Chapter Five: The Instruments of Our Deliverance
Disclaimer: I own nothing apart from the plot and any characters I invent. Everything else belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien and J.K. Rowling.
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After what felt like hours of walking through the forest, the trees became thicker and denser the deeper they went, they came upon a small clearing. There was a fire burning in the middle, and sitting on the ground staring into it was none other than Draco Malfoy. He looked up in confusion as they approached, whipping his wand out.
'What are they doing here?' Draco demanded, pointing his wand at them.
Ron pulled out his wand. 'We should be asking you that, ferret,' he seethed, aiming his wand at Draco.
Snape rolled his eyes. 'Put your wands away, now!' he barked, stalking into the camp wearily.
Ron and Draco glared at each other for a moment before obliging. Draco cursed under his breath, sitting back down next to the fire as Snape sat on a tree stump near it. He looked at Ron and Hermione who were looking about timidly, like unwelcome visitors, and sighed. 'Take a seat, we have much to discuss,' Snape told them, making the two Gryffindors jump.
Ron and Hermione glanced at each other before sitting down on the ground near the fire. There was a thick tension blanketing the air around them all. Hermione looked at Snape who was staring into the fire, and Draco was leaning on his knee, his head resting on his palm. He was tapping a tune with his wand against his other knee.
Eventually, Draco exhaled loudly. 'So, Snape, did you get us all here for a reason or is this a premature death-day party?' he asked, raising his eyebrows at Snape.
Snape shot him a glare before reaching into his pocket and taking out the letter Dumbledore had given to him. He stared at it for a long moment before handing it to Hermione who took it and looked down at it. It was the same letter she saw Dumbledore writing in Snape's Pensieve memory.
Hermione looked up, realising three pairs of eyes were watching her expectantly. She sighed and tore open the envelope, pulling out the sheets within. Hermione looked back into the envelope and tilted it, making a necklace fall out into her waiting hand. Draco and Ron moved closer to her, so they were on either side of her and studied the necklace.
'A Time Turner?' Hermione asked, dangling the necklace. 'No, it's similar, but these inscriptions…' she trailed off, shaking her head.
'Do you know what they are, Hermione?' Ron asked, taking the necklace from her and moving to touch the strange pendant.
'Don't touch the pendant!' Hermione suddenly shouted, grabbing Ron's hand quickly.
Ron pulled his hand back. 'What is it?' he asked in confusion.
'Whatever you do, don't touch the separate sections. If it's like a Time Turner, who knows what will happen,' Hermione answered, taking the necklace from him and placing it back into the envelope.
Snape sighed, making them all look at him. 'If you're quite finished, it might be wise to read the letter,' he said, shaking his head.
Hermione frowned suspiciously. 'Do you know what this letter is about?' she asked, waving the parchment at him.
Snape sighed. 'No, and I don't expect Albus knew I would be sitting here when you opened it. He said it was important. It's instructions, I believe,' he advised softly, pinching the bridge of his nose.
Hermione nodded, glancing at Ron before unfolding the letter and scanning it for a moment. 'Wait, this is only addressed to myself and… Malfoy?' Hermione stated in bewilderment, looking up at Snape.
Snape shrugged. 'Dumbledore never clarified, he just told me to deliver it,' he countered, smirking at her.
Ron sulked, looking down at his hands deliberating why he wasn't included in the letter. Did Professor Dumbledore assume I was going to… die? Ron questioned, closing his eyes irritably. He felt Hermione squeeze his hand, and he glanced at her, giving her a small nod.
Hermione bit her lip, looking down at the letter and opted to read it out loud:
Dear Miss Hermione Jean Granger and Mr Draco Lucius Malfoy,
If my letter has reached you, then I know Severus has assisted you when I could not. I must express regret for my absence at such a terrible time, but I was obligated to make amends for my own selfish mistakes.
For it is those mistakes which are the reason you are now reading my letter instead of living a perfectly normal life and enjoying your last year at Hogwarts.
Hermione stopped, staring at the letter in confusion. 'What does Professor Dumbledore mean by it's his mistake?' she questioned quietly, looking up at Snape.
Snape shook his head. 'Professor Dumbledore told me he made a decision back in the day which had repercussions on the present and the past…' he trailed off trying to recall precisely what Dumbledore told him, but his mind was drawing a blank. It was odd and not like Snape to forget significant information. 'Read the letter, Miss Granger, I am sure Professor Dumbledore has it all described in there,' he muttered, rubbing his forehead in frustration.
Hermione nodded, looking back down at the letter and continuing:
I did not anticipate the things I knew before my death. Finding a missing puzzle piece can make all the difference when the picture is made whole. It enlightened me to the repercussions of meddling in affairs for one's own gain.
Hermione, Draco, and Ron frowned at these words. 'Trust Dumbledore to be cryptic as hell even in a letter,' Draco mumbled, shaking his head.
'That's Dumbledore for you,' Ron agreed with a grimace.
Ron and Draco's eyes enlarged, and they looked at each other in bafflement. 'Did we just agree on something?' Draco asked him in astonishment.
'Let's never do that again,' Ron countered.
'Agreed,' Draco muttered. After a few moments, the two cursed under their breaths.
Hermione rolled her eyes. 'Let's just continue,' she hissed, shaking her head.
I must make you mindful that I had no intention of dying last year, but I comprehended it was the only way to put things right. Our side was on the brink of losing this war, and we would have been forced into enslavement to Voldemort. As you will know by now, my death was prearranged by Severus and myself. It was fortuitous Mr Malfoy also had plans to "do me in" as the expression goes.
At this, Ron and Hermione shot a glare at Draco who held up his hands in surrender. The two Gryffindors glanced at each other and Hermione continued reading:
I came to the year 1899 from 3019, the Third Age, by use of my gift to travel through time. I came to pursue aid from a Dark Lord destroying a dear place to me: Middle-Earth. However, I became infatuated with a young man and his ideals and elected to stay and live in peace. I presumed there would be no Middle-Earth to salvage, but I was irrational. I let fantasies and dreams of greatness eclipse my actual goal and caused so much pain to many in your present and my past.
'Hold up!' Draco exclaimed, stopping Hermione from continuing. 'Dumbledore is a fricking Time Traveller?' he grilled Snape, looking over at him accusingly like he knew this and kept it to himself.
Hermione and Ron also eyed Snape askance. 'Did you know this?' Hermione quizzed him, indicating to the letter.
'It was not my secret to tell,' Snape refuted, crossing his arms.
'A hint would have been nice,' Draco muttered, shaking his head. Hermione and Ron nodded broodingly at this but appreciated Dumbledore must have had his reasons.
'The man Professor Dumbledore mentioned is Grindelwald, right?' Hermione enquired, receiving a nod from Snape. Hermione looked back down at the letter with a sigh:
In his second year, Tom Riddle chanced upon a ring which belonged to a Dark Lord in the Third Age. The spirit lingering within the ring possessed Tom and altered him into who he is today. The only way for this ring to be destroyed is in the same fires from whence it was forged. I wanted to set things right, and the only way to do that was to die. Of course, I am not really dead, I just returned back to a point in time where I can make a difference. The war is commencing, but I will not abscond to the future this time. I will remain with others and help them prevail, but I will require help.
Now, Miss Granger, you hold an essential heirloom, passed down to you from mother to daughter over thousands of years. This heirloom is connected to another, which Mr Potter has in his possession. Once joined, the power within them would be invaluable in helping the war here. Although these heirlooms do exist in the Third Age, they did not hold the power then that they do now. They were fashioned by legendary Elven-smiths and imbued with protective magic. Over the years, they have amassed trickles of magic from their wearers and are far more potent than any other ancient magical relic in existence.
Hermione stopped reading, realising everyone was ogling at her interestedly. She timidly reached up and unfastened a necklace from around her neck. 'I think he means this,' she told them, holding it in her palm. Draco and Ron moved closer to her to see it properly. The pendant was held by a silver chain, which looked almost like two chains entwined together. 'It's called an Elf-Stone,' she whispered, pointing to the white crystal-like stone in the shape of a flower. It was attached to silver leaves and vines that twisted and connected at the bottom. 'When I was old enough to ask about it, my parents told me it was named "Evenstar",' she told them, glancing around at their fascinated expressions.
'I do not think I have seen anything like it,' Snape murmured, gazing at the jewel wistfully as he strained to recall if he had come across it before.
'I've never seen you wearing it,' Ron said in puzzlement.
Draco shook his head. 'I have,' he muttered, making all eyes turn to him.
'What? When?' Ron said, glaring at him.
'She wore it at the Yule Ball, dimwit. Shows how much you pay attention,' Draco snapped, crossing his arms.
Hermione looked between the two of them, wondering how it was Draco had noticed, but not her best friend of seven years. She shook her head, a lot was going on over the years. Not many people would look at a necklace, and Hermione did keep it tucked away most of the time. 'It says Harry had an heirloom as well, but not what it was,' she said, scanning the letter for references to it, but there was nothing else. She clasped the necklace back around her neck, tucking it under her shirt.
'Harry wears that ring,' Ron replied, making the others look at him. He flushed in embarrassment and looked at Hermione. 'You know, the one with the snakes?' he said, and Hermione nodded.
'But Harry's gone…' Hermione whispered, feeling tears come to her eyes.
'We do not know what happened to Mr Potter, Miss Granger. Dumbledore had a plan, and he may have cited it in his letter,' Snape said, and she nodded, looking back down at the letter to continue reading it.
I am delegating a new mission of great importance to you both. There is a tome you need to retrieve which will be able to take you back to the Third Age. Time Travel is perilous, so be cautious when using this spell. I have filed another letter within this tome which will explicate everything else. Mr Weasley, if you are present, and Mr Malfoy – I trust you will both protect Miss Granger on this mission.
'So, he did include me… kind of,' Ron muttered with a sigh, shaking his head.
Hermione reached out and took his hand, giving it a squeeze. 'I'm sure he meant nothing by it, Ron,' she alleged, looking back at the letter.
'Time travel?' Draco whispered apprehensively, making them turn to him. 'Nobody said anything about that,' he whispered, looking at them in alarm.
'Mr Malfoy, remember what I told you?' Snape said softly, staring at Draco meaningfully.
Draco nodded and glanced down, taking deep breaths to still his nerves. 'Yes, sir,' he mumbled, reaching out and toying with a stone on the ground.
Hermione and Ron observed this exchange with curiosity, but neither of them commented. Hermione imagined they'd have plenty of time with Malfoy to discern what Snape told him. Hermione looked back down at the letter.
It is imperative you tell no one in the Third Age of where you are from after you arrive here. There will come a time when you will be able to unveil this, but keep it to yourselves until the opportunity arises. If anyone perseveres in quizzing you on where you are from, you are to tell them you've come from the far North, past the Grey Mountains and Forodwaith. I will provide more knowledge to you on this while you are here. I must also stress, Miss Granger, that you keep your heirloom out of sight at all times while you are here. I will touch on this more when you are here. Mr Potter is already aware of this, and you will be reunited with him soon.
'There! He said we'll be reunited with Harry, soon!' Ron exclaimed, grinning at Hermione. She smiled back at him in relief and looked back at the letter.
Now, the tome. I must apologise for this next riddle, but should this tome fall into the wrong hands the results could be catastrophic. I am optimistic the three of you will be able to decipher the message.
"You will find it in the heart of danger, but stealth and cunning must be applied to your search. Concealed in a dwelling you know well, unseen from those outside the law, but in plain sight. It is farthest away from its home; next to the closest thing it has to a complete opposite".
Inside, I have placed another letter with additional guidelines which you must read carefully. Remember, it is crucial you follow these directions precisely as I have written them. Do not question anything, for everything is possible.
Good luck and take care.
Yours faithfully,
Albus Dumbledore, formally known in the Third Age as Gandalf the Grey.
Hermione grimaced, folding the letter back up and placing it back into the envelope with the necklace Dumbledore gave them. 'This book could be anywhere. There are so many places the Death Eaters have taken over. I don't think Hogwarts would be a choice as there are still Order members there,' she assumed, her eyes becoming disheartened as she thought about the fate of the Order and what would happen to them.
'Hogsmeade is devastated, so I don't think Dumbledore would have kept it there. He undoubtedly knew that would happen,' Draco put in, tapping his chin pensively.
'Diagon Alley?' Ron enquired, making them look at him. 'Dad said the Death Eaters had pretty much taken over Diagon Alley since Ollivander and Luna were captured,' he told them.
Ron and Hermione shuddered as they remembered their escape from Malfoy Manor. Hermione subconsciously touched her arm where the word "Mudblood" had been carved there. It was covered by a bandage and still stung like hell. Hermione believed Bellatrix had used a cursed dagger and it would never heal until she was dead. Hermione had tried everything, and no spells would work to treat or cover it.
Draco looked down regretfully. 'I'm sorry,' he muttered, not meeting their eyes.
'It would have been worse if you'd given us away, Malfoy,' Ron mumbled shaking his head. 'Why didn't you?' he queried, looking over at Malfoy curiously.
'I… I never wanted this. Neither did my mother, but we were safer this way. I know we were cowards, but I thought if I could keep the Dark Lord from discovering Potter even a little longer it would be worth it,' Draco muttered, confessing his reasons for doing it.
'I think it was brave of you,' Hermione believed, glancing at him.
Draco looked up at her. 'I'm a coward. I couldn't even save my mother…' he trailed off as tears came to his eyes.
Snape's eyes snapped up to Draco at that. 'I told you to stay here,' he whispered, his black eyes glittering in the firelight. Hermione thought he looked close to tears himself.
'Yes, and when have I ever done what I'm told?' Draco countered, looking at Snape heatedly. 'Why didn't you tell me?' he implored, his voice cracking.
Snape sighed. 'It was your mother's choice. I wanted to find another way, but she had already made up her mind,' he replied, shaking his head.
Ron and Hermione looked between them in uncertainty. 'What happened?' Hermione asked gently, receiving a nudge from Ron who shook his head.
Draco observed this exchange, waving it off. 'My mother… she sacrificed herself… to save me,' he whispered, his voice shaking. 'And that reminds me,' Draco added, getting to his feet. Hermione and Ron watched in amazement as Draco marched over to Snape and punched him in the face. 'That's for hitting my mother,' he told him as Snape gripped his nose which was bleeding.
Snape's dazed eyes softened to understanding, and he nodded. He reached for his wand, pointing it to his face and used a couple of spells to fix the mess and his now broken nose, but he did nothing about the throbbing and his eyes watered. 'I deserved that,' he supposed nasally, flinching at the discomfort.
Draco moved back over to his spot on the ground and sighed deeply. 'It helped,' he muttered, getting a nod from Snape. Draco pushed his grief to the back of his mind for the moment, glancing at Ron and Hermione. 'So, what's the plan?' he asked them, not particularly keen on the idea of being around them, but he had no other choice at the moment.
'Well, it seems…' Snape trailed off, recoiling in pain. He pointed his wand at his face, and the spell eased the discomfort. Snape's face relaxed. 'It seems apparent the Dark Lord has won this war for now. Although his Horcruxes have all be destroyed, there is something else going on. From what I concluded from Dumbledore's letter, he needs you and Granger in the past. It is conceivable Potter has already gone to the past, and that's what he meant by you being reunited with him. The ring he mentioned seems to be the key to fathoming what is going on, but Dumbledore never told me anything about it,' Snape explicated, shaking his head. 'Something is clearly occurring in this Third Age, and Dumbledore needs to hinder it to stop the Dark Lord there and here,' he added, frowning at his own words.
'This is getting way too confusing,' Draco said, shaking his head.
'It's not really,' Ron said, making all eyes turn to him. Ron flushed again at being the centre of attention. 'Well, think about it. Professor Dumbledore said in his letter that You-Know-Who found a ring which possessed him. The Dark Lord in the Third Age was working through You-Know-Who, and he stated this ring can't be destroyed here. If it gets destroyed, it cancels out the future where You-Know-Who found the ring and was possessed,' Ron explained, hoping this made sense.
Everyone stared at him blankly for a moment, but then Hermione beamed at him. 'That's brilliant, Ron!' she exclaimed, making his blush deepen.
'It's all there, in the letter,' Ron mumbled, looking away in embarrassment.
'Then there's the thing Dumbledore didn't mention if he even knows about it,' Draco added reflectively, looking at Snape.
'What thing?' Hermione asked, looking between the two.
'The Dark Lord had my father and Bellatrix searching for an ancient artefact, but not much information was given to those outside his inner circle. I believe it was used for scrying, and I think he was going to use it to search for Potter but found out he was at Hogwarts anyway. However, he still sought it even after he knew, so I think it has another purpose,' Draco told them, receiving an imperceptible nod from Snape.
'Were you ever part of his inner circle?' Ron asked Snape, frowning at him.
'Not exclusively. The Dark Lord trusted me only with certain errands and information. I knew about the search, but I was never part of it,' Snape responded with a shrug. 'I don't know what he intends to use it for. I only knew about the ring because I saw it and I questioned Albus about it, but he wouldn't explain anything to me,' Snape whispered, sighing as he looked into the fire.
'Do you think we might be in danger of You-Know-Who finding a way into the past as well?' Hermione enquired pensively, glancing at Snape.
Snape shook his head. 'I don't think this artefact allows him to travel back in time. However, that doesn't rule out the likelihood of him finding a way, especially if Potter is there,' Snape advised.
'So, from what we've gathered and the evidence provided...' Hermione trailed off, looking down at the envelope. 'Dumbledore and others tried to go up against this Dark Lord to destroy his ring, but failed. Dumbledore came to the future to enlist support but decided to stay instead. The ring has been around throughout the ages, and this Dark Lord has undoubtedly been manipulating hundreds of people to do his bidding,' Hermione paused as she thought about all the atrocious things that had occurred in history, both in the Muggle and Magical worlds. 'Then Tom Riddle happened upon it, and the same fate befell him,' she concluded, shaking her head.
'And you and Potter have powerful tools which they want to use in their war against this Dark Lord,' Draco surmised, tapping his chin. 'So, why am I included in this?' he asked, raising his eyebrow.
'No idea,' Ron muttered, using his wand to draw pictures in the dirt and make them move about.
'There must be a purpose. You know Dumbledore and his secrets. I'm sure he'll explain everything once we get there. I'm pretty sure he expected Ron to come too,' Hermione said to them, shaking her head. 'All we need to know, for the moment, is that Dumbledore has entreated our presence in the past. It's the request he should have made when he came to the future initially, and now he wants to make amends,' Hermione believed resolutely, placing the envelope in her beaded bag. She was so pleased she still had her bag. It would prove useful with its vast storage space.
'I agree,' Ron said, giving Hermione a small smile. 'Dumbledore always had a reason, and it won't do us any good to question him,' he added, crossing his arms and leaning them on his knees.
'In his letter, Dumbledore stated these heirlooms will help to win the war, right? But, he also said you have to hide them?' Draco questioned, glowering at the fire.
Hermione frowned and turned to look at him. 'That doesn't make any sense,' she said in confusion.
Draco raised his eyebrows at her. 'Doesn't it? And they call you the smartest witch of this age?' he said with a chuckle, making Hermione blush. Draco sobered up and looked at her. 'These heirlooms are magical,' he told her, and she frowned at him.
'They have magic imbued into them, but that doesn't mean anything. Mine has been passed down through generations in my family who were all Muggles,' Hermione said, shaking her head. 'Harry's ring I can understand, but…' she trailed off, looking at her necklace as it twinkled in the flickering light from the fire.
Draco scoffed, waving off her words and she glared at him. 'Just listen to my theory,' he said, shaking his head. 'What if they are? Dumbledore said the heirlooms have gained magic from their wearers for thousands of years, which means those wearing them had to have some magic. I don't think using this combined power will be as simple as Dumbledore makes it out to be. I reckon there will be a trick to it or something you have to do to unlock it,' Draco trailed off as he stood and paced around the fire, tapping his chin. 'And you have to keep it hidden. Why do you need to keep them hidden?' he asked, looking at Hermione and he could almost see the wheels in her head taking in everything he was saying and processing it.
Hermione frowned, looking down at her necklace curiously. 'I imagine the Dark Lord back then may have known about them. If he realises we've got more powerful versions of them, he'll probably try to kill us and take them for himself,' Hermione surmised, and Ron nodded in agreement.
Draco halted in his pacing and looked at her. 'Good hypothesis, but that wasn't entirely what I was denoting to. Well spotted though, Granger. I didn't look at it that way,' he countered, smirking at her.
Hermione looked at him in bewilderment. 'What were you referring to?' she asked, deliberating on what she had missed.
'I was going along the same line of thinking, but my "who" was not the same as your "who",' he countered, scrunching his face up in contemplation as Ron, Hermione, and Snape stared at him in misunderstanding.
'Mr Malfoy, would you please just get to the point?' Snape hissed, rolling his eyes at his former student.
Draco sighed. 'You guys are no fun,' he huffed, crossing his arms. 'They are heirlooms, so it's possible you need to hide them from people who may know what they are and whom they belonged to back then. I guess it may cause some issues,' Draco said with a shrug, sitting back down on the ground.
'Ah, I see what you're saying!' Hermione said in excitement.
'Yeah, now you get it!' Draco exclaimed, grinning at her.
Ron shook his head and looked up at the sky with a quiet sigh. He wasn't jealous, but he had to admit he felt pretty left out of this whole mission. Something nagged at the back of his mind that he was never meant to be part of it.
Ron shook away his deliberations as Snape stood. 'Well, now that we have somewhat exhausted our analysis of Dumbledore's letter, I would recommend getting some sleep,' Snape said, moving towards the trees and casting several spells around the area. 'I have set up wards around the area; we should be protected. I will keep watch during the night to be safe,' he told them, and they all nodded.
Draco threw several blankets at Ron and Hermione which they lay on the ground. Hermione lay on her blanket, pulling one of the other ones over her and tucked it up under her chin. She had a feeling she wouldn't be able to sleep with everything they had just learned. Hermione was both frightened and eager to be going to the Third Age, and she wondered what awaited them there. She was mindful that they were going to assist with another war. The original war which ultimately instigated their own battle. To see the world as it was back then would be utterly fascinating though.
Hermione smiled and closed her eyes, listening to the light snores coming from Draco and the heavier wheezes from Ron. With the sound of the crackling fire as well, Hermione eventually lulled off to sleep.