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Request For Blood?

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"Did you hear, Minerva?" Flitwick said as he sat in the chair beside her during breakfast.

"Are you talking about how our students can cast the patronus charm now?" said the deputy headmistress. The charms professor's grin widened as he looked proudly at the students sitting in the great hall.

"Yesterday, a first year from Hufflepuff managed to do it," he said. "I had never thought that I would live to see anything like that. You are really lucky to have a student like Mr Potter. He could be a great teacher one day."

"If he wants to," said McGonagall.

"Yeah...you mentioned he wanted to be an auror," he said. "Nonetheless, we should be thanking him for taking an initiative to teach defence to the students. It is clearly working, and in a very remarkable way."

"It wouldn't have come to this though, and you know it," McGonagall said. "In a way, it shows the incompetence of Hogwarts' curriculum. Not to mention, if it wasn't for Umbridge or...Voldemort..." she left her sentence unfinished as her voice trembled with pressed emotions.

Filius put his hand on hers and she looked at him. "As long as we all stick together, nothing can harm us," he said. "Umbridge did her damage. All we can do now is to try and mend it."

McGonagall looked at him in silence before finally speaking. "Why am I getting this feeling that you have something to say to me?"

"I was wondering," he began slowly, "if I could help teach the students some duelling."

There was silence between them for a minute before McGonagall spoke. "Well, don't ask me for permission. Harry is the one you should be talking to."

"Ah," Flitwick said before looking at the Gryffindor table, "yes, of course."

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It was almost midnight and the entire castle was asleep, except for Harry and Draco who were on the seventh floor, waiting for the entrance of the room of requirement to appear.

"Are you sure this is what she meant?" Draco asked.

"This room was built by Rowena herself. There's a place here where you can find anything that was once lost in this castle and was never found," Harry said. "If we don't find the diadem there, then it's safe to say that it's not in the castle."

The Slytherin sighed as the entrance finished materializing before Harry walked ahead and opened it. The two then entered the room that looked like an unending place with mountains of various items. Draco couldn't help but look at the place in awe. "How are we supposed to find the diadem in this...place?" he asked.

"That's why I am here," Harry said. Draco looked at him in confusion. "I don't know why but somehow, I feel connected to Voldemort. I think that it may be because of my scar. Dumbledore once told me that Voldemort probably, and mistakenly, gave me some of his powers when I got this scar from him. And then there's the diary incident that I've already told you about."

"Well, it was convenient to know," Draco said sighing. "So, go ahead, horcrux detector."

Harry smiled slightly. "I hate how it suits me," he said as he headed for the nearest pile of lost items.

"Tell it to whoever came up with the magic," Draco said as he looked around. The place didn't seem to have a ceiling and even if there was one, it was way too high for anyone to see. "Either way, it's one nasty magic."

"That's why it's forbidden," Harry said sounding a little disappointed before he sighed. "I don't feel anything."

"Well, we've only entered the room," Draco said. "We have all night." Harry just glared at him for a moment before moving over to the next pile.

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Ann and Matt arrived at Potter manor. Sirius and Remus were waiting for them in the living hall.

"What is it?" Matt asked. Sirius simply handed him the letter that he had received from Harry. The man looked confused before he started reading it. By the time he was done the look of shock was evident on his face.

"What is it, dear?" Ann asked. Matt simply gave her the letter for her to read.

"Yeah, we had the same reaction when we first found out," Sirius said. "It's safe to say that Voldemort really thought this through."

"I can't believe that he would dwell into black magic," Ann said.

"Considering all the things that he has done, we shouldn't be surprised," Remus said. "Well, the good news is there is possibly one at Hogwarts and Harry is looking for it. As for the others, well, we have to find them on or own."

"Do we know what these objects are?" Matt asked.

"Draco said that one of these horcruxes is a ring which belonged to Voldemort's mother, and the other is his pet snake," Sirius said. "Surprisingly, someone stole them both a few months back."

"Who?" asked Ann.

"We don't know," Remus said. "Whoever did it though, they knew what they were taking and they are quite powerful because they entered through the Malfoy manor's wards undetected and managed to escape before anyone could know it in time."

Ann and Matt exchanged glances. "Do you think it could be that person?" the latter said to his wife.

"What person?" Sirius asked before the couple looked at them.

"There is something you two should know," Ann said.

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"You look frustrated," Neville said as Harry came and sat beside him at the Gryffindor table.

"I haven't had a proper sleep in the last three nights," Harry said.

"So I have noticed," Neville said. Harry looked at him. "You have been going somewhere every night."

Harry chuckled softly. "I thought I was being careful," he said.

"It's alright if you don't want to tell me," Neville said. "Just know that I am here if you need me. Ever since news became public of Voldemort's return, you have once again become popular. Everywhere you go, people are looking at you."

"I've noticed," Harry said glancing around and caught a few pairs of eyes looking at him. "Even though it doesn't bother me anymore, for some reason it's still tiring."

"Dean and Seamus also know that you are going somewhere after curfew hours," Neville continued. "I told them that you are meeting with Dumbledore over the whole Voldemort situation."

"That's a believable lie. Thanks for covering my back," Harry said sounding grateful. "I would tell you what it really is but right now it's too risky."

"Don't worry," Neville said. "I'm in no hurry to know. You do what needs to be done. At the end, it is you who has to face him."

Harry pressed his lips together, smiling forcefully before he started eating. He had finally told Neville and Hermione about the prophecy last week. Their reactions were expected. Hermione had shed a few tears, worrying for him while Neville looked stoic, although a bit worried too. Harry had yet to tell them about the horcruxes and that there was one at Hogwarts. However, he had decided to not say anything unless he had found and destroyed the diadem. That reminded him of the basilisk's fang with which he had destroyed Voldemort's diary. He believed he had destroyed it because when he stabbed it with the fang, the diary spurted blood. Not to mention, Voldemort's projection had also suffered damage before disintegrating completely. The diary was currently in Dumbledore's possession and Harry knew he couldn't get it without letting the headmaster know that he was up to something.

So he only had an idea that the basilisk's fang could destroy a horcrux. Seeing that there wasn't anything else that he could think of, he was willing to give it a try.

However, none of it mattered if they couldn't find the diadem. They had been looking for it for three nights straight and they had yet to find it. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack. The room of lost items had just way too many things in it, accumulating over a thousand years. The fact that no spells worked on the horcrux also made things harder otherwise they could've simply found it using the summoning spell. That was the first thing that they had tried to do and it hadn't worked so they had to look for it on their own. A few set of hands would definitely help so Harry wondered if he should involve Hermione and Neville after all. With that thought in mind he turned to look at Neville.

"I have to talk to you about something," Harry said slowly. "Let's meet after the classes are over."

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Matt knocked on the door before slowly opening it. The room which had been turned into a makeshift lab for Ann to work in was dark. A small candle at that table mildly lit the place where she sat, writing something in her notebook. Matt realised she hadn't hear him come in.

"Honey," he said carefully, making sure not to spook her just in case she was busy with something important. It had to be important, he thought, considering she was cooped up in the room for over a day now.

Ann looked up from her notebook and at him. There were bags under her eyes, showing lack of sleep. He slowly came up to her. "You've been here for over a day," he said slowly as he put a hand on her back. "Is everything alright?"

"I don't know," she said tiredly before letting out a sigh. She realised Matt was still looking at her, not satisfied with her response so, she grabbed the vial that was on the table and showed it to him. Matt simply raised a brow, silently asking her what she was trying to tell him. "Do you remember how I took some of Harry's blood to find anything about Lily's protection on him?"

Matt nodded. "You said everything was normal," he said.

"I did," she said, "and I put the remaining of his blood in my cabinet and forgot about it. But then three days ago when we went back home I saw that the blood was moving."

Matt narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?" he asked before glancing at the vial which he now knew had Harry's blood in it.

"I mean it was moving...as if it was alive," she said. "So I took some of it out to test and the result I got was something I had never seen before." She then told him everything that she had observed and how the blood had coagulated to form a black sphere before turning solid and then crumbling like dust. She then took out a small vial from the table's drawer in which she had collected that dust and showed it to Matt.

He looked closely at it but couldn't say anything. He didn't know much about these things. However, Matt understood what Ann was trying to say. "So that is what you have been doing here since yesterday," he said. "Well, did you find anything?"

Ann shook her head. "I tried to see if the blood would replicate what it had in the basement back at our home but so far there's nothing. However, there is one thing that I have found out and it's that no spells work on it."

"What kinds?" Matt asked.

"All of them," Ann said. "I have tried hovering spell, boiling spell, diluting spell...everything, even curses. None have worked. It's like the moment I point my wand at the blood I can't cast any magic."

"You mean it's completely blocking your magic?" he asked.

"I guess that's what's it is doing," she said. "I have no other way to put it. You can try too. See if you can cast any spells at it."

"Are you sure?" Matt asked. Ann nodded before sliding the vial towards him. He took out his wand and pointed at it. "What spell should I use?"

"Anything," Ann said.

So Matt swished and flicked his wand, casting a non-verbal floating charm and was shocked to see the vial didn't move. He cast again and again but nothing happened. He then used a summoning spell but like before, nothing happened. As the minute passed his eyes were wide in shock as he looked at his wife. "See what I mean?" she said.

"How can this be possible?" he asked. "D...Do you think it makes Harry invulnerable to magical spells?"

"I don't know," Ann said. "That's what I have been trying to find out since yesterday but so far I've got nothing. It would help a little if this thing could have some spells working on it."

"Have you tried any of the potions?" Matt suggested.

"I haven't because I don't have enough of Harry's blood," she said. "That thing in the vial, I don't think it's even blood anymore. I tried diluting it but it didn't work. It doesn't even coagulate. I think I would need fresh blood from Harry to do any more tests."

"We can't just ask him for some blood love. That would sound weird," Matt said. "Maybe try telling him first about this whole thing?"

"Who, Harry? No," Ann said. "Daphne told me that he's been very busy ever since he went back to Hogwarts. Maybe I'll talk to him when he's home for Christmas."

"Well, until then, let's keep this thing under lock and key," Matt said. Before Ann could say anything he continued. "I don't want you to take any unnecessary risks. We don't know what's in Harry's blood. When we see him during winter holidays, let's tell him and see if Lily ever wrote anything about this blood protection. This doesn't look like any simple magic so she must have made some notes."

Ann realised that Matt could be right. Lily making notes about the blood protection magic could be a possibility. Besides, it was just a week before winter holidays would begin. Harry would be home then and they could find Lily's notes. If, she had made them, that is.

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Thanks for reading...

A/N: Regarding finding the diadem, I think it was pure stupid for Harry to be so lucky to just stumble across it. As I have mentioned earlier, it proved that it showed that Harry was more lucky than actually powerful, which is what caused him to win against Voldemort at the end as well (plot armour I guess...). But that's just my personal opinion...