Chapter 39
Weeks passed, and many things inside 12 Grimmauld place had changed. The house is self was cleaner and shiner than ever before. Kreacher, had a change of heart, treating everyone with respect, even prepared real food, thanks to Ewan's idea of giving Kreacher the locket. Lupin and Sirius occasionally visited, both staying at Tonks parents, for Tonks sake.
More Death Eaters visited the lawn in front of the house, trying to see anything about the home. Of course they never did.
Ron and Harry could be found playing chess or finding something to do to preoccupy their time, while Hermione and Ewan set to learning more about Horcruxes and useful spells.
Every now and then, one of them would leave 12 Grimmauld place, under Ewan and Harry's invisibility cloak, and find a spare Prophet, or get more food. Today, it was Harry.
"I got news!" he called after he came inside. "And you won't like it!"
"Shoes off, if you please, Master Harry, and hands washed before dinner." crocked Kreacher, seizing the cloak off Harry and hanging it on a hook on the wall, beside a number of old-fashioned robes that had been freshly laundered.
"What's happened?" asked Ron.
Harry placed the Front page of the Prophet on the table for everyone to read:
SEVERUS SNAPE CONFIRMED AS HOGWARTS HEADMASTER
"No!" said Ron and Hermione together.
Ewan didn't say anything. Harry and Ewan continued to dispute the matter that Snape was good or evil, in the Order or a Death Eater. Ewan trusted Snape, even though Snape killed Dumbledore. Harry, however, thought Snape to be an evil git.
Hermione read the story aloud:
"' Severus Snape, long-standing Potions master at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was today appointed headmaster in the most important of several staffing changes at the ancient school. Following the resignation of the previous Muggle Studies teacher, Alecto Carrow will take over the post while her brother, Amycus, fills the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.
"' I welcome the opportunity to uphold our finest Wizardry traditions and values-'"said Hermione before ranting how about Snape. Most of it Ewan ignored.
"At least we know where Snape is." said Harry.
"The train left six hours ago, weird not being on it." said Ron.
Then Hermione came down the stairs with Phineas Nigellus Black's portrait.
"Snape could send Phineas Nigellus to look inside this house for him, but let him try it now, all Phineas Nigellus will be able to see is the inside of my handbag."
"Good thinking!" said Ron.
"Thank you.
A few minutes passed when Harry hissed, putting his hand on his scar.
"Voldemort just killed again, a woman, and probably her whole family." he said.
"You're supposed to be blocking that!" said Hermione.
"Cool it, Hermione. If Harry wants to use this connection to find out info on Voldemort, then let him. Its his choice." said Ewan.
Hermione let the matter rest but didn't say any more. In the meantime, they returned to the basement kitchen, where Kreacher served them all stew and treacle tart.
* * *
A few days later, Harry had another vision. Voldemort had found Gregorovitch, and killed him.
"He tortured him, and the he killed him. He wanted something from Gregorovitch, but Gregorovitch said it had been stolen from him. But the man looked familiar somehow... he was blonde." said Harry.
"A lot of people are blonde." said Ewan, sarcastically.
* * *
For the next few weeks they searched everywhere they could for a Horcrux. Harry and Ewan knew that there could only be two left. Harry had assumed that Nagini, Voldemort's familiar was one, but then what was the other?
They searched all over, and found nothing.
It was during the search that Harry had yet another vision, the face of the one who stole form Gregorovitch.
The disappointment and lack of news of the Order and families hit hard on the four. They would go hours without talking to one another, or getting irradiated at each other.
They had just come back from searching a place in the woods when Harry heard voices.
"Shut up!" whispered Harry, pulling out an Extendable Ear. The other three followed in suit.
"There ought to be a few salmon in here, or d'you reckon it's too early in the season? Accio Salmon!" said a weary male voice.
There were splash noises, and then as language Ewan never heard, finally the first man spoke again.
"Here, Griphook, Gornuk."
Goblins! Hermione mouthed to the group.
"Thank you." said the Goblins in English.
"So, you three have been on the run how long?"asked new mellow voice.
"Six weeks... seven... I forget. Met up with Griphook in the first couple of days and joined forces with Gornuk not long after. Nice to have a bit of company. What made you leave, Ted?"
"Knew they were coming for me. Heard Death Eaters were in the area last week and decided I'd better run for it. Refused to register as a Muggle-born on principle, see, so I knew it was a matter of time, knew I'd have to leave in the end. My wife should be okay, she's pure-blood. And then I met Dean here, what, a few days ago, son?" said Ted Tonks, Tonks father.
"Yeah." said Dean Thomas, a Gryffindor in Harry's year.
"Muggle-born, eh?" asked the first man.
"Not sure, my Dad left my mum when I was a kid. I've got no proof he was a wizard, though."
Then Ted Tonks spoke again, "I've got to say Dirk, I'm surprised to run nto you. Please, but surprised. Word was you'd been caught."
"I was," answered Dirk. "I was halfway to Azkaban when I made a run for it, stunned Dawlish, and nicked his broom, It was easier than you'd think; I don't reckon he's quite right at the moment. Might be Confunded. If so, I'd like to shake the hand of the wizard or witch who did it, probably saved my life."
"And where do you two fit in? I, er, had the impresson the goblins were for You-Know-Who, on the whole." said Ted.
"You had a false impression," said a higher-voiced of the goblins, "We take no sides. This is a wizards' war."
"how come you're in hiding then?"
"I deemed it prudent, " said a deeper-voiced goblin. "Having refused what I considered and impertient request, I could see that my personal safety was in jeopardy."
"What did they ask you to do?" asked Ted.
"Duties ill-befitting the dignity of my race. I am not a house-elf." replied the Goblin.
"What about you, Griphook?"
"Similar reasons, Gringotts is no longer under the sole control of my race. I recoginze no Wizarding master."
There was some laughter from the Goblins.
"Whats the joke?" asked Dean
"He said," replied Dirk, "that there are things wizards don't recognize, either."
"I don't get it." said Dean.
"I had my small revenge before I left." said Griphook in English.
"Good man – goblin, I should say." amended Ted hastily. "Didn't mange to lock a death eater in one of the old high-secrity vaults, I suppose?"
"If I had, the sword would not have helped him break out." said Griphook.
"Dean and I are still missing something here." said Ted.
"So is Severus Snape, though he does not know it." said Griphook.
"Didn't you hear about that, Ted?" asked Dirk. "About the kids who tried to steal Gryffindor's sword out of Snape's office at Hogwarts?"
"Not a word, not in the Prophet, was it?"
"Hardly, Griphook here told me, he heard about it from Bill Weasley who works for the bank. One of the kids who tried to take the sword with Bill's younger sister. She and a couple of friends got into Snape's office and smashed open the glass case where he was apparently keeping the sword. Snape caught them as they were trying to smuggle it down the staircase."
"Ah, God bless 'em," said Ted. "What did they think, that they'd be able to use the sword on You-KNow-Who? On on Snape himself?"
"Well whatever they thought they were going to do with is, Snape decided the sword wasn't safe where it was,: said Dirk. "Couple of day later, once he'd got the say-so from You-Know-Who, I imagine, he sent it down to London to be kept in Gringotts instead."
The goblins started to laugh again.
"I'm still not seeing the joke." said Ted.
"It's a fake." rasped Griphook.
"The sword of Gryffindor!"
"Oh yes. It is a copy – an excellent copy, it is true – but it was Wizard-made. The original was forged centuries ago by goblins and had certain properties only goblin-made armor possesses. Wherever the genuine sword of Gryffindor is, it is not in a vault at Gringotts bank."
"I see, and I take it you didn't bother telling the Death Eaters this?" asked Ted.
"I saw no reason to trouble them with the information." replied Griphook. Everyone laughed.
"What happened to Ginny and the others?" asked Dean.
"Oh they were punished and cruelly." replied Griphook.
"They're okay thought?" asked Ted.
"They suffered no serious injuries, as far as I'm aware."
"Lucky for them. With Snape's track record, I suppose we should be glad they're alive."
"You believe that story, then, do you, Ted? You believe Snape killed Dumbledore?" asked Dirk.
"Course I do. You're not going to sit there and tell me you think Potter had anything to do with it?" replied Ted.
"Hard to know what to believe these days." said Dirk.
"I know Harry Potter, and I reckon he's the real thing – The Chosen One, or whatever you want to call it."
"Yeah, there's a lot would like to believe he's that, son, me included. But where is he? Run for it, by the looks of it. And you know, The Prophet made a pretty good case against him and his brother -"
"The Prophet? You deserve to be lied to if you believe that muck, you want the truth, Dirk, try the Quibbler."
"The Quibbler? That lunatic rag of Xeno Lovegood's?"
"Its not so lunatic these day," said Ted. "You want to give it a look. Xeno is printing what the Prophet won't, How long they'll let him get away with it, mind, I don't know. Xeno says, front page of every issue, that any wizard who is against You-Know-Who ought to make helping Harry Potter their number one priority."
"Hard to help a boy who's vanished off the face of the earth." said Dirk.
"Listen, the fact that they haven't caught him yet's one hell of an achievement. I'd take tips from him gladly; it's what we're trying to do, stay free, isn't it?" said Ted.
"You've got a point there." said Dirk.
The four pulled out the Extendable Ears and reeled them in.
"If anyone knows about the sword it would be Phineas Nigellus." said Hermione, pulling her bag open.
"Er- Phineas? Phineas Nigellus?" said Harry.
"Phineas Nigellus?" asked Hermione.
"Why won't he come out?" asked Ron.
"Professor Black, will you please talk to us?" asked Ewan.
"'Please' always helps." said Phineas Nigellus moving into his portiat.
"Obscuro!" said Hermione.
"What – how dare – what are you-?"
"I'm very sorry, Professor Black," said Hermione. "but its a necessary precaution!"
"Remove this foul addition at once! Remove it, I say! You are ruining a great work of art! Where am I? What is going on?"
"Never mind where you are." said Harry.
"Could that possibly be the elusive voice of Mr. Potter?"
"Maybe." said Harry.
"We have a couple questions to ask you – about the sword of Gryffindor."
"Both Potters. Yes, well that silly girl acted most unwisely there- "
"Shut up about my sister!" spat Ron.
"Who else is here? Your tone displeases me! The girl and her friends were foolhardy in the extreme. Thieving from the headmaster!"
"They weren't thieving, that sword wasn't Snape's." said Harry.
"It belongs to Professor Snape's school. Exactly what claim the Weasley girl have upon it? She deserved her punishment, as did the idiot Longbottom and the Lovegood oddity!"
"Neville is not an idiot nor is Lune an oddity." said Hermione.
"Where am I? Where have you brought me? Why have you removed me from the house of my forebears?"
"Never mind that! How did Snape punish Ginny, Neville, and Luna?" asked Harry
"Professor Snape sent them into the forbidden Forest, to do some work with that oaf, Hagrid."
"Hagrid's not an oaf!" said Hermione
"What we really want to know, Professor Black, is weather anyone else has taken the sword at all?" asked Ewan
"At least someone is civil. The last time I saw the sword leave it's case was when Professor Dumbledore used it to break open a ring, a locket, and a diadem."
It was few minutes later that Phineas Nigellus left to go back to his other portait.
"The sword can destroy Horcruxes! Goblin-made blades imbibe only that which strengthens them – Harry, that sword is impregnated with basilisk venom!" said Hermione.
"And Dumbledore didn't give it to me because he still needed it, he wanted to use it on the remaining Horcruxes-"
"- and he must have realized they wouldn't let you have it if he put it in his will -"
Ewan sat down on one of the cots, the way Harry and Hermione were going, he would get a full nights sleep.
"-so he made a copy-"
"- and put a fake in the glass case -"
"-and left the real one – where?"
"Think! Think! Where would he have left it?" whispered Hermione
"Not at Hogwarts." said Harry.
"Somewhere in Hogsmeade?" asked Hermione.
"The Shrieking Shack? No one ever goes there."
"But Snape knows how to get in, wouldn't that be a bit risky?"
"Dumbledore trusted Snape."
"Not enough to tell him he swapped the swords." said Hermione.
"Yeah, your right. So, would he have hidden the sword well away from Hogsmeade, then? What d'you reckon, Ron? Ron?"
"Oh remembered me have you?" asked Ron. Ewan snorted that was exactly how he was thinking.
"What?" asked Harry.
"You two carry on don't let me ruin your fun."
"What's the problem?" asked Harry.
"Problem? There's no problem. Not according to you, anyway."
"Well, you obliviously have a problem. Spit it out, will you?"
"Alright, I'll spit it out. Don't expect me to skip up and down the tent because there's some other damn thing we've got to find. Just add it to the list of stuff you don't know."
"I don't know?" repeated Harry. "I don't know?"
"It's not like I'm having the time of my life here, you know, I had hoped after a few weeks we'd have found something." said Ron.
"Ron." Hermione whispered.
"I though you knew what you'd signed up for." said Harry.
"Yeah, I thought I did too."
"So what part of it isn't living up to your expectations? Did you think we'd be staying in five-star hotels? Find Horcruxes every other day? Did you think you'd be back to Mummy by Christmas?" said Harry, angry.
"I thought you knew what you were doing!" shouted Ron. "We thought Dumbledore had told you what to do, we thought you had a real plan!"
"Ron!" said Hermione louder.
"Well, sorry to let you down, I've been straight with you from the start, I told you everything Dumbledore told me."
"We're now where effing near to finding the other two!" said Ron.
"Then why are you still here?"
"Search me."
"Go home then."
"Yeah, maybe I will!" shouted Ron. "Didn't you hear what they said about my sister? But you don't give a rats fart, do you, it's only The Forbidden Forest, Harry I've – been- through- Worse Potter doesn't care what happens to her in here – well, I do, all right, giant spiders and mental stuff -"
"I was only saying – she was with others, with Hagrid -"
"Yeah, I get it, you don't care! And what about the rest of my family, 'The Weasley's don't need another kid injured,' did you hear that?"
"Yeah, I-"
"Not bothered what it meant, though?"
"Ron!"
"Go back to them then pretend you've got over your spattergroit and Mummy'll be able to feed you up and-"
Both boys made a sudden move before suddenly Hermione cast a shield between.
"What are you doing?" asked Ron to Hermione.
"What do you mean?" asked Hermione.
"Are you staying or what?" asked Ron
"I... yes, yes, I'm staying. Ron, we said we'd go with Harry, we said we'd help-"
"I get it, you choose him."
"Ron, no- please- come back, come back!" but Ron already left the tent. Ewan got up to follow him.
"Where are you going?" Harry asked him.
"Making sure he get's home safe." said Ewan.
"...or you just see this as your opportunity to leave." said Harry.
"What!? What in bloody hell is that supposed to mean?" asked Ewan.
"I know, saying that it isn't fair that you have to be my brother! You know what's not fair, Ewan. You're not fair! You got a comfortable life, with parents, and friends and food, and clothes. But you know what I got! Well, do you!? I got the Dursley's! Then you know what else!? You go to know all about me, and our parents, you know what I got! I got told the truth a whole year after Hogwarts!"
"You're jealous!?" asked Ewan.
"No! I hate that you got everything! I hate you!"
Ewan couldn't breath for a second. "Fine. Then I am leaving, good luck... Potter." said Ewan before leaving the tent after Ron. After both were a good distance away, they disapparated.
