A/N: BEFORE YOU KILL ME, I know I haven't updated in ages, and I'm so sorry, but it's long just like I promised ;)
Okay so I should probably explain something before you read this next chapter. I originally intended to put the whole story in Hermione's point of view, but I realised this wasn't going to work for every chapter. So the majority of the chapters will be in our favourite heroine's brilliant mind (hehe:3), and these chapters will be headed with "Hermione's POV" (but just to clarify, this one isn't in her point of view) :] Again, thanks for the reviews! :D
Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot. Harry Potter belongs to the genius that is J.K. Rowling x]
Running. All Riley could think about was running. Running and dodging the random trees that she knew like the back of her hand. After all, she had been there plenty of times before. It was what they'd been waiting for ever since His fall, and she knew her partner in crime couldn't wait to hear the news. It could be their only chance, and she wanted to make this one count after failing him last time. As an inside source for her master, Riley was aware of what was going on in a certain young witch's life, and what she had just witnessed down the alleyway of Diagon Alley was proof of her vulnerability because of it. As she continued to run the trees in the forest began to part and reveal a clearing. At the centre of the clearing was a round house, not unlike Hagrid's hut. It was a small, run-down, aged, wooden house. It was a curious thing; if she wasn't looking for it, the house in question would have been like a ghost house that no one notices until they are intentionally searching for its whereabouts. Riley skidded to a halt as she approached the door. Removing her wand from inside her cloak she pointed it's tip at the lock.
"Alohamora," she said, her tone panicked and her breathing heavy. As the lock moved she pushed the door open the rest of the way and slammed it shut behind her. With her back against it, she breathed heavily for a few seconds and placed her hand on her forehead. She then stood up straight, composed herself, and walked towards the middle of the room. The room itself mirrored the outside appearance of the house. The walls were plain, the windows seemed normal enough, but the floor was something else. There were no stones or wooden planks. A moving map stretched from wall to wall, divided into several sections, each representing a different area of the wizarding world. Riley had never seen it before, so, intrigued by this magic, she walked towards the centre of it and observed the swirling clouds covering pretty much all of the sections.
"You have news, I hope," a deep voice said. Composed, Riley turned her head to the window. A figure stood there, facing the window in dark clothes. Latched around his shoulders was a hooded cloak. His voice clearly indicated he was a man, and this man's name was Ghost. Putting all curiosities regarding the map to one side, she smirked and took a step closer.
"You know me too well," she remarked.
"Tell me," he demanded, "is the girl at her weakest?"
"She is certainly weak, but I am positive there is room for…" she began, "…improvement." The man turned his head slightly towards her, just so that she could make out the squareness of his chin in the moonlight shining through the window behind him.
"Then what is on your mind child! Pray, don't make me linger on curiosity." Riley cleared her throat.
"The girl's parents-"
"-are dead, yes. Tell me something I have not been aware of for months," he interrupted, snapping. There was a pause, then she proceeded to continue.
"You are aware of our various surveyors in the vicinity of Diagon Alley?" This received a slight twitch, which placed a confused expression on Riley's face, but she took it as a yes. "They have done their duty."
"Don't try my patience; tell me what has brought you here before I body bind you!"
"They say that Draco Malfoy is returning to Hogwarts," she sad quickly. Ghost froze. Even the wind that gave life to his clothing seem to halt its whispers. He turned his head back to face the window and stood, as if waiting for something.
"For what purpose?" he said finally.
"Purely academic. The boy's father prohibited it, but I have managed to persuade him to accept the boy's wishes-"
"And what good does that do for us?!" he bellowed, turning around to face Riley. His face was like paper; white and creased. His eyes were missing pupils and colour, giving the blankness of his face emphasis. His black robes were in tact and reasonably neat, however a rip in his clothing revealed a scar running down from the meeting point of his neck and right shoulder diagonally across his torso towards his waist. He didn't wear shoes and stood bare foot, and upon turning around his hood fell backwards to reveal long, black hair that was tied at the nape of his neck and fell to his ribs. He continued to shout. "The Malfoy boy returns to Hogwarts to pass his N.E.W.T.s; what good will that do for my purpose?! His father is nothing but a coward, abandoning the Dark Lord after Potter rose from the dead a second time!" His voice echoed throughout the room. Riley's eyes moved to the floor. He lowered his voice yet he didn't lose the dark and threatening tone in it. "I was there the day of his fall. I escaped the clutches of Hogwarts and made my plans, and even you have yet to impress me. You claimed the post of Potions teacher and Head of Slytherin house in that wretched school yet you have failed to present any useful knowledge. With that sister of yours what will you do? Her surveillance will almost certainly focus on you, now that she is aware of your past-"
"Draco has accepted your task, Master," she interrupted, returning her eyes to him. He took a step towards her. He didn't seem to care that she had interrupted him (for once).
"On what grounds?"
"That he can go to Hogwarts to complete his studies…"
Her master waited for more.
"…and to be left alone after he has completed the task." Ghost scoffed.
"Trust me, neither of us will have much choice in the matter." He turned around again and there was a pause. "Summon him."
"Master I doubt-"
"SUMMON HIM!" he yelled, more demanding this time. He gave her a poisoned glare through his moonlit reflection in the window. "You doubt my judgement?"
It was a rhetorical question. He knew perfectly well that Riley Williams was far too timid to challenge a man like him. Frozen by his second outburst since the question of Draco Malfoy was raised, Riley nodded and proceeded to the portrait on the opposite wall. She carefully avoided the strange map and stood in front of the portrait of Bellatrix Lestrange.
As a member of the Black family by blood, Lestrange had been entitled to a portrait upon her death since the day she was born. As revenge for those who had died under the wrath of Voldemort and his followers the picture was moved to an isolated place and supposedly destroyed. But no one can defeat the magic of the dead. As for the second portrait that Lestrange could travel to, it had been stolen and smuggled back to Malfoy Manor by Narcissa Malfoy as a tribute to her deceased sister. Riley was unaware of how Ghost had come across the portrait he possessed. But the picture was there, and there was nothing Lestrange loathed more than running errands for her new master and the Malfoys. However it was the only thing she was capable of doing, so the reality was that she didn't have a choice in the matter.
"Summon Draco Malfoy here. The master wishes to speak with him," Riley said, her voice shaking slightly. Even the presence of a dead Bellatrix sent shivers down her spine. The figure in the portrait made a face.
"With pleasure," she said sarcastically, sauntering and muttering to herself into the darkness away from Riley as she did so. Looking down at her feet, Riley attempted to regain her composure. Looking round at her master again, she wondered whether to speak or stay silent. She knew that if she made a wrong move by talking she wouldn't be given any second chances.
On the other hand silences between her and Ghost were too awkward and chilling for her to bare.
"My Lord-"
"Don't use that word for me. That word forever belongs to Lord Voldemort and to none other," he said quietly. But it was the quietest words from him that scared Riley the most.
"Very well Master," she said quickly. "What is this map?"
This question seemed to surprised him. He turned on his heel and looked at Riley quizzically. After a few seconds, he smirked and strode confidently to the middle of the map. His sudden change from hostility to confidence surprised Riley. Shaking it off, she fully turned around to face him.
"This, child, is the Map of Erised."
Riley found it hard at this point not to raise her eyebrow. The Map of Erised? Aware of her thoughts, Ghost continued.
"It comes from the same magic as the mirror that goes by the same name. With the same idea and concept, this map shows the Wizarding World in its entirety, and illustrates the desires of each witch or wizard. For example right now I see thunder. Thunder raging throughout the land. This is because the forces that allow mudbloods to roam free are still in power. The thunder represents anger. You see it to?"
Riley's view of the map still resembled the swirling clouds that she saw before, however for all she knew her vision of the map could mean her death. With no idea about what the two images meant, she replied, "Yes Master."
At that very moment Bellatrix appeared at the portrait with three others behind him. They were almost scared to look at her, except for one, who's eyes studied her with pity and guilt.
"The Malfoys," Bellatrix said mockingly, doing a sarcastic curtsy, stumbling slightly as she bent down. The portrait hole opened, and Lucius Malfoy stepped through, took a few steps away from the portrait and stopped, his head bent as he took great interest in his feet. Behind him, Narcissa Malfoy, who was still looking at her deceased sister apologetically. Behind them, Draco.
"Draco, come," the Master said, slowly stretching out his arm and curling his fingers over, beckoning him forward. Draco paused for a moment, before obeying and walking towards the middle of the map where the two figures stood. "You have accepted the task?"
Silently, Draco nodded, before his mother chipped in.
"Master this task…" she said hurriedly, before pausing slightly, nervous to continue. "…is it necessary? I mean Draco won't get…hurt, will he?"
"Mother stop it, I'm a grown man and I can look after myself for Merlin's sake," Draco snapped. Narcissa looked around worriedly at her only son and nodded, before walking back to Lucius. The Master looked at Draco, then at Narcissa, and then back at the former. "What must I do to complete this task? What must I do to be left alone?"
"You were the last rightful owner of the Elder Wand before Potter disarmed you that night in Malfoy Manor, correct?"
"Apparently. I don't see what that has to do with anything though. The Elder Wand was destroyed by Potter himself."
"Yes. But every cloud has its silver lining," Ghost said, smirking.
He swept around and walked towards the window he had been previously standing in front of. He reached into the cabinet situated below it, and retrieved a case. A wand case. Keeping it concealed inside his cloak, Ghost strode back towards Draco, who was looked at Ghost with a confused expression, and presented him with the case. Draco eyes moved from the chilling face to the mysterious case, before he opened the lid. Laid in the velvety lining of the box was the Elder Wand in its two halves. Expressionless, Draco closed it again, and laughed quietly.
"What do you expect me to do, fix it?" Draco said, slightly amused with the knowledge that he didn't have the power to do such a thing to the most powerful wand in the history of the Wizarding World, let alone his plain and simple wand which had difficulty transforming a toad into a coin purse.
"Indirectly, yes," he said, unamused. Draco raised his eyebrows.
"To full working order?"
"Eventually." Ghost paused, out-staring Draco. "Your humour puzzles me."
"I'm just baffled as to why you think a teenage wizard like me will be able to perform such a demanding task," he said.
"You said it yourself; you owned the Elder Wand."
"Key word 'owned'," Bellatrix muttered under her breath, cackling to herself. Ghost shot daggers at her portrait.
"The key word, Bella, I think you'll find, is 'indirectly'," Ghost said. Turning to Draco, he continued, "You have an agile and sly mind Draco, arguably the reason why Voldemort picked you to murder the greatest wizard of all time, which you failed. Severus, however, did not."
"What is your point, Ghost?" Draco said tiredly, sick of his mind games.
"You cannot perform. The past has made that clear. However you can manipulate. You cannot put aside guilt and morals, however you can convince people to do so. In this case, one of your classmates. I speak in metaphor when I say, you can transform a toad into a coin purse, but without her help the purse will remain empty."
"You're saying I have to befriend someone at Hogwarts to fix the Elder Wand?"
"'The brightest witch of her age', I believe she is known as." Draco's eyes widened.
"You cannot be serious."
"And not only the brightest witch of her age," he continued, ignoring Draco's comment, "but also a close associate of Harry Potter himself."
"Her of all people?!" Draco said, his voice becoming louder.
"I want you to befriend Hermione Jean Granger."