Chapter 31
DEIRDRE'S SECRET
"That'll have to wait," Harry said. He took out his wand, removed the Imperturbable Charm on the door and unlocked it. Opening it, he started to walk through it. "Let's go –" but none of the others had moved.
"Harry," Ron said. "This is the last game of Quidditch we'll ever play against Slytherin! Ginny and Demelza and the others are counting on us. Those boxes are safe for now – they'll keep another hour or so."
So close, Harry thought. If what had happened last night was true, they were so close to defeating Voldemort Harry could taste it. Weighed against that, the Quidditch game was nothing. Nothing.
But – and it was a very big 'but' – Ron was correct; those boxes would keep where they were. The only way any Death Eater had of getting into the school undetected was destroyed now. Could he put off finding out about those boxes for just an hour or so longer?
Harry opened the door of the classroom and bolted through it. Ron, Hermione and Jon ran, following him. Harry ran through corridors, down one staircase, then down the main one into the entrance hall and skidded to a halt. He and Ron both looked at each other and at the same moment said, "Brooms!" At the same moment they took out their wands, each shouting, "Accio Broom!" There was a distant set of thuds and a few moments later two brooms came streaking toward them. Harry and Ron each caught their broom, turned, and streaked out the front door toward the Quidditch pitch with Hermione and Jon running hard after them.
The arrived in the changing room just as the rest of the team, hearing the Slytherins in the crowd shout and jeering for the Gryffindor team to come out and take its lumps, had resigned themselves to telling Madame Hooch they would have to forfeit. "Where were you?!" Ginny shouted, furious, as they began throwing on their Quidditch robes as quickly as they could.
"Long story," Harry panted, out of breath, as he fastened his robe in place. "Tell you after the game." They finished dressing in record time. "Let's go kick their butts!" The Gryffindors flew out onto the pitch.
"About time, Potter!" Malfoy jeered, holding his arm up as if checking his watch. "We thought you were going to chicken out when you realized how badly you were going to be beaten today!" The other Slytherins chuckled nastily.
"Enough of that, Malfoy," Madam Hooch said sharply as she strode onto the pitch. "Now, if we're all ready –" she cast a sidelong glance at Harry "— let's get this game in the air, and keep the fouls to a minimum. On both sides," she finished, looking round at both teams gathered around her. Harry nodded, ready to lift off the moment she blew the whistle. And both sides rose into the air.
"Miss Weasley takes the Quaffle, she's driving toward the Slytherin goals," a familiar but unexpected voice rang out, and Harry turned to see none other than Professor McGonagall commentating. "She passes to Robins, who passes to McDonald, and back to Weasley, who shoots – it's blocked by Harper."
Harry was so engrossed in McGonagall's play-by-play that he nearly fell off his broom when Ginny said, almost in his ear, "Are you just going to sit there and watch, Harry?"
"Sorry," Harry said quickly. "Why's McGonagall commentating?"
"Don't think she trusted anyone else to do this last game," Ginny said with a careless shrug. "Gotta fly!" She streaked off to help stave off the first Slytherin goal drive.
Both teams were playing fast and furious. Neither side liked the other at all; while within the school itself competition was limited to the academic (and the occasional hex or jinx), here on the Quidditch pitch emotions could be given free rein. Crabbe and Goyle, though both thick as mud in Harry's opinion, had become quite skilled in the use of the Beater's bat, but so had Jimmy and Ritchie, his own Bludger men. The skill and quickness of Harry's Chasers, Ginny, Demelza and Natalie, were matched by the sheer size and strength of Slytherin's men, Baddock, Pritchard and Witte. The score stayed fairly even; fifteen minutes into the match, it was 70 points to Gryffindor while Slytherin was right behind them with 60.
McGonagall's commentary, as well, was a pleasant surprise. Used to commentaries in past games from the likes of Zacharias Smith, Luna Lovegood, and even Neville Longbottom, her crisp, steady calling of the game was in no way distracting. This was fortunate for Harry, since he already had his share of distractions to deal with, as he kept wondering what he would find back in the Room of Requirement as well as tracking what Malfoy and the other Slytherins were doing, and watching for the Snitch in case it showed up before it was quite convenient.
Their strategy for this game was well defined: Hufflepuff, with 660 points in the series, was currently in the lead for the Quidditch Cup. Ravenclaw came next with 540 points, then Slytherin with 480 and finally Gryffindor, in last place with 370 points. To win the Cup, Gryffindor would have to score at least 300 points, and they would have to keep Slytherin from scoring more than 280.
"Witte passes the Quaffle to Baddock, who feints a pass to Pritchard and scores again, giving them 80 to Gryffindor's 90 points," McGonagall called. "Ginny Weasley with the Quaffle now, she's heading toward the Slytherin goals. She passes to Robins, who passes back to McDonald, who dodges a Bludger hit by Crabbe and – and what the devil is wrong with you, Hooch? Didn't you see that blagging?!"
Baddock had come up behind Natalie and, with his body between her and Madame Hooch, grabbed the back of her broom, throwing her off-course. The Gryffindors shouted and jeered, calling for the foul, but Hooch, shaking her head, made no move to call it. Meanwhile, Witte had recovered the Quaffle and he and Pritchard were driving toward the Gryffindor goals. Jimmy and Ritchie sent a Bludger after each of them, but they were too far behind to catch up, and the two Slytherins executed a nearly flawless "Tutshill's T" – a maneuver where one Chaser passed in front of another just beyond the scoring area, passing them the Quaffle as they did so. The Keeper, following the first Chaser, could not usually reverse in time to stop the second Chaser from scoring.
Ron, however, must have guessed what was going to happen – or perhaps he just got lucky. In either case, what should have been a quick score for Slytherin turned into a spectacular save for Ron.
Harry and the other Gryffindors whooped as Ron passed the Quaffle back into play. "A lucky catch," he heard over his shoulder, and turned to see Malfoy hovering above and behind him, wearing a sneer on his sharp, pale face. "You must've got Slughorn to give you some Felix Felicis for Weasley. Oh, I forgot," he chuckled nastily. "You aren't in Slughorn's little club any more, are you?"
"Malfoy," Harry said through clenched teeth, but –
"Oy! Draco!" Harper, the Slytherin Captain, was shouting at Malfoy as well. "Stop mucking about with Potter and find that ruddy Snitch!"
Malfoy scowled at Harper, but with a final contemptuous look at Harry he flew off in search of the Snitch, while Harry kept diligent watch on his own.
Gryffindor scored twice more in the next several minutes, as did Slytherin, making the score 110 to 100, with Gryffindor still in the lead. Then, perhaps in retaliation for Ron's stupendous save earlier, Crabbe and Goyle caught Ginny Weasley in a "Beater's Blatch" – Crabbe hit a Bludger toward her, and when Ginny turned to gauge where it was behind her, Goyle flew directly into her path. Ginny slammed into the Slytherin, knocking her off her broom and sending her plummeting toward the ground 50 feet below.
Harry, who was fortunately not far away from the collision, immediately sent his broom into a dive, getting under Ginny and catching her with one arm and stopping her fall. The downward momentum carried them to the ground, where Harry released his broom and caught Ginny up in both arms. The impact against Goyle had bruised her cheek and bloodied her lip.
Harry could hear the Gryffindors in the crowd, as well as McGonagall herself, who'd abandoned all appearances of impartiality, shouting for the foul, but none of that mattered at the moment. All that mattered to Harry, he was holding and looking at this very moment.
Ginny groaned; she hadn't quite been knocked unconscious. "Did somebody conjure up a brick wall in front of me, or what?" she said, grimacing.
"Close," Harry said. "It was Goyle. They just called him for blatching."
"Good," Ginny said woozily. "Get me my broom – I'll have that penalty shot in the bag."
But Harry was carrying her over to the edge of the pitch, where Madame Pomfrey was anxiously waving them toward her. "I think you'd better let the nurse have a look at you first. We'll have Demelza or Natalie do the penalty."
"Don' be s-silly," Ginny said, looking at him with unfocused eyes. "I'm fine."
"Right," said Harry. He laid Ginny down on a stretcher while Madame Pomfrey examined her quickly.
"Concussion," she said to Harry a moment later. "I'll have it fixed in a moment, but she'll need to rest for a bit."
Harry nodded and knelt down beside Ginny. "I'll be back in a bit," he told her. "And we'll talk a bit, okay?"
"Just give me a second," Ginny was saying, trying to sit up. "I'll be right back up there."
Leaving her in Pomfrey's hands, Harry ran back to where his broom had fallen, mounted it, and rejoined the rest of his team in the air. Unfortunately Demelza, who'd taken the penalty shot, had been so enraged at Crabbe and Goyle that she very clearly telegraphed her shot; Harper easily saved it. Now, with play resumed, the Gryffindor team was a player short.
Slytherin played that shortage to their advantage against the now-disheartened Gryffindors, scoring fourteen unanswered goals to bring the score to 260 to 130. Slytherins in the crowd were shouting and cheering while Gryffindors screamed for their team to turn things around.
"Robins and McDonald bring the Quaffle toward the Slytherin goal; Crabbe and Goyle bring pressure but Peakes diverts one Bludger and Robins avoids the other," McGonagall ignored the jeers of the Slytherins in the crowd. Robins shoots – Harper has the save." The Slytherins brought the Quaffle down for another goal, making the game 270 to 130, and Harry was becoming desperate. One more goal and Slytherin would tie Hufflepuff for the Quidditch Cup; two more, and even if Harry caught the Snitch they would only draw the game and Slytherin would have the Quidditch Cup.
So far, however, there had been no sign of the Snitch since it had been released at the start of the game. Harry had circled the pitch, straining his eyes all the while to catch a glimpse of it, being careful to keep an eye on Malfoy as well, in case he saw it first.
The crowd roared as Ron made a particularly close save against a hard-pressed attack by Pritchard and Witte, giving Harry a few more moments to find the Snitch. Demelza and Natalie, encouraged by Ron's brilliant save, scored against Harper, then stole the Quaffle back a few moments later from Baddock as he dodged a hard-hit Bludger from Ritchie. Unfortunately Demelza, double-teamed by a twin Bludger attacks from Crabbe and Goyle, lost the ball to Witte.
Witte, spinning around in mid-air to race back toward the Gryffindor goal, suddenly pointed ahead of him and shouted to Malfoy, "Draco, look!" Harry looked as well – both of them caught sight of the Snitch at the same moment; it had somehow made its way, unnoticed, to almost the middle of the pitch. Witte then flashed off toward Ron while Harry and Draco raced toward the Snitch.
Draco was closer but the acceleration of the Crown Jewel broom was amazing; Harry felt the air pressure build up as he accelerated toward top speed. Heading toward Gryffindor's goals, Harry could see Witte and Baddock passing the Quaffle back and forth in an effort to confuse Ron and evade Jimmy and Ritchie's Bludger hits.
It would be close – if Witte or Baddock threw the Quaffle toward the goal before Harry caught the Snitch, it would count if it went through. His hand closed on the Snitch as Witte released the Quaffle. Harry and Malfoy zoomed past each other at a combined speed of over 250 m.p.h., Harry catching a momentary glimpse of Malfoy's shocked expression as he went past.
Harry hit the brakes, watching the Quaffle float toward the goal as if in slow motion. Ron was stretching out for it – his body had nearly left contact with his broom. His fingertips touched the Quaffle – and stuck. He'd saved the point! Gryffindor had won the game, 290 to 270!
The Gryffindors in the stands went wild, as did the Hufflepuff spectators. For them, it meant the first Quidditch Cup in quite some time. The Hufflepuffs exited the pitch en masse to celebrate their victory, while the Slytherins skulked away, scowling to a man, to abuse both McGonagall and Hooch for bias against their team.
Harry and Ron quickly changed out of their robes after congratulating and hugging the other team members. "We beat Slytherin!" was the cry in the changing room – it hardly mattered that they had not won the Cup. They had beat the Slytherins, and that was enough to be happy about. That, and that Ginny hadn't been seriously injured by her collision with Goyle and subsequent fall. Promising to return to the common room as soon as they could, Harry and Ron headed toward the infirmary.
Ginny was the only patient in the infirmary. She looked up as they walked in, a somewhat plaintive smile on her face. "I heard McGonagall give the final score," she sad as Harry and Ron sat down on opposite sides of the bed next to her.
"Yeah," Ron said, a bit morosely. "The best save of my career, in my last game, and it gives the Quidditch Cup to Hufflepuff!"
"Better them than Slytherin," Ginny shrugged. She looked at Harry with a grin. "Well, at least I should be able to make Seeker next year."
"Or even Captain," Harry smiled, then sobered quickly as he looked her over. "So, how're you doing?"
"She's fine," Madame Pomfrey, having just come from her office, interjected. "Her concussion cleared up straightaway and she seems to be suffering no aftereffects." She looked at Ginny, smiling. "I'm releasing you, dear." Pomfrey shook her head. "I'm just glad this was the last Quidditch match of the year – lord knows, most of the students I see in here are from playing that game!"
The post-match celebration was in full swing by the time the three of them made it back to the common room. Everyone cheered as Harry, Ron and Ginny entered the room, and Dean and Jimmy handed them each a butterbeer that had been "discovered" by Dobby in a hidden pantry down in the kitchens.
Jimmy and Ritchie came over to congratulate them again on the game. They seemed unusually hesitant until Jimmy said, "Harry, we just wanted to thank you, for giving us the chance to play Quidditch with you again this year. We had some really great games, and we have some really great memories, and some really great gifts –" he held up his Crown Jewel "– to remember you, and Ron, by."
"Thank you," Harry said, very moved by Jimmy's speech. "And we should thank Jon Crown for these brooms as well." He looked around, but didn't see Jon anywhere in the common room. He turned back to Jimmy and stuck out his hand. Jimmy shook it, as did Ritchie, who'd walked over to join them.
Ginny came over as well, and stood there next to Harry, smiling at him. He put an arm around her, happy that she was okay, and she put her arm around him in return.
The portrait opened and Jon and Hermione came in. Hermione hurtled over to Ron, hugging him, then turning to Harry as well. "I couldn't believe how fast you were going!" she said breathlessly. "Jon said you were going maybe 170 m.p.h. when you caught the Snitch."
"Yeah," Harry said. "It was pretty fast, all right."
The party went on late into the evening, celebrated by both Hufflepuff and Gryffindor in the Great Hall during dinner that evening, to both Slytherin and Ravenclaw's chagrin; Ravenclaw had been left in fourth place in the standings. The celebration in the Gryffindor common room, with sandwiches and more butterbeer brought up by Dobby, until the small hours of the morning, until the last remaining students, including Harry and Ron, wandered off to sleep.
At the end of that week, as in their fifth year for O.W.L.s, schedules for their N.E.W.T examinations were handed out in Transfiguration class by Professor Tonks. "You'll be examined by the same wizards from the Wizarding Examination Authority who did your O.W.L.s," Tonks told them as they copied the schedule she'd written on the blackboard. "N.E.W.T.s are usually a bit more informal," she added, "since we don't need the Great Hall, which is being used for O.W.L.s anyway."
"Interesting," Hermione muttered, reaching into her book bag. She pulled out a piece of parchment from a well-used folder and compared it to the schedule she'd just written down. "They're holding the examinations on the same days and times that we did O.W.L.s on," she said, looking at Harry and Ron.
Ron snatched the piece of parchment from her. "D'you mean to tell me that you've kept this schedule for the past two years?" Ron said incredulously.
"It never hurts to be prepared," Hermione said, snatching the parchment back.
"Right," Ron said, picking up her book bag and looking in it. "So, d'you have your first-year papers in here too, by any chance?"
"Of course not!" Hermione said, sounding affronted. "They're at home –" She stopped, glaring at them, because Harry and Ron had burst into laughter.
"You're having a lot of fun over there just copying N.E.W.T.s schedules," Tonks said loudly. Harry and Ron instantly stopped laughing.
After class, Harry watched Jon and Deirdre walk away together. "What's up?" Ron asked, walking up behind him.
"I was just wondering that about those two," Harry said, nodding toward the two exchange students.
"Well, it's good they're back together, I think," Ron said. "I was starting to wonder if Jon was getting ideas about Hermione again."
"Yeah, well, you were the only one who was," Harry muttered, looking around to see where Hermione was. She was still in the Transfiguration classroom, talking to Tonks.
"What d'you mean?" Ron argued. "You saw them come into the common room together after the game, didn't you?"
"Because they walked back together after the game," Harry pointed out. "They probably even sat together watching the game. Come on, Ron! It's not like they were snogging under the stands or something."
"Don't even say that, Harry!" Ron looked like he'd been imagining something exactly like that.
"Ron," Harry said, exasperated, "you know Hermione is crazy for you!" Several students passing them in the hall looked at both of them peculiarly.
"Alright already!" Ron hissed. "Keep your voice down!" He looked around, then stepped closer. "That's what she tells me, Harry. But why is she still hanging out with him?"
"Because she can still have friends even if she is, can't she?" Harry said. "Aren't you still friends with Lavender even though you're with Hermione now?"
"No," Ron said emphatically, looking as if that should have been utterly obvious to Harry.
"All right, bad example. The point is," Harry continued quickly, "you could still be with friends with her and it would be okay with Hermione."
"No, it wouldn't," Ron said firmly. "She hates Lavender now."
"I see them talking all the time!" Harry said, outraged. "What d'you mean she hates Lavender?!"
"She thinks Lavender is helping Romilda Vane figure out how to break me and Hermione up."
"Romilda Vane?" Harry said disgustedly. "She doesn't even like you, Ron!"
"Yeah, I told Hermione that, too," Ron pointed out. "Doesn't matter, she said, Romilda doesn't want me, she just wants me and Hermione broken up." Harry shook his head. Just when he thought he might have girls figured out –
"I thought you two would be back in the common room by now," Hermione said, coming up to them. "What's going on?"
Ron started to open his mouth, but Harry cut him off. "Never mind," he said quickly, making up his mind at that moment what to do. "We're going to do a little detective work – want to come along?"
Hermione looked doubtful. "I was going back to study a bit. Do either of you want to help quiz me?"
"No," Ron and Harry said together. Hermione scowled at them.
"Come on, go with us," Ron said. "It'll be a lark."
"What are we going to do?" Hermione asked.
"No idea," Ron said. "Harry?"
"Wait here," Harry said, heading for the nearest staircase. "I'll be right back!" He ran up to Gryffindor Tower, giving the Fat Lady the password "Outstanding!" and up to his dormitory where he grabbed his Invisibility Cloak, stuffing it into his book bag, then sprinted back to the Transfiguration classroom where Ron and Hermione were still waiting for him.
"Come on," he said, and Ron and Hermione followed him down to the ground floor and into the corridor leading north from the entrance hall. Checking that classroom 11 was not being used, Harry led them into the room and closed the door behind them, then took out his wand and tapped the Marauder's Map ring. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," he said, then asked, "Where is Jon Crown?" even before the titles displayed. The view of the castle spun, taking them north and east to show two figures, labeled "Jon Crown" and "Dierdre," walking toward the Forbidden Forest, where Harry had seen them going once before.
"Why doesn't her label say 'Dierdre Recaunt?'" Ron asked, pointing at the figure displayed by the Map.
"Dunno," Harry said. He'd noticed that before as well, but hadn't had time to think about it, then.
"Maybe 'Recaunt' isn't her last name," Hermione pondered.
"Says so on the Naming Scroll," Ron argued.
"Never mind that now," Harry said, tapping the ring again and muttering "Mischief managed!" to deactivate the Map. They ran back down the corridor and out the front door, then along the north side of the castle, heading toward the Forbidden Forest near the spot where Jon and Deirdre would have entered.
About a hundred yards from the edge of the forest, Harry stopped and pulled out the Invisibility Cloak. "Time to put this on," he told them.
"Are we going to spy on them, Harry?" Hermione looked at him shrewdly.
"Pretty much," Harry admitted.
"Right, then," Hermione said, nodding. "Let's go." She stepped next to Harry so he could cover them more easily. Harry and Ron looked at each other for a moment, and Ron shrugged almost imperceptibly. Throwing the Cloak over them, the three proceeded carefully to the edge of the forest, then entered it.
Forty or fifty feet into the forest, Harry seemed to hear voices coming from the left of the trail they were following. He pointed to a small opening in the tall grass and shrubs, and they made their way carefully in that direction.
The voices grew gradually louder. It was Jon and Deirdre's voices; they were talking normally. "Careful, Ron," Harry whispered, hearing him disturb some undergrowth. "Don't make so much noise."
"Not me," Ron whispered back.
"Shhh," Hermione cautioned. "They're just ahead."
They walked forward about ten more feet to a dip in the bushes made a natural window into the small clearing where Jon and Deirdre were talking. Stepping up to the bushes, the three of them saw Jon, seated on a small wooden chair he'd evidently conjured, and Deirdre, who was pacing nervously back and forth, rolling her head around and around as if working her neck muscles.
"I just can't believe how tense I am in there," Deirdre was saying.
"You've been cooped up inside a long time," Jon said gently, watching her pace. "At least when we had liberty you could go back to your village for a few hours, to get away from it all."
"But not now, thanks to that Harry Potter," she said, sounding bitter.
"It wasn't Harry's fault," Jon shook his head. "Snape canceled it. If it was anyone's fault it was mine, because Snape wanted to stop us from going to Diagon Alley so often."
"Then if it was anyone's fault," Deirdre said, sounding annoyed. She worked her head from side to side. "It was Draco Malfoy's, because he's the one who reported his own purse stolen so there'd be an investigation at Azkaban, you said."
There was a rustling behind Harry, and he turned to see if Hermione or Ron had disturbed some of the bushes. But neither of them had moved.
"I wouldn't waste any anger on Malfoy," Jon said. "At the rate he's going, he's not going to amount to much. From what Harry's said, he isn't even much of a Death Eater, if he couldn't even kill Professor Dumbledore when he had him alone and helpless."
Deirdre stopped pacing and looked at Jon. "He's one man I will miss, very much," she said, sounding sad. "I never met him, but Firenze said he was a very great man, very kind and wise. He had a lot of respect for Dumbledore; he said that if anyone could unite us, he could have."
"I wish I'd met him too," Jon said quietly.
Deirdre walked over to him and put a hand on his face. "Are you sure you're not interested?" she asked with a provocative smile. "It would be a pleasant way to pass the afternoon."
Jon smiled and stood. "It's tempting," he admitted, kissing her and stroking her cheek. "I wish you'd give the human way another try sometime – it's a lot easier finding a place in the castle than coming out here."
"I enjoy it more this way," she said, kissing him back. "You like it this way too, don't you?"
"It's – different," Jon said. "I won't deny that."
She released him and turning away, walked a few steps. "I just need to get out of this skin sometimes," she said, and closed her eyes.
Suddenly her figure began to blur and shift; she grew taller and longer as an extra pair of legs and a tail formed at the end of a trunk growing outward from her back, and a moment later a palomino horse's body topped with Deirdre's torso turned and looked down at him with a relieved smile. "Ahh," she said, "Much better!"
Ron and Hermione's eyes were both wide with shock. Both of them had covered their mouths to keep from making any noise. Started by the transformation, Harry took an involuntary step backward – and bumped into something – no, someone. There was a muffled sound, like someone cursing under their breath, and the sound of feet pelting through the heavy undergrowth. Harry looked back, but could see nothing but branches moving of their own accord. With a sinking feeling in his stomach Harry realized who had probably been listening as well: Malfoy, in his own Invisibility Cloak.
All three of them froze stock-still; Jon and Deirdre had both turned to the sounds in the undergrowth. Jon's wand was out in a moment and he said "Decresco," causing the bushes Harry, Ron and Hermione were standing behind to shrink to miniature size.
Jon couldn't see them, but he said, "Harry, I hope that's you. You may as well show yourself, if you're there."
Harry slowly pulled off the Cloak, revealing Ron, Hermione and himself. Jon sighed. "All three of you, then. Well, that's just great! What did you think you were going to find, following us here?"
But Hermione had questions of her own. "Deirdre, why would you want to come to Hogwarts, if you're a centaur? We thought centaurs didn't want anything to do with wizards!"
"You know very well that's not true," Deirdre objected, pawing the ground reflexively. "Firenze is at the school, teaching Divination, and there are other centaurs who are not afraid of interactions with humans."
"But you've been using a wand all this time," Hermione pointed out. "Centaurs aren't allowed wands."
"Centaurs aren't allowed wands while they're with wizards," Deirdre corrected her. "We make and use our own wands while we're with our own kind. Your Ministry decreed, after centaurs refused to be ruled by them, that only wizards can use wands."
Several moments of silence passed. Harry finally broke it by asking, "What will you do now?"
"I don't know," Deirdre said unhappily. "I can't go back to the school, now that you know what I am."
"We don't have to tell anyone, you know," Ron pointed out.
"But will you?" Deirdre asked.
"Not if you want to come back," Harry said. "We don't have any reason to keep you from going to school, if that's what you really want."
"I – I would like to finish my courses," Deirdre said. "And take the N.E.W.T. examinations. I would like to see how our education measures up against yours."
"I'm not sure what to think, if you're wanting to take N.E.W.T.s for fun," Ron said, sounding skeptical. He looked at Hermione. "But I guess I've already met someone who's like that, so –"
"Oh, get out, Ron!" Hermione said, giving him a shove.
But Deirdre was laughing now. "Well I don't think of it as fun, exactly, but it is something I would like to try."
"There's something you need to know," Harry said, remembering what had happened just before they revealed themselves. "I think Draco Malfoy was here in his Invisibility Cloak. That was the sound you heard – I bumped into him and he ran away."
"He probably ran back to tell everyone!" Deirdre said, sounding vexed. She stamped one of her hooves on the ground.
"Maybe," Jon said. "But McGonagall already knows you're a centaur, so running to complain to her won't get him anywhere."
"Malfoy doesn't work that way," Harry said grimly. "He'll write his mum, tell the other Slytherins, get their parents upset about having a centaur in the school. He's been looking for some way to get either or both of you since Christmas."
"So I've noticed," Jon said dryly. "We may as well go back, Deirdre, and see whether the rumors have started flying."
But Deirdre shook her head. "I want to stretch my legs a bit," she said. "It's not going to matter whether I go back now or in an hour, is it?"
"Probably won't," Jon replied. "But you should still be careful out here."
"Yes, Jon," Deirdre smiled, sounding a little condescending. "I've only lived in these woods all my life, you know. I'll see you in a while." She leaned down and kissed him, then turned and trotted off into the woods.
The four of them walked back toward the castle in silence. "Jon," Hermione finally said. "How long have you known –?"
"That Deirdre was a centaur? Since before Christmas. We were – well, we were hanging out together and one evening she took me out there into the forest and showed me." Jon looked at Hermione. "I think she just wanted someone to talk to about it and she trusted me, because I'd been helping her with some of her schoolwork."
"I don't know why she couldn't just attend openly," Hermione argued. "After all, we have Firenze teaching here – why can't we have a centaur student as well?"
"They might want that, someday," Jon said, nodding agreement. "I think part of the reason Deirdre came here was to test those waters a bit."
"Why else would she be here?" Ron wanted to know.
"To see her father, Firenze," Jon told him. "He'd been banished from the herd nearly two years ago, you know."
"Firenze is her father?" Harry said, though not really surprised. "I wondered why I kept seeing them talking together."
"Well," Jon said slowly. He seemed to be steeling himself to say something. "I think she is trying to work out an arrangement with the centaurs for Firenze to come back to the herd."
"That's a good thing, isn't it?" Hermione said, looking at Jon intently. "You don't sound very cheerful about it."
"I don't have a problem with it," Jon told her evenly. "Except that she's partly afraid that Voldemort is going to attack Harry at the school or something like that, and Firenze could get hurt."
"Hold on," Harry said, stopping and turning toward Jon. They were on the north side of the castle, almost due south from the school gates. "Why would she think Voldemort's going to attack me here?"
"Because that's what some of the centaurs think Voldemort's quest is – to take over Hogwarts. They know he went to school here, and that he tried to become a teacher here – twice. Since the Death Eaters invaded the school last year, they've been convinced that they're right."
Harry stared at Jon. "And why is it you haven't you mentioned this to us before, then?"
"Because at this point it's nothing but pure speculation," Jon argued.
"The castle invaded and Professor Dumbledore dead doesn't look very speculative to me!" Harry said angrily.
"That was a specific mission for Malfoy," Jon said. "And from what you've told me, Voldemort may not have expected him to succeed. It was more likely a way to punish his father, since Voldemort expected Dumbledore to kill Draco."
"But Dumbledore is dead now," Harry said, his anger still mounting. "Hogwarts has been more vulnerable than ever this year, thanks to that liberty rubbish the governors pushed through. Wait a minute," he said suddenly. "Could all this have been planned?"
They all looked at him, realizing what he meant. Jon looked down, frowning, and Ron and Hermione exchanged worried glances. "Think about it!" Harry continued. "If Voldemort faked his death using Neville as a pawn, and the governors, some of whom may be Death Eaters, got this liberty decree in place, then some students might really be Polyjuiced Death Eaters just waiting for him to order the attack."
"That might be," Hermione said reluctantly. "It seems far-fetched, but not impossible. But the decree is no longer active – it was canceled by Snape, who you think is a Death Eater himself! So if there are Death Eaters here, they now have no way to get bits of their victims for the Polyjuice Potion, thanks to one of their own. That just doesn't make sense."
That was a potential flaw, Harry saw with chagrin. "He might have canceled it after they got enough Death Eaters in the school," he speculated.
"No, more is always better when you're fighting battles, Harry," Jon said, shaking his head. "It's more reasonable that Snape was working against Voldemort when he canceled liberty."
"But he killed Professor Dumbledore!" Harry shouted.
"And he had a letter explaining why, written by Dumbledore himself," Jon replied. "Harry, I'm not defending Snape, I'm just pointing out what arguments could be brought against you if you tried to accuse him as part of a conspiracy by Voldemort and his Death Eaters to capture Hogwarts. And you haven't even proven that Voldemort is alive yet."
"We know he's alive," Harry said, breathing very fast. "Because he couldn't die, whatever Neville did or didn't do!"
"But the Ministry's been saying he's dead," Ron said. "Or at least, that he's – well, gone, I guess."
"Common sense should tell them that if Voldemort was able to come back once, he could do it again," Jon pointed out.
"You're asking for quite a bit from the Ministry if you want them to show some common sense," Harry said flatly. "I thought Scrimgeour might have changed when he stopped Umbridge framing us, but he hasn't done much of anything this year beyond that."
"The Order's been doing stuff, hasn't it?" Ron said, sounding rather alarmed now.
"They've been trying, I'm sure," Harry said, remembering his rare conversations with Lupin during the year. "And they've been working with the Ministry, but –" Harry looked at the rest of them. "But Dumbledore's dead now, and the new leader of the Order is a werewolf. The Order has always operated outside Ministry control. Scrimgeour might be more afraid of Lupin and the Order of the Phoenix than he is of Voldemort and the Death Eaters!"
Ron looked astounded, and Hermione protested, "Harry, that can't be true! There are Aurors in the Order –"
"Moody's retired, and Tonks is a Hogwarts teacher now," Harry pointed out. "And Kingsley Shacklebolt has kept his connection to the Order a secret. At least, he did while Fudge was Minister, and last year when Scrimgeour took over."
"So where does this leave us?" Jon asked. "Where do we go from here?"
"Not sure," Harry said. "But at least I can find out one thing – where Malfoy is right now." He brought out his wand and, after looking to see that no one else was around, tapped the Marauder's Map ring, saying "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," then added, "Where is Draco Malfoy?"
The three-dimensional image of the castle formed and spun, taking them inward and downward into the dungeon where the Slytherin common room was located. There, seated in the crowded room off in a group of chairs by themselves were three figures labeled "Draco Malfoy," "Vincent Crabbe" and "Gregory Goyle." The figures were close together, as if they were huddled up and talking.
"That's it, then," Ron said dispiritedly. "He's letting Crabbe and Goyle in on his little secret."
"Maybe not," Hermione said, thinking. "If Malfoy was going to talk, he'd probably tell all the other Slytherins, not just those two."
"He might be telling them to gather the others for a meeting," Jon said.
"There's already loads of them in the room right now!" Hermione pointed out.
"Well, that's true," Jon admitted, looking sheepish.
Harry tapped the ring again, saying "Mischief managed," and the image disappeared. "Whatever Malfoy does, we'll just have to be ready to deal with it. Come on," he said, starting toward the front of the castle and the front door.
However, instead of hearing rumors about Deirdre they heard – nothing. No one questioned them or asked about what they'd seen in the Forbidden Forest. Slytherins still gave them looks of loathing when they passed in the hallways, but there were no subtle smirks or knowing jeers.
"Maybe you were wrong about Malfoy being behind us," Ron suggested as he, Harry and Hermione sat studying in the common room that Friday evening. With N.E.W.T.s only three days away, Hermione was frantic to get in as much studying over the weekend as possible.
"No, I know what I heard," Harry said firmly. "When I backed into Malfoy, I heard him swear, then turn and run away under his Invisibility Cloak. I even saw some branches move when he brushed past them."
"Ron," Hermione said suddenly. "Will you please put that book away?" Ron had gotten out his great-uncle's journal and was holding it inside his Charms textbook. "You need to keep studying your Protean Charm!"
"Alright," Ron said irritably. "I was just taking a break for a moment."
At that moment Jon walked into the common room and, seeing the three of them studying, walked over to them. "Have you seen Deirdre?" Hermione asked as he approached.
"Yes," Jon nodded. "She hasn't heard anything since she got back a few hours ago. It's as if nothing ever happened."
"Well, I can't say I'm not happy about that," Hermione said with a sigh of relief. "But it is a bit mystifying."
"Not really," Jon said, a hard edge in his voice. "Malfoy's probably waiting for a good moment to use the information. Although I'm not sure why, there's only a few weeks left before school's out for the summer."
"Before school's out forever," Ron said happily. "No more quills, no more books."
"No more teacher's dirty looks," Harry said, thinking of Snape.
Hermione looked rather put upon. To cover it, she asked, "Jon, would you like to study with us?"
"No, I'm pretty much good to go," Jon said airily.
"Not studying?" Hermione looked incredulous. "Are you mental?" When Jon looked at her with raised eyebrows she quickly apologized. "Sorry, I didn't mean to sound like that!"
"I know what you meant, Hermione," Jon said, chuckling. "But these tests aren't binding on me and I'll have my own final examinations next year at the Merlin Academy."
"But don't you want to put your best foot forward?" Hermione persisted.
"Oh, I will," Jon replied. "I just won't do it by 'cramming' – I'll just glance through the textbook on the subject being tested on the day before, when I have the time."
"How's that going to work?" Ron asked, skeptical. "How're you going to remember all this stuff unless you study as much as you can right before the test?"
"Well, for one thing," Jon said, sitting down at the table with them. "You shouldn't expect to just 'study right before the test' – that's why you have five years to get ready for your O.W.L.s, then two more for your N.E.W.T.s – so you have plenty of time to study before the tests."
"Right," Hermione agreed, giving both Harry and Ron a stern look.
"Second," Jon continued. "Review is important, but to review the material you have to know the material first. Knowing the material on a test is mostly a matter of being able to easily recall information. That's why there are no Memory Charms to put stuff in your head – they only help you remember or make you forget things. But only the Darkest Memory Charms remove information from your brain – all the others just remove the recall mechanism."
"So why can't the Healers at St. Mungo's easily help people like say, Professor Lockhart, if they still have their memories?" Harry asked, intrigued by Jon's explanation.
"Because the brain is an amazingly complex organ," Jon said, "and everyone's experiences are unique. It's possible Lockhart will recall his past – though it's not a very good one to recall, from what you've said."
"You got that right!" Ron said emphatically.
"Third, it helps to enjoy the subject you're learning – or at least to want to learn it," Jon went on. "For example – Ron, you've been reading your great-uncle Archie's journal, haven't you?"
"Right," Ron said, holding up the book. Hermione looked away, rolling her eyes; she was not pleased to have their attention diverted back to it.
"Does he mention anything about the original Archimedes in the journal?" Jon asked.
"Yes," Ron answered quickly. "He was a Muggle in ancient Greece who lived about the time of Mopsus the Soothsayer."
"Does he say anything else about him?"
"Well," Ron paused for several seconds. "He says Archimedes was a very smart Muggle for his time."
"Anything about the things he did while he was alive?"
"…No, not really," Ron said after considering a while.
"That might be important," Jon pointed out. "You should check some books on him in the Library."
"Well, I did," Ron said, warming up to the subject. "He's mentioned in a lot of the books about ancient Greek wizards."
"Some scholars think he was one of the inspirations for Arithmancy," Hermione noted, interested in spite of herself.
"But they don't really mention much about him," Ron finished.
"Did you look," Jon asked significantly, "in the Muggle section?"
Ron looked nonplussed. "Oh, hell," he said, as if that were obvious now that Jon had mentioned it.
"Something for you to check out, then," Jon said. "I'm going to do some reading, up in my room." He turned to go.
"Wait a sec," Ron said. He opened his great-uncle's journal to a page near the back. "Does this make any sense to you?"
Jon looked at the page. Scrawled there in the middle of his notes was a drawing of a large circle with a line at the bottom, drawn at a tangent, with a small triangle touching it on the other side. He nodded in instant recognition at the image drawn there.
"That's a representation of one of his more famous quotes," he said. "Archimedes is supposed to have said once, 'Give me a place to stand, and I will move the Earth.' It was part of his statement about the power of the lever. It's usually drawn with Archimedes himself on the other end, as if he's actually moving the earth using a giant lever."
"I see," said Ron, now studying the drawing closely.
"Can we please get back to Charms?" Hermione asked, sounding vexed. Jon waved and disappeared up the boys' staircase.
They spent most of the weekend studying in the Gryffindor common room, the Library, and sometimes just the odd corridor, wherever there was room to study. Every seventh-year in school was similarly absorbed in their books. Even Neville had given up being with Luna to study N.E.W.T.s. Harry wondered what career advice he'd gotten from McGonagall back in their fifth year; without Transfiguration, he couldn't hope for a career as an Auror, as his mum and dad had been. With his skill in Herbology, however, Harry wondered if Neville would want to be a Healer. He would be closer to his parents Frank and Alice, who were both in St. Mungo's, tortured into insanity by Bellatrix Lestrange and other Death Eaters.
He mentioned this to Ginny as they took a moment to chat, outside the Gryffindor common room, having chanced upon each other as Harry was going to get something from the Great Hall and Ginny was returning. Ginny was usually up to speed on most of the rumors and gossip circulating in the school.
"Can't," Ginny said unhappily. "You need an 'E' in a Transfiguration N.E.W.T."
"Oh," said Harry, "I forgot it needed Transfiguration as well as Charms."
"It's really a pity," Ginny said, sounding bitter. "Because Neville would probably make an excellent Healer, if he just had the grades in Transfiguration. Most of the interesting careers require a N.E.W.T. in it or an 'E' or better O.W.L."
"What do you think Neville's going to do after school, then?" Harry asked her.
"I don't think he has a clue, Harry," she said seriously. "For a while –" she stopped, grimacing.
"What?" said Harry. "Go on."
"Keep this to yourself, alright?" she said in a low voice. Harry nodded agreement. "For a while, I think Neville believed the Ministry would just give him a free ride into Auror training, because of what he did to Voldemort."
Harry stared at her. "That's insane," he finally said.
"I know that," she agreed. "But there you are. Anyway, he's been studying more these last few months – I think he finally realized he wasn't going anywhere if he waited for the Ministry to offer him something."
"Why would he even think something like that would happen?" Harry sounded outraged. "Because the Ministry got him to be their poster boy?"
"Probably," Ginny said, shaking her head at the thought, and they each went upon their way.