HARRY POTTER AND ICE CREAM DELIGHTS10-30-09
Author: Luckner
Disclaimer: The characters and their world are the property of J.K. Rowling, various publishers and Warner Bros. No money is being made and no copyright infringement is intended.
CHAPTER 21: GRYFFINDOR GAINS A DAUGHTER
Luna's promotion to a 'sixth-year' had both positive and negative results. On the positive side, Harry and Luna now shared most of their classes; except for Ancient Runes of course, which Harry still considered a complete mystery. Their grades continued to improve as the two worked as study partners in the classes that they shared. In Transfiguration they were receiving top grades, causing Hermione Granger to study all the harder in order to keep up. A spirit of friendly competition had developed in which poor Ron Weasley was caught in the middle; with Hermione insisting that he study harder as well.
On the negative side, however, the feelings of some of Luna's Ravenclaw housemates had hardened even further. They somehow regarded it as a personal insult that someone who they regarded as 'unworthy' should be promoted over them. By doing so more school attention was drawn to Luna Lovegood and her eccentricities. Rather than blame Professor Dumbledore for his decision, the angered Ravenclaws blamed Luna herself; apparently for the 'crime' of being too smart.
The offended students were careful not to make any negative remarks in front of Harry Potter, but when Luna Lovegood was alone it was a different matter. The young girl pretended that their words didn't hurt, but they did. She knew better than mention the matter to Harry; there was no telling what he would do if he found out.
But it was not the kind of secret that could be kept for very long, and one day Ron Weasley overheard Michael Corner call Luna a particularly ugly name. Without a second thought the boy pulled his wand and cast the Bat-Bogey Hex on the startled Ravenclaw. Michael screamed in pain and began to claw at his face, drawing the attention of several nearby students.
Cho Chang immediately rushed over and snatched the wand out of the Ron's hand. "You'll be getting detentions for a month, Weasley," she declared in triumph, as Michael was hurried away to the Hospital Wing.
But Cho wasn't the only one to witness the exchange. From his office doorway Professor Flitwick walked up to the assembled students, an angry look on his face. "I'll handle this matter, Miss Chang." And then turning to the young Gryffindor the tiny Charms professor smiled slightly. "Mr. Weasley, we can't have such spells cast on other students, no matter what the provocation. I'm taking ten points from Gryffindor for your actions in…"
"Ten points!" Cho declared in outrage.
"I'll be with you in just one moment, Miss Chang," Professor Flitwick said as he gave his prefect a hard look.
"As I was saying Mr. Weasley, ten points from Gryffindor; and I would prefer not to see a reoccurrence of this matter." As Professor Flitwick spoke there was no hardness in his voice, and almost a note of admiration. With that Professor Flitwick turned away from a relieved Ron Weasley and led his prefect into the privacy of his office.
"Would you sit down Miss Chang?" Professor Flitwick began courteously, but Cho didn't like his tone one bit. "I am well aware of the malicious remarks being made about Miss Lovegood, and also of your failure to report or put a stop to it. You are very near to losing your prefect status young lady, and I suggest you prepare yourself for it. As for now, I want you to go to the Hospital Wing and inform Mr. Corner that as soon as he is released he will have five days of detention and that he has just cost Ravenclaw house fifty points. I had hoped that my perfects could deal with this matter, but since they apparently can't I will deal with it myself. Is that perfectly clear Miss Chang?" The stunned look on the girl's face apparently convinced the Charm's professor that the message had indeed been received, and he escorted her to the door without another word.
But Professor Flitwick wasn't the only one aware of the situation, and as the Headmaster sat behind his desk that same afternoon he realized that the time had come to make a change. Generally he allowed the heads of the various houses to deal with such problems themselves, but this matter had just gone too far and he had to take action.
Later that afternoon, at the end of her last class of the day, Luna Lovegood received a request that she come to the Headmaster's office for a meeting. As she approached the stone gargoyle that guarded the entrance she wondered at the reason for the summons.
"Good afternoon Miss Lovegood, won't you please have a seat?" Albus Dumbledore asked, uncertain about how to approach this most unusual meeting.
"Thank you, Sir," Luna answered politely.
"Can I offer you some tea Miss Lovegood, and perhaps a biscuit?" The Headmaster asked as he motioned to an ancient tea service that sat on the corner of his desk.
"Thank you; just with lemon please. And would you please call me Luna? I do believe that undo formality only makes personal interactions more difficult," Luna said candidly.
Professor Dumbledore smiled to himself as he poured the tea into a bone china cup; it was so refreshing to speak with such a candid young woman.
"Your tea, Luna," he said as he passed the cup across the desk, and edged the biscuit tin nearer to where she sat.
"Thank you Albus," she replied politely, as she took the cup and helped herself to a piece of shortbread.
As he sipped his tea he had to admit that she was right, he did feel easier in his mind.
"May I begin by asking how you are adjusting to your sixth-year classes?" He asked as he reached for a piece of shortbread.
"Quite well, thank you. It's nice sharing classes with Harry," she responded sincerely.
"Yes, that's part of why I've called you here today. One of the reasons I made that decision was that I believed both you and Mr. Potter…err, Harry could benefit from sharing classes. But now I believe that even more benefit can be gained if you shared the same house as well. May I be so bold as to ask where the Sorting Hat originally wished to place you?" He asked as diplomatically as possible.
Luna looked down at her cup for a moment, as if trying to reach a decision, and then she raised her eyes to look at the Headmaster. "Actually, the Sorting Hat suggested that I be sorted into Gryffindor," Luna said carefully.
"And yet you made a decision for Ravenclaw. Most interesting; may I ask why?"
"My Mother was a Ravenclaw; I thought it would make my Father happy if I was sorted there as well," Luna said shyly.
"But you've never been happy there, have you Luna?" Dumbledore asked tenderly.
"I've tried, Albus," she said sincerely.
"Yes you have, my dear; no one could have tried harder. But I think it's time that you did what's right for you. I think your Father would want you to be happy, don't you think so?" Dumbledore asked gently.
"Yes, I guess so," Luna responded after a long moments thought.
"And I think Harry would be happier as well; I've been quite concerned about what might happen if he overheard some of the unkind remarks made by your housemates."
Luna gave a slight shudder at the thought. "Yes, that could be bad," she whispered.
"Good, then tonight I would like to have you resorted. I rather think it will be Gryffindor," he said with a smile, as he took another sip of his tea.
"Yes, I guess the time has come," Luna said with a slight sigh.
"Now that we have settled that matter, please tell me more about the Centicores that you and Harry saw in the Dark Forest; which by the way you should not be entering," he said with a knowing smile.
"Well it was really quite extraordinary. Harry and I were taking a walk down by the small lake…," she began. And for the next hour the two of them had a lovely chat; so much so that they were both sorry when Professor Dumbledore had to excuse himself for a meeting with Professor Sprout.
'A remarkable young woman,' he thought to himself as he walked her to his office door. And he made a point of asking her to visit him again soon.
- o -
That evening Harry sat at Gryffindor table watching for his girlfriend to arrive, and wondering why she had been called into a meeting with Professor Dumbledore. She had still not arrived when Dumbledore arose from his place at the Teacher's Table. The aged Headmaster was silent for a moment as he scanned the room, preparing himself for what he was going to say. When his eyes lit on Harry Potter he smiled slightly, but when he looked at Ravenclaw table his gaze hardened. Older member of that house, who looked up at that moment, found themselves shaken by the severe look in his eyes.
"Before we eat tonight we have another resorting to accomplish; and one that I believe is long overdue. It's a sad fact of youth that part of growing up is facing the strong pressures to conform to the expectations of your peers, and an equally strong need to be accepted by your friends. Occasionally I see a student who refuses to conform to those expectations, but instead chooses to march to their own drummer; as the muggles might say. Unfortunately such individuals usually find themselves subjected to the full weight of peer pressure, and are often ostracized and sometimes even bullied by their fellows. Few people are strong enough to stand against this pressure, and there is only so much that the teachers and I can do to stop it. And yet on rare occasions individuals prove themselves strong enough to resist these demands, and to remain true to themselves. We are here tonight to resort one of those rare individuals; not at her request, but at mine," Dumbledore said firmly.
As Dumbledore spoke the students began to look around at each other in confusion, wondering what this was all about. The genial, somewhat grandfatherly image of the old Headmaster was gone; and in its place was a man who spoke with passion and a note of anger in his voice.
"It is regrettable that Miss Lovegood's housemates have never appreciated the very rare qualities that she possesses; her friends in Gryffindor House have long recognized them," he said as he cast a sharp look at Ravenclaw table.
A collective gasp went up from the Great Hall at the mention of Luna's name; and most of the room turned to look at the 'boy who lived,' who was grinning happily. It was at that moment that Minerva McGonagall led Luna into the hall. Gone was the look of dreamy detachment, and in its place a look of firm determination. Harry smiled at her encouragingly as she approached the sorting stool.
The Sorting Hat had barely touched Luna's head before it shouted out 'Gryffindor!' The table immediately burst into thunderous applause; after all, the members of Gryffindor already considered Luna as one of their own. Those sitting at Hufflepuff table immediately joined in, supporting their friends in Gryffindor. Those at Ravenclaw and Slytherin tables sat in shocked silence.
Luna skipped over to her new table and sat down gracefully at Harry's side, a wide smile on her face. The boy threw his arms around her and kissed her soundly, not caring that the entire room was watching.
From her table nearby, Cho Chang watched soberly as the whole scene played out. She ignored the grinning Ravenclaws sitting nearby; who clearly thought that something wonderful had happened. As Cho thought about the Headmaster's words, and the look of sadness on the face of Professor Flitwick, she began to worry that Ravenclaw House had just lost something very precious that none of them had really appreciated.
When Luna went up to her new dorm later that evening she was surprised to find all of her roommates waiting for her. There were balloons, streamers and a large banner welcoming her to Gryffindor House. There was also a cake just large enough for the six of them. When she closed her eyes later that night it was with a sense of satisfaction; she was finally where she belonged.
The next morning, when Luna came down to the Gryffindor common room, she found Harry Potter waiting for her. He noticed the new Gryffindor crest on her blazer and smiled approvingly.
"It looks good," he said sincerely.
"It feels good, it feels right. I think I'm going to be very happy in Gryffindor," she said warmly.
"I know that you are," he replied firmly, as he offered her his arm. Together the two of them went down to breakfast.
- o -
Two days later Pavarti Patil and Seamus Finnigan arrived early for Transfiguration class. The two had been dating since Christmas and had wanted a little private time to talk. As they walked towards the table that they shared, Pavarti noticed that the arrangement of the room had been altered. Professor McGonagall's desk had been moved down among the students, and a large wooden table now stood in front of the room. Pavarti didn't dwell on the change, as Professor McGonagall sometimes used the table for large demonstrations.
As she sat down the girl heard a strange noise that she couldn't quite place. It sounded like a child blowing on a toy trumpet, but in the back of her mind she seemed to remember the sound from a childhood visit to India. She had just resumed her conversation with Seamus when she heard it again.
"Listen," Pavarti said as she held up her hand. And then she heard the strange, yet somehow familiar sound again. Looking to the front of the room she saw movement on the table and went up to investigate. When the girl looked into the enclosure on the table top she could barely believe her eyes.
"Seamus, come over and look at this," she said in awe.
"What are they?" The young Irish boy asked as he reached the table.
The two teens watched in amazement as three tiny animals pranced forward to greet them. In the days since their creation the unique animals had been visited by every teacher in the school. They had quite lost their fear of the strange giants, and now actually looked forward to meeting new people.
"Well the one on the right is an Indian Elephant, but I have no idea what the other two are," Pavarti said as she gestured towards the two small creatures, which were alternately rotating their horns forward and backwards. To Pavarti they looked like a strange cross between a horse and a goat.
They're Centicores, Miss Patil," a voice said softly.
The two teens spun around to face a smiling Minerva McGonagall.
"I'm sorry, Professor," Pavarti sputtered out, worried that she might have done something wrong.
"There is no reason to apologize; I find them quite irresistible myself," Minerva said as she looked down at the tiny animals, who were now pressing against the enclosure trying to get to their mistress.
"But how?" Seamus asked in amazement.
"That is what you'll be learning today, and I daresay it will be the most interesting Transfiguration lesson that we've ever had," the Professor replied as she reached into the enclosure to stroke the tiny elephant.
A few minutes later the entire class had assembled and was waiting patiently for their teacher to begin her lesson. Several of them had noticed the tiny animals in the front of the room, and there was a bit more whispering than might be expected. But the minute Professor McGonagall stood up the entire room was silent.
"I was recently reminded by a student in this class that magic is much greater than the confines of this school. Magic has existed since the beginning of time on every continent where man has walked. In your History of Magic class Professor Binns has explained how the first wizards and witches, living in caves and crude huts, used simple spells to make their lives easier. Today our magic is much more complicated, and the body of spells and incantations could fill many volumes. But for every spell that we know today, at least two have been lost in the veil of history. Fortunately, a few very brave witches and wizards have made it their life work to recover these lost spells and return them to modern spellcraft. This is an extremely dangerous undertaking, and we owe these people a tremendous debt. Today we will be learning some unique spells collected by one of those people, and I hope that you all appreciate the sacrifice that she made to bring them back to you. Your teacher today is the daughter of that extraordinary witch, and I hope you will give her your undivided attention. But before we begin, can anyone tell me the First Law of Animal Transfiguration?" Professor McGonagall asked, and immediately Hermione Granger shot her hand up into the air.
"Yes, Miss Granger."
"The appearance of an animal can be altered, but its core essence cannot be changed," Hermione responded in what sounded like a direct quote from her third-year Transfiguration textbook.
"That is correct, Miss Granger; five points to Gryffindor. Now who can tell me the Second Law?" She asked as she looked around the room. "Yes, Miss Bones," Professor McGonagall said.
"Animal Transfiguration is only a temporary change in an animal's appearance, its duration subject to the power of the witch or wizard," Susan responded proudly.
"That is correct, Miss Bones; five points to Hufflepuff. The duration of the change should not last more than a few hours, a day at the very most. These rules have existed without change since the beginning of magic as we know it, but what you will see today overturns both laws," she said firmly.
A gasp rose from the students as the Transfiguration teacher continued. "These tiny creatures are the result of that unique magic, and have been in their present form for more than a week; and I now believe that their change is a permanent one. What's more, their behavior is consistent with their present appearance. As you know, a rat whose appearance is changed will still behave like a rat. Therefore I believe that their core identity has been permanently altered. Fortunately, they seem to enjoy their current form and I must admit that I'm rather fond of them as well. Now please prepare yourselves for some really unique magic," she said with a smile.
With that Professor McGonagall returned to her desk and Luna Lovegood walked to the front of the class.
At that moment there was a knock at the door, and Professor Dumbledore and Professor Flitwick entered the room.
"Please excuse us for interrupting Professor, but we would be very interested in sitting in on your class today; if it's acceptable with you of course," Dumbledore said smiling.
"Of course, Headmaster," McGonagall said approvingly.
The students were quite surprised when the two Professors sat down at an unoccupied table in the back of the room. They then turned back to Luna with increased interest.
"Today I'm going to show you some of the spells that my Mum discovered, and I hope that you will find them interesting. Would one of you be willing to assist me?" She asked shyly.
Immediately Harry and Hermione shot their hands into the air; followed in quick succession by Ginny, Neville, Ron, Seamus Finnegan and several other Gryffindors.
"Would you help me, Seamus?" Luna asked with a smile.
The very self-conscious boy left his table and went to join Luna in front of the class.
"The spell I'm going to show you not only works on the animals that we know, but also on creatures that we've never seen," she said as she demonstrated the wand movements to the class.
"Now Seamus, I would like you to concentrate on a creature that you have never seen, but that you would like to," the young girl explained patiently. "As you say the incantation, recall to your mind everything that you know about the animal: its appearance, habits, temperament, everything."
"Something safe, Mr. Finnegan," Professor McGonagall added with a serious look.
A grin came over the young boys face as he made his decision. Then, taking great care with his wand movements, he cast the spell on the sleeping rat. Immediately the rat blurred and was replaced with a small man dressed all in green. The boy immediately cast a waking spell on the tiny man before Luna could stop him.
"Oh dear," Luna said is dismay as the tiny Leprechaun awoke and looked around the room in shock, which was quickly replaced by annoyance.
"Sure now what am I doing here and why have I been taken away from me home?" The Leprechaun demanded in a heavy Irish brogue.
"I terribly sorry Mr. Leprechaun, I forgot to mention to Seamus that if he selected a humanoid subject the spell selects a real person. I'm so very sorry to have disturbed you," Luna said sincerely.
"And sure and well you should be, Missy. There was I, enjoying the peace of a fine spring morning near me home and then suddenly wush, I find meself surrounded be ya giants," the Leprechaun said in anger.
"You mean there really are Leprechauns?" Seamus asked in disbelief.
"Why of course there be Leprechauns ya addle pated toddyhead. And ya call yourself a son of Erin, and ya not believing in the wee people. Well I'll be showing ya that Mr. O'Bannon's not one to be trifled with," the tiny creature said as he put up his fists to Seamus and started to dance around like he was preparing for a major boxing match.
Luna realized that things were getting out of hand and immediately made a slashing motion with her wand, and the Leprechaun immediately disappeared.
"What did you do to him?" Seamus asked in wonder.
"I sent him home; I do hope he'll forgive us. Leprechauns can be quite annoyed when you disturb them at their morning tea," Luna explained patiently.
"I never believed they existed," Seamus said in disbelief.
"Oh, come now, the next thing you'll say is that you don't believe in fairies," Luna said in disbelief.
"If you believe in them then so do I," Seamus said sincerely.
Luna smiled sweetly at his remark and then allowed the young Irish boy to return to his seat.
When test rats were sent around the room Luna asked all of the students, as well as Professors Dumbledore and Flitwick, to begin to experimenting with the spell. All of them were careful to avoid humanoids, not wanting a repeat of Seamus' accident. Luna assisted those in need of help, and soon a variety of tiny animals began to appear on the tables.
Suddenly the students noticed movement in the air above them, and looking up they were amazed to see two tiny dragons flying above their heads. It looked for the entire world like they were playing a game of tag, with each dragon taking its turn chasing the other. It was only then that everyone realized that these were the creations of Professor Dumbledore and Professor Flitwick, and that the two teachers were taking the greatest delight in the colorful dragons. It was rather surprising to realize that the two elderly men still knew how to play, but they appeared to be enjoying the contest as much as the students were.
As Harry watched he saw that the Chinese Fireball created by Professor Dumbledore was the larger and more powerful dragon; but it was also slower and more lumbering. Professor Flitwick's Welsh Green, on the other hand, was quick and agile; and seemed to take delight in running circles around its larger cousin. Harry was interested to learn which of the diminutive beasts would win the mock battle.
It was at that moment that the Fireball got on the tail of the Green, and the smaller dragon dove down towards the students in an effort to escape. Dean Thomas dived to the floor as the two dragons flew close over his head, as students cheered on one dragon or the other.
Everyone in the room was watching the playful dragons as they soared and dived at each other, and even Professor McGonagall had to smile as she watched their antics. 'Boys with their toys,' she thought to herself with amusement; but she did have a brief thought about creating her own dragon and joining in the fun. It was with great regret that she realized that she would have to say something or nothing else would be accomplished.
"Ah…excuse me err, gentlemen, but I'm afraid that you two are distracting my other students," Professor McGonagall said with a smile. Very reluctantly the two teachers waved their wands and recalled the colorful dragons to the tabletop. But most of the class heard the Headmaster tell Professor Flitwick that they would resume their 'battle' at lunchtime in the castle courtyard. Most of the students quickly resolved to skip the meal in order to watch the fun.
After his experience with the annoyed Leprechaun, Seamus Finnegan had successfully created a beautiful Irish setter identical to one he had as a boy. The dog knew the boy immediately, and Luna explained that with this type of Transfiguration the animal takes on the personality of the one in the creator's thoughts. Immediately, several students created pets that they had loved and lost as children, and it was an emotional reunion for many.
"Could I have another volunteer?" Luna asked sweetly as she looked at Harry. The boy immediately shot his hand into the air, a hopeful look on his face.
"Thank you Harry; would you please stand next to the table?" She asked with a sweet smile, and then she resumed her talk with the class.
"In eastern Europe, where this spell originated, it was also used as a transportation spell. That was before apparation became the standard for witches and wizards. The nice part of the spell is that it can also be used with muggles. There is however one minor drawback," she said, and with those fateful words she began waving her wand above the table. The boy disappeared from where he was standing and appeared a second later on the table in front of her; the only problem was that he was only a foot in height. The sight of the tiny Harry Potter caused the class to burst into laughter, and even Professor Dumbledore had to smile.
"But except for this one…err, 'tiny' problem, the spell works fine for transportation," Luna said with a smile, as the class rocked with laughter.
"Err, Luna, could you make me big again?" Harry asked nervously.
"Certainly Harry, and thank you," she said as she waved her wand and the boy returned to his normal size standing by the table that they shared.
Over the course of the next hour Luna showed the class a number or other unique spells; each of which amazed her classmates more than the one that preceded it. Luna concluded her lesson by saying that she hoped to compile her Mother's spells into a book one day and have them published.
"I will be the first one to purchase that book," Professor McGonagall declared as she returned to the front of the class. As she walked she noticed that Hermione was muttering something under her breath.
"I didn't catch that, Miss Granger," she said.
"Well actually, I said that you would be the second. I will be the first," Hermione said in embarrassment.
"We will see about that, Miss Granger," Minerva said with a smile.
As Luna sat by Harry's side the young man showed her his own creation. A tiny black wolf pranced across the tabletop and sat down in front of the surprised girl. It was wagging its tail furiously, and seemed delighted to see her. Few people knew it, but as a child Luna's only friend had been a large black wolf, and Harry knew how difficult it was for her to leave her loyal friend and return to school each year.
"Grimmy?" Luna whispered in disbelief as the wolf wagged its tail even faster.
"I thought that she could keep you company here at school," Harry said sincerely.
There were tears running down Luna's face as she hugged the boy tightly. "Thank you Harry," she whispered. Everyone in the room saw the two teens holding each other, but not a single word was said.
"Professor McGonagall?" Seamus said with his hand raised.
"Yes, Mr. Finnegan," Minerva McGonagall said with a smile.
"Can we keep them?" He asked as he stroked the tiny Irish setter that was sitting obediently in front of him.
"I'm terribly sorry Mr. Finnegan, but as you know, the rules only allow for cats, owls and toads," Professor McGonagall said with sincere regret.
"But I understand that students are allowed to have rats as well," the boy said cautiously, as he looked in Ron's direction.
"Yes that's true, but I don't think we can still consider these creatures to be rats," Minerva said as she glanced at the Headmaster.
"But they started as rats," Seamus insisted.
"I think that under the circumstances we will make an exception to the rules, and allow everyone to keep their new pets," Dumbledore said as he stroked the unusually friendly dragon sitting in front of him. "But you are all responsible for taking care of your new pets," he added with a smile.
"I think, Mr. Finnegan that you might have a future in the law," Professor McGonagall said as she excused the class.
Hermione waited for Luna by the door, as the newest Gryffindor spoke to Professor McGonagall about giving the same Transfiguration demonstration to the seventh-year classes. When Luna and Harry joined her in the hallway, Hermione popped the question that she had been thinking about.
"Ah…Luna, you said in class that you wanted to compile your Mother's spells into a book. Would there be any way that I could help you?" The girl asked hopefully.
"I would love to have your help, Hermione. I thought that I might start going through her notes over spring break; could you come over for a few days?" Luna asked sincerely.
"Yes!" Hermione practically shouted.
But then Luna noticed Harry's shoulders sag slightly, and added a postscript. "Of course I'll only be working on it part of the time; Harry and I have some plans of our own," she said as she took the boys hand.
"Oh…of course," Hermione said hastily. "Well I can visit with Ron as well," she said sincerely.
"Thanks, Lu," Harry whispered to his girlfriend as the two walked down the hall together.
"It's what I want too," she responded with a smile.
- o -
Meanwhile, Lord Voldemort and Bellatrix Lestrange were facing challenges of their own. Shortly after the disaster at Hogsmead the Dark Lord had made an important decision. It was clear to Voldemort that the two teens had somehow come into possession of a powerful form of magic not seen since the days of Merlin. The source of the power was still a mystery; but of its effectiveness there could be no question. His only hope of success now lay in finding a source of magic of equal power.
The Dark Lord and Bellatrix crossed from England to France on a stormy winter morning; the waves in the Channel tossing their small boat about wildly. Both apparation and use of the floo network were out of the question, and in the interest of security the Dark Lord accepted the necessity of doing things the muggle way.
He was well aware that agents for the Ministry of Magic were probably searching for him, and he resolved to take a roundabout route to his objective. Making heavy use of glamour charms, and wearing the dress of muggle tourists, they landed in a small village on the coast of Normandy. From France they turned south and made their way into Spain, avoiding the larger cities and well traveled routes. They secured passage on a cargo ship bound for Alexandria, and once again embarked on an unfriendly sea. Lord Voldemort had no doubt that at the right moment he could 'persuade' the muggle captain to alter his course.
After a week-long voyage the vessel finally docked at a small port on the north-west coast of Greece. From there, and in the disguise of pilgrims, the two traveled north into the wild country of the Rhodope Mountains, which separated Greece from Bulgaria.
The object of their search was the darkest of dark covens, and one that was only spoken of in whispers by the magical folk of Eastern Europe. They were said to be worshipers of Hecate, the Greek goddess of witches and magic; but they consecrated their worship with torture and blood sacrifice. Hecate would have never condoned such grisly offerings; but the coven took great pleasure in the vilest forms of torture. While muggles were their normal victims, anyone bold enough to stray into their territory was likely to meet a slow and painful death.
Voldemort learned that the leader of the coven was a notorious wizard name Gofden; who claimed direct decent from the Romanian Prince Vlad the Impaler. Like his famous ancestor, Gofden seemed to revel is sadism, but he also possessed tremendous magical power. It was rumored that he possessed an artifact once carried by Hecate herself, and that object made him invincible in battle. That artifact was the real object of the Dark Lord's search, and his only hope to defeat Harry Potter. But he knew that he would have to be careful in any attempt to make contact, for the coven had no love of strangers.
It was in the village of Shiroka Luka that he got his first really firm lead, when he learned about an elderly wizard who lived nearby. He and Bellatrix visited the man's house late that night, and with the help of torture, forced him to tell everything that he knew.
The Dark Lord learned that there was a ruined castle a day's journey to the east that was much feared by both muggle and magical folk, and the old man believed it to be the home of Gofden and his followers. He further learned that on the night of the full moon the coven would journey to a mountain top near the castle to perform a blood sacrifice followed by a dark revel that lasted until dawn.
After killing the old man, to prevent any word of their visit from reaching unfriendly ears, the two set off to find the castle. And as they did Voldemort began to formulate a plan to gain the confidence of Gofden and his followers. He would make no attempt to contact the coven, but instead would allow them to find him. It was a dangerous game, but the only realistic chance left to him.
