
"I trust," Nick said smoothly, "that you were given an envelope earlier with the name 'von Rougeford' on it? It will be in there."
Bill reached into his pocket and pulled out a heavy envelope. Opening it, he took out the token and held it up for Hick and the Baron to see. The Baron nodded slowly.
"If you would do the honors, my good man?" Nick gestured to the hourglass. Bill slid the token into the slot at the base. The remaining crystals in the top suddenly shot though the opening into the bottom, and the hourglass tipped itself over, beginning another 30 minutes.
At once the Baron glided quietly and surely to one side of the Vault and promptly passed through its walls. Immediately, the fourth contestant, a portly, bespectacled wizard and the fifth, a thin, lanky one, were on their feet. "Foul!" cried the fourth wizard. "What good could anything that might be in the Vault do a dead person, ghost or not?"
"He cannot claim anything in that Vault once he comes out!" the fifth wizard was protesting. "The rules are specific!"
"The rules are quite specific," Bill agreed genially. "The door must be unlocked and the contents accessible to any being outside the Vault. There is no rule that states that the door must be unlocked from the outside, however."
"But what does a ghost need with what's in there?" the fourth contestant demanded.
"I should think that's their business, not yours, sir," Bill said, annoyance creeping into his tone. "Gringotts has determined that ghosts who are capable of handling their own affairs have the right of personal ownership, including vaults at Gringotts."
"Ghosts got gold?" someone in the crowd wondered aloud, and there was a general murmuring over this.
Nick, who had floated nervously backwards during this exchange, was near Harry and Ron. "Nick," Harry whispered. "Why is the Bloody Baron doing this?"
"Oh." Nick looked a little flustered. "Well, he's been agitated for some time about the paucity of rights we ghosts are given in the Wizarding world."
"Paucity of rights?" Ron said incredulously. "You're all stone dead!"
"But not departed," Nick reminded him with a raised finger. "We have no representative within the Ministry, for example."
"Yes, you do!" Ron objected. "The Spirit Division of the Magical Creatures Department!"
"You call that 'representation,' do you?" Nick snorted. His head jiggling dangerously; he put up a hand to steady it and continued, "A liaison is not a representative. In any case our input on matters is seldom, if ever, solicited. The Baron feels that if there is anything of value in the Vault, we may as well find a use for it as anyone. Now, if you'll excuse me," Nick finished, his tone dripping with indignation, and he glided off to wait near Bill and the hourglass.
"Touchy," Ron said as Harry looked at him with some disapproval.
"Well, he has a point," Harry said thoughtfully. "We don't think much about how ghosts get along with the rest of us living, do we?" Ron said nothing.
Several minutes passed.
"What's he doing in there?" Ron whispered to Harry.
"Maybe he's having a nice game of Exploding Snap with Professor Binns," Harry said irritably. "I don't know what he's doing!"
"Five minutes," Bill announced to the crowd, then turned to Nearly Headless Nick. His voice was no longer amplified, but Harry was close enough to hear him say, "If he opens it after time expires, Nick, it won't count. In fact, we'll probably have to discontinue the Tournament."
"I'm just hoping nothing has gone wrong," Nick said, looking worried. "The Baron thought he would open the Vault long before this."
Suddenly there was a loud, horrible moan that caused everyone to flinch back. It seemed to come from everywhere. A transparent arm thrust itself through one side of the Vault, followed by the Baron's head. He moaned again, and people clapped their hands to their ears, including Ginny, Hermione and Deirdre.
The Baron toppled over on his side, his silvery transparent form still half-inside the Vault. He looked at Nearly Headless Nick, and his mouth opened. "Nicholas," he said, his voice, his voice a deep, hoarse rasp, sounding indeed as if it came from beyond the grave. "Help…me…"
Nick glided hurriedly over to the prone form, taking his arms and pulling him slowly away from the Vault until his thin, pale legs were clear of the side of the Vault. Slowly, the Baron regained his feet, but stood, unsteady and swaying, supported by Nick, who was examining him carefully to see that every part of him was still attached. "Are you alright, Baron," Harry heard him inquire in a low voice.
"Home," the Baron said in a raspy whisper.
Nick nodded and, turning to Bill, said, "Thank you for the opportunity," then he and the Baron glided off into the walls of Gringotts Bank.
"I think that was the first time I've ever heard the Baron say anything," Hermione said, almost to herself.
"It was the first time anyone's heard him speak," Bill, having heard her comment, said. "At least, anyone who's not already a ghost." He held up his hands for silence. The crowd was quite loud now, excited about what they'd seen. Amplifying his voice again, Bill said. "Folks, this certainly is an exciting first round! Even I have to admit that, and I've been a Curse-breaker for almost ten years now and have seen some pretty amazing stuff!
"For our next contestant –" Bill turned to the row of chairs, but the fourth wizard was shaking his head and waving off Bill's introduction "– our next contestant is waiving his turn, it seems. Let me remind you at this time that every contestant has the right to waive his turn and be moved to the end of the queue, where he can still try his hand at the Vault if the opportunity comes up, as long as the game token is retained to start the timer. Without a game token, however, you cannot play."
"Our next contestant – ah, I see our next contestant has waived his turn as well. Well, folks, that's all the contestants we have on hand today, and that brings us to the end of Round One. I'd like to remind you that Round Two will begin two weeks from today, and if it's anything like today we'll likely see some amazing things. So, I bid you all a good day and pleasant weekend!" Bill tapped his throat again and sighed, noisily but no longer magically amplified.
The crowd began to disperse. Harry and the others watched it slowly thin out around them. Bill directed a few goblins in moving the chairs, Vanished the podium and the hourglass then came over to chat.
"Well, what did you think of the First Round?" he asked of no one in particular.
"It was pretty impressive," Jon said. "You did a good job of keeping it running smoothly.'
"Thanks, er – I don't think I've caught your name," Bill said, looking at Jon inquiringly.
"Jonathan Crown," Jon said, holding out his hand for Bill to shake. "From the United States," he added.
"Thought I recognized that accent," Bill said, shaking his hand. "I heard that Hogwarts had set up an exchange student program when it reopened. Are you one?"
"One of two there this year," Jon nodded. "And here's the other one," he pointed to the girl standing next to him. "This is Miss Deirdre Recaunt, from a small magic community near Hogwarts."
"A pleasure to meet you, Miss Recaunt," Bill smiled and gave her a small bow. She smiled shyly and blushed in return.
He turned to Ron. "So how was the trip here, then? Not too rough, I hope?"
Ron shrugged. "Not too bad, I s'pose. The worst part was the few blocks we had to walk from the car park."
"Car park?" Bill laughed. "Why'd you Apparate into one of those?"
"Apparate? No, we – er –" Ron stopped unsure what to say.
Harry didn't hesitate, however, knowing that Bill was more like Fred and George than their brother Percy in his attitude toward Wizarding law. "Actually, Bill, Jon here has a car that we all drove down in, a 1966 Corvette that he's modified to fly, like your Dad did that old Ford Anglia."
A crooked grin split Bill's face. "Ah. Sounds like a treat, then. How long does the trip take?"
"A couple of hours," Jon said. "Two-and-half at most."
Bill looked at his watch and shook his head. "Well, I hate to tell you, but it's half-past three now. Sorry, I thought you all Apparated in. I forgot you had Ginny with you."
Harry glanced at his watch. "Oh, blimey," he said softly. "We've got to go! Everybody who signed out has to sign in by six o'clock or they get points taken off, or detention, or both! Jon!"
Jon hustled over. "Yeah, I know, I was about to say something. Look, you get everybody headed that way. I'm going to get the car and meet you in front of the Leaky Cauldron." Harry nodded curtly and Jon ran off toward the exit.
Harry got Hermione, Ginny and Deirdre heading toward the exit with orders to wait out in front of the Leaky Cauldron for Jon. Ron had got off somewhere, Harry hadn't seen which way. He was looking around wildly for him when two wizards standing near the Mystery Vault walked away and Ron was revealed, staring in fascination at the artifact.
"Oi! Ron!" Harry bellowed. "Get a move on, we gotta go!" Ron turned, looking at Harry with a frown then jogged over.
"I swear, Harry, there's something familiar about that thing –"
"Not now, Ron! We've got to get back to Hogwarts before 6 p.m.!" They both sprinted down Diagon Alley, dodging through the crowds of people still milling about after the Vault Tournament.
Exiting through the archway, they dashed through the Leaky Cauldron and out the front door. There was no sign of the girls or the car, and Harry was about to panic when a car door suddenly appeared out of nowhere; Jon, pointing his wand at the door, was frantically motioning them to get in.
They both piled into the passenger bucket seat, Ron first then Harry; the seat magically expanded to accommodate them both, and Harry pulled the door closed as Jon mashed the accelerator and pulled back on the pitch lever just as a young man walked out of the record store and was treated to the sight of two teenaged boys flying past a car door which then twisted up and into the air as it disappeared. He stared, quite keenly, into the sky for several minutes before deciding not to stop round his local pub that night.
Jon put the car into a rapid climb, turning as soon as they cleared nearby buildings toward the north and Hogwarts, and accelerating until the car began to rattle softly. "We have a bit of headwind," he said shortly. "I can't go any faster than this."
"Will we make it?" Hermione said nervously.
"I think so," Jon said, looking at the reading on the clock face that doubled as his GPS display. "It's going to be close."
"How close?" Ginny asked.
"As close as the hair of your chinny-chin-chin close," Jon said with a thin smile.
"Well, I don't have any hair on my chin," Ginny said curtly, "thank you very much! How close?"
"Well, who put a bee in your bonnet?" Jon said, turning around to look at her. "You're not even signed out, so what difference does it make to you?"
"I don't want any of my friends getting in trouble," Ginny shot back. "Why weren't you paying attention to the time?"
"I was," Jon said, no longer smiling. "But I didn't expect the damned headwind to come up."
"Alright, don't worry about it," Harry said loudly. "We'll deal with it when we get there."
The trip back to Hogwarts was much quieter than the one down to London.
By the time Hogwarts came into view in the distance it was only ten minutes before six p.m., not nearly enough time for them to walk back to the school from Hogsmeade. Jon, however, solved part of that handily. He set the Corvette down on the road between Hogsmeade Station and the town itself, speeding invisibly toward the front gates of the school.
A short distance from the gates he brought the car to a skidding stop. "Okay, everyone run for the door!" Harry and Ron piled out of the front door to let the girls in back out. "Ginny!" Jon said as she climbed out, "stay in! I'll drop you off near the south side of the castle."
"I can do it," Ginny protested. "You don't need to drive me!"
"You won't be invisible," Harry said. "Come on!"
Ginny hesitated a moment, then turned and jumped back inside the car with Harry and Jon. Jon put the car in the air again and flew over the wall, heading south along the east side of the grounds. Suddenly he cursed.
"What is it?" Harry asked, concerned.
"It won't stay in the air!" Jon gritted. "There must be an anti-flying enchantment over the school grounds!"
There was, Harry suddenly remembered. When he and Dumbledore had flown back to the castle from Hogsmeade in June, Dumbledore had temporarily lifted the restriction so they could fly onto the Astronomy Tower. "Sorry, I forgot about it too!" he said. There was a jolt as the car landed jarringly on the ground. They were still rolling, however, at impressive speed – directly at the Whomping Willow.
"Jon, I'd avoid that tree if I were you," Harry said quickly, looking ahead of them. "It doesn't much care for cars getting near it…"
"I see it," Jon said, twisting the wheel. The car turned into a wide circle around the Willow, still invisible, and made for the garden that was due east of the castle. He pulled up just short of the garden, where there was a short divide between it and the castle where she could make her way around to Gryffindor Tower.
"I don't see anyone about," Harry said, scanning the area keenly for any movement. He looked at Ginny. "Off you go, then. If you can, run down to the front entrance and greet them as they come in. Act disappointed, it'll throw off suspicion. I hope," he added.
"Okay. Thanks, Jon, for letting me come with you," she said, throwing Jon a nod. And thanks, Harry." She suddenly leaned forward and kissed him.
"What was that for?" Harry asked, bemused.
"Because I wanted to," she replied with a broad smile. With a wave she jumped out of the car and ran along the castle wall until the greenhouse walls hid her from view.
"Now what?" Harry asked as he pulled the door shut again. It was nearly six o'clock.
"I dunno," Jon said, frowning. "I've got to get out of this anti-flying enchantment, but it's probably on the entire school grounds."
"Not all," Harry said suddenly. "The Quidditch pitch!"
"Oh yeah! D'oh!" Jon said, turning the car around and heading north again. They avoided the Whomping Willow once again then turned northwest toward the pitch, crossing the road that ran between the castle and the front gates.
"I hope there's a bit of slack in that anti-flying charm," Jon said as they sped toward the pitch. "I don't want to have to drive onto the pitch itself.
When they were within 50 yards of the pitch the Corvette suddenly angled into the air. "Good!" Jon said. "Hang on!" He cleared the wall with bare feet to spare and within another minute was pulling into his garage in the Shrieking Shack. They jumped out of the car and headed for the door, stopping only long enough for Jon to make it disappear into the wall again before they made their way down the hallway and slipped into the passage between the Shack and the Whomping Willow, both lighting their wands.
"Nice change to the passage," Harry remarked as they both walked quickly along the tunnel. "It makes this trip quite a bit easier."
"Thanks," Jon said. "I was getting tired of crawling back and forth through this tunnel."
They reached the other end in short order and Harry ascended the slope first, holding his Invisibility Cloak at the ready. He poked his head and shoulders out of the gap between the roots, pushed the knot that paralyzed the Willow, then he and Harry climbed out under the cover of the Cloak and made their way toward the greenhouse and garden. After they had passed over the pathway between the castle and the greenhouse Jon whispered, "I think we can risk the rest of the way without the Cloak, what do you say?"
Harry shrugged. Only Hagrid, if he happened to be south of the greenhouse as well, might see them… and it was nearly dusk as well. "Why not?" He folded up the Cloak and they jogged around the south side of the castle to the base of Gryffindor Tower, where Jon recited the phrase that granted them entrance to the spiral passage up to the Gryffindor common room, where they again went under the cloak and passed into the common room itself. From there Jon pointed toward the exit; he and Harry pushed open the portrait and made their way down the corridor until no one else was around.
As Harry put away the Cloak this time, Jon said, "I have to get my name in the sign-out book somehow." He and Harry ran down to the Entrance Hall, where the book stood on a desk near the front doors. No one else was around.
Jon walked up to the book and flipped it open, turning to the current date. As he dipped a handy quill in the inkwell, however, a growling voice behind Harry barked, "Here now, what d'you think you're doing there?" They both turned to see Mr. Filch, the caretaker, shuffling toward them, his jowls quivering with rage. "Get away from that book!"
"Sorry, sir," Jon said apologetically, "I forgot to sign back in when I arrived back from liberty."
Filch snorted. "Liberty! Huh!" he wheezed, eyeing Jon intently. "I don't remember seeing you come in from liberty this evening," he said suspiciously.
"Well, that was my fault," Jon explained. "I had to go to the little boys' room very badly and just couldn't hold it any more."
Filch was now giving him a calculating look. "How do I know that you didn't just come in late, then, and are trying to sign the book to avoid detention?"
"Well… because the front doors are locked and I couldn't get in now if I wanted to," Jon said matter-of-factly.
"Is that your only excuse?" Filch growled.
"What more does he need?" Harry cut in, trying to sound properly outraged at Filch's questioning. "I was in the restroom too and we talked for a few minutes before he remembered he hadn't signed in."
Filch's lip curled. "Which boys' room was it, then?"
"Er –" Harry said.
But Jon answered instantly. "The one near the Gryffindor common room on the seventh floor."
Filch laughed, a nasty cackle. "You mean to say you had to go so bad you couldn't sign in first, but you walked all the up to the seventh floor to get to a loo? What kind of idiot do you take me for?"
"I think that question is best left unanswered, Mr. Filch," a new voice said, and the hackles on Harry's neck stood on end as he recognized it as Snape's.
"Professor Snape!" Filch's tone suggested he was as unhappy about Snape's presence as Harry was; however, Filch wasn't about to pass up an opportunity to put someone on detention. "I believe we have a student here who's violated liberty."
"Do we?" Snape's oily tones dripped malice. "Still up to your old tricks, Potter, of corrupting students who cross your path?"
Harry said nothing, merely looked at Snape with deep loathing.
"So, Crown," Snape said, fixing Jon with his black, piercing eyes. "What do you have to say for yourself? Did you violate your liberty?"
"No, sir," Jon said. "I simply forgot to sign the book when I returned."
"An unfortunate oversight," Snape said with air of a predator closing in on its prey. "And the reason for that oversight is – ?"
"I had to go to the rest room," Jon finished.
"I see." Snape looked at Jon for several moments, then turned to Harry. "Do you have anything to add to this unlikely little tale, Potter?"
"No," Harry said curtly.
"He said they were together in the restroom," Filch piped up.
"Well, is that true, Mr. Potter?"
"No, it's not," Jon said. Harry looked quickly at Jon, who continued, "I was actually back in the Gryffindor common room for some time before I remembered I'd forgotten to sign in. Harry was in there as well, and he accompanied me down in case I needed an alibi for not returning as quickly as I might to sign the log book."
"I see," Snape said again, clearly unconvinced. "Is that how you recall things as well now, Potter?"
"Yes," said Harry, keeping his thoughts as neutral and calm as possible.
Snape looked narrowly at both Jon and Harry. After some time, apparently coming across nothing he found incriminating in either Harry or Jon's thoughts, he said to Jon, "Sign the log book, Mr. Crown. Be sure to note the current time logged in, 6:14 p.m." He stepped up after Jon had finished signing in and scribbled his own initials next to Jon's, then turned back to them. "Twenty points from Gryffindor for signing in late, Mr. Crown. Don't let it happen again." Snape spun around, his black robe billowing behind him, and strode from the entrance hall. Filch, muttering darkly about proper detentions and how today's students got off with entirely too little torture, disappeared as well, leaving Harry and Jon alone.