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DISCLAIMERS: I don't own KUROSHITSUJI or HARRY POTTER. Also Special thanks to J. K. Rowling who's words I ended up borrowing heavily in this chapter.
Sorry for the long wait.
Ok, at the moment this chapter starts around page 587 of my hardback book, just before chapter 30. So if anyone feels to checking to compare, that's where you look. I'd also like to note that I made McGonagall's eyes hazel because (1) I don't remember what color they are in the book or movie and (2) I like hazel and no one in fan fiction ever seems to use it. My eyes are hazel, a deep wood-brown surrounded by forest green. It's a great eye color that matches everything and yet is totally ignored. If you ever happen to look at dolls in stores or even anime characters sometimes you may come across some that have green eyes or brown eyes, but you never see hazel. It's a bit unfair.
ANYWAY…
I hope you all like this.
Oh! And unless specifically stated otherwise, the P.O.V is generalized. What matters is that you should all be able to tell who is thinking & speaking what.
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CHAPTER 14
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The deserted Ravenclaw common room was wide and circular, it was also much airier than any other Harry had ever seen at Hogwarts. The ceiling was domed and painted with stars, which were echoed in the midnight-blue carpet. Gracefully arched windows punctuated the walls, which had been hung with silks in the Ravenclaw house colors of blue and bronze.
By day the students would surely have a spectacular view of the surrounding mountains, but as it was currently night the views most notable feature was a seemingly endless field of stars strewn across the sky. Not even the land bathed in the light of the brilliantly shinning full moon could compare to it.
The only illumination in the common room came from the painted stars glowing dimly from the ceiling and the pale moonlight streaming in from the windows. It was just enough light to make the rest of the room visible to any restless student or teacher and prevent them from bumping into the furnishings.
There were tables, chairs, sofas, and bookcases set up by a section of wall near a large fireplace where students could comfortably sit and study. But more importantly to Harry and his companions was what sat opposite the entrance where they stood. There in a niche embraced by twin grand staircases (presumably they led up to the separate areas where the boys and girls of the dorm quietly lay sleeping) stood a tall feminine statue in done white marble.
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"There's the statue," Cho said unnessisarily.
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Harry had once visited his friend Luna's house and seen a bust of Rowena Ravenclaw there, so he was easily able to recognize this statue as being of the same woman.
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Ciel walked up to it and took a few silent moments to contemplate it in silence as the other quietly joined him.
"Nice craftsmanship, but I've seen better." said the little blue-haired earl, before turning to face Harry.
(Ciel's P.O.V)
With only a swift glance as he had strolled up to the statue, Ciel memorized its appearance. A thing easily done since it wasn't a complicated piece. He even smirked at the inscription on the crown, slightly amused.
Beyond that, he gave it no further thought.
What he was truly contemplating was something else entirely. As he understood the situation, in the eyes of the Wizarding World, several things were true:
1). What ever happens, as long as Harry Potter lived, the "bad guys" and their plans could, always be thwarted.
2). As long as the remaining Horcruxes were destroyed and Voldemort killed the "good guy's" would win.
Looking at the current situation in this way, Harry Potter only needed to be alive long enough to defeat his rival, after that whether he lived or died wouldn't matter. The question was: Should the boy be permitted to survive beyond the death of Voldemort?
Well, there was no need to concern himself about that now. Live or die, the teen was his pawn and there was no need to think about killing him while he was so potentially useful.
But would others feel the same way? Once the wizard's civil war ended and Harry received credit for vanquishing his chief enemy, he would become a very important person indeed. So important in fact that it was possible that high ranking wizards in their society might become concerned. A boy without their age, experience, or extensive knowledge toppled a mighty Dark Lord from his throne while they sat around doing nothing or, worse still, collaborated with the enemy.
Knowing or not, Harry would automatically become their enemy, if he wasn't already. This would have nothing to do with right or wrong. This would be about politics, and politics was an inescapable part of any society. Harry might avoid any trouble by retiring from public scrutiny for the rest of his life, but considering the kind luck the young wizard seemed to have Ciel doubted the teen could or would take that path.
So, it was inevitable that Harry was going to have enemies, sympathizers of the Dark Idiot wanting revenge and powerful well connected wizards out to discredit or possibly kill him.
From his own experiences, Ciel knew ALL about that.
When the time came the young demon would have to decide if he'd abandon Harry or if he would support him; as his pawn it went without saying that Harry Potter would be exploited to the fullest.
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Of more immediate importance, there were a few things that had yet to be explained and they had all been in such a rush that there had been no time to question it.
Now that they had a few moments to themselves they would make the time.
"Nice craftsmanship, but I've seen better." said the little blue-haired earl, before turning to face Harry.
(End P.O.V)
"Harry, there are two things I'd like you to explain to me." Ciel said.
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"What?" replied Harry.
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"Firstly, supposing that this diadem is the correct item we're looking for, what is the next one? You've never said, and in the event we happen to get split up I think it would be a useful thing to know. Secondly, I have witnessed you having some sort of seizure twice now and after each incident you seemed to gain knowledge which only that Dark Idiot should posses. I'd like to know why that is and if he is capable of doing the same thing where you are concerned."
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Harry sighed, this wasn't something he liked talking about, but since the strange and deadly little Earl and his butler were going to be helping him destroy the Horcruxes and getting into who knows what sort of danger, he might as well tell them.
Lifting a hand to push back his bangs and show the lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead, he explained about how the scar was a result of Voldemort's first attempt to kill him. He then went on to say: "Ever since he was reborn I've had some sort of connection to him through it. Sometimes I get glimpses of what he sees, thinks, and feels, especially when he's thinking deeply about something or feeling some intense emotion."
Harry grimaced, remembering the events that led up to the death of his godfather Sirius Black.
"Eventually Voldemort realized what was happening and started sending me some misinformation to set a trap, and I fell for it." He clenched his fists, "People I cared about got hurt and died that night. The only good thing to come out of that mess was that feeling my emotional pain hurt Voldemort more than any curses ever could and he's stayed out of my head ever since."
He glared defiantly at Ciel, all but challenging him with the force of his words. "Did you really think that I'd be so stupid as to go on a mission like this if I thought there was any chance of that mad man peeking around in my head and seeing what I was up to? If he was willing to do that again he would have already done it and we'd have been caught."
The blue-haired boy nodded his head in acknowledgement and waved a hand to silently urge Harry to continue with what he'd been saying.
"Professor Dumbledore once told me that remorse was the one weakness and salvation of a person that's used a Horcrux. He didn't go into any details about it, but I think if somehow Tom Riddle, Voldemort, could feel sorry for the things he's done it would stop him for good and maybe heal his maimed soul. But I've been in his head and I know he doesn't feel sorry for anything he's done."
A burning determination could be seen in the teens green eyes and Ciel was finally able to see the charisma that drew people to Harry Potter and made them want to follow him.
"He's hungry for power and terrified of death. He knows what that I'm hunting his Horcruxes and he's afraid. He's never been more dangerous than he is now. At this moment he's checking on all his Horcruxes. The vision I had while at your house was because he'd learned we'd taken the cup. The last vision was because he'd just gone to check on the ring Horcrux's hiding place and found it gone. I'm not worried about saying his name now. He knows that if I'm not already at Hogwarts I'll be coming here soon. We just need to find and destroy the Horcrux he hid here before that happens. As to what his last Horcrux is, it's his pet snake Nagini and you can bet that he's keeping the serpent as close and protected as he can, especially now."
Harry stared coldly into Ciel's visible blue eye and narrowed his own.
"Does that answer your questions, or is there anything else you want to spend time we can't afford to lose on talking about?"
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The look in Ciel's eye was to chill and even though staring into the boys blue orb felt a bit like he was gazing into depths deep enough to swallow him whole, for a brief moment, Harry was sure he saw a flicker of respect glinting there.
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"No, Harry Potter," said Ciel, "I have no further questions at this time."
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"Good."
Turning away from the little earl, he strode right up to the marble woman to get a better look at the statue. She seemed to look back at him with a quizzical half smile on her face, beautiful yet slightly intimidating. A delicate circlet, which must be a representation of the diadem, crowned her head.
(Sebastian's P.O.V)
While the two boys had talked, those who had been silently watching the exchange let out a breath that they had collectively and unconsciously been holding as they'd stood like forgotten spectators in the midst of the rising tension.
Sebastian didn't care what the others had made of the scene, he'd been focused on his master.
It had been some considerable time since anyone had spoken to Earl Ciel Phantomhive in such a way and in such a tone. Perhaps there was more to Harry James Potter than he had first thought. He'd watched carefully, wondering how his eternally little *snicker* lord would react.
Instead of ordering Sebastian to kill, or getting angry, or even just ignoring the young wizards tone, the elder demon had seen something else. Respect.
Something said in the wizard's monolog had struck a hidden cord in Ciel and won a measure of the young demons respect, Sebastian was sure of it.
The demonic butler mentally thanked whatever luck had dropped the wizards into their lives. This whole experience had been the most fun he'd had in decades and it looked like it wouldn't be ending any time soon.
Perhaps he should have instructed his Master concerning the Wizarding World sooner? He shrugged away the thought, his little lord had never asked about wizards or magic so he had seen no need to inform him. No doubt Ciel would have something to say to him about that later.
He smirked remembering how the wizardly trio had reacted during the hours of their first meeting with the demons. He had to repress a grin remembering how much fun it had been annihilating the dementors. Maybe he'd get more chances to rain down a little mayhem if more were to show up.
Or enemy wizards.
Or anyone at all really.
He was a true demon after all and there was nothing more natural to him than enjoying the suffering of others.
(End P.O.V)
Hermione and Ron turned their attention away from Harry to study the statue.
"Did they have to make this thing so big?" asked Ron.
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Hermione gave him a withering glare.
"You just have no appreciation for art," she said. "Besides, it's a statue of this dorms Founder, of course it'd be big."
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Ron scowled at her and then turned his attention back on the statue.
"So that crown there is the diadem, huh? Doesn't look that special."
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Hermione sighed, "It's just a representation of what the diadem is supposed to look like." She studied the delicate-looking circlet that had been reproduced in marble on top of Rowena Ravenclaw's head a bit longer. There were tiny words etched into it.
"Look, there something written on it," she said.
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"You know," the green-eyed boy said as he stared up at the statues crown, "I can't quite put my finger on it, but there's something familiar about that circlet. I feel like I've seen something similar before, but I can't remember where."
Harry climbed up onto Ravenclaw's plinth to better see the statues crown and then read the words written there out loud.
"'Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure'"
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"Which makes you lot pretty skint, witless," said a cackling female voice.
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Startled, Harry whirled around, slipped off the plinth, and landed on the floor. Scrambling to his feet he turned to face the owner of that voice.
The slop-shouldered figure of Alecto Carrow was standing at the bottom of one of the stairs, and even as Harry raised his wand she, grinning evilly, pressed a stubby forefinger to the skull and snake brand on her forearm which marked all Death Eaters.
The moment her finger touched the Mark, Harry's scar burned him savagely, the starry room vanished from his sight, and suddenly he was Voldemort standing on a cliff high above an oceans crashing waves. An exalting sense of triumph seemed to fill his body and lighten his heart – They have the boy.
A loud BANG brought Harry out of the brief vision and back to where he stood: Disoriented, he raised his wand, but the witch before him was already falling to the ground. On the floor near where she'd stood was a large hardback book titled "HISTORY OF MAGIC- COMPENDIUM OF DIGRESSION EDITION: Vol. 1-60," it looked about a foot thick.
"My, what a weighty tome," said Sebastian, smiling brightly and pretending to brush invisible specks of dust off his white-gloved hands. "Oh dear it appears that volume was too much to dense for such a fragile head to endure."
The butler leisurely strolled over to the dead witch, searched her robs, and removed her wand. Turning, he presented it to his master. "Here you are My Lord. You required a wand and I believe she will no longer have a need for it."
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"Tch," said Ciel, and took the wand, slightly irritated at Sebastian's showing off.
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"You killed her," said Cho, shocked at what the cheerfully smiling butler had done.
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"And would she not have killed all of us if given the chance?"
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"Hey, that was really noisy," said Ronald, "do you think anyone heard?"
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As if in answer to his question, the ceiling began to tremble and the sound of echoing footsteps scurrying down the stair-wells from the dormitories could be heard. The sound of that ridiculously thick & over-sized book hitting the floor after killing Alecto Carrow had woken the Ravenclaws sleeping above.
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Harry whirled out his cloak of invisibility and put it on.
"Quick everyone," he said, holding out the sides of the cloak, "get over here. We won't all fit, but if we all crouch down under it near a table we should be able to hide."
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The young wizards had all ran over in a panic and hid under one of the reading tables while concealing themselves beneath the cloak before realizing that neither Sebastian nor Ciel was there with them.
There was no time to call out for them though. A stream of Ravenclaws, all in their nightclothes, poured down the stairs and flooded into the common room. Some had their wands out, the tops of them shining like miniature flashlights. There were gasps and cries of surprise as they saw Alecto lying there dead. Slowly they shuffled in around her, like she was a savage beast that might wake at any moment and attack them. Then one brave little first-year darted up to her and prodded her backside with his big toe.
"I think she might be dead!" he shouted with delight.
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"Oh, look," whispered Cho happily, as the Ravenclaws crowded in around Alecto, "They're pleased!"
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"Yeah… great…" mumbled Harry, his mind feeling as if it were being drawn elsewhere.
After taking a few deep breaths he closed his eyes, and as his scar continued to throbbed, chose to let himself sink again into Voldemort's mind. He saw that the Evil wizard had moved into a cave…
Harry recognized this place. He had been here with the late Headmaster Dumbledore. This was the place that the locket Horcrux had been hidden. Voldemort intended to check on it before coming to Hogwarts. He shuddered, pulling his thoughts away from Voldemort's and that evil place. He had had nightmares about that cave and had no intention of thinking about it now if he could help it.
There was a sudden knocking on the common room door and every Ravenclaw froze. From the other side, Harry heard Howard's voice asking: "Where do vanished objects go?"
"I dunno, do I? Shut it!" snarled an uncouth voice that Harry knew was that of the remaining Carrow sibling, Alecto's brother Amycus. "Alecto? Alecto? Are you there? Have you got him? Open the door!"
The Ravenclaws were whispering amongst themselves, terrified. Then, without warning, there came a series of loud bangs, as though somebody was firing a gun into the door.
"ALECTO! If he comes, and we haven't got Potter… d'you want to go the same way as the Malfoy's? ANSWER ME!" Amycus bellowed, pounding on the rooms' entrance for all he was worth, but still it did not open.
The Ravenclaws were all backing away, and some of the most frightened began scampering back up the staircases to their beds. Then, just as Harry was wondering whether he ought to blast open the door and Stun the dangerous Death Eater, a second familiar voice rang out beyond the door.
"May I ask what you are doing, Professor Carrow?" It was the voice of Minerva McGonagall, the authoritative transformations teacher who oversaw Harry's own dormitories at Gryffindor.
"I'm trying – to get – through this damned – entrance!" shouted Amycus. "Go and get Flitwick! Get him to open it, now!"
"But isn't your sister in there?" asked Professor McGonagall.
"Didn't Professor Flitwick let her in earlier this evening, at your urgent request? Perhaps she could open the door for you? Then you needn't wake up half the castle."
"She ain't answering, you old besom! You open it! Garn damnit! Do it, now!"
"Certainly, if you wish it," she replied with awful coldness, very offended at being spoken to in such a way, particularly by such a loathsome person.
There followed the sound of a light tapping and Howard again asked his riddle: "Where do Vanished Objects go?"
"Into nonbeing, which is to say, everything," replied Professor McGonagall.
"Nicely phrased," said the painting as it slid to the side. A moment later the door behind it opened.
The few Ravenclaws who had remained behind sprinted for their stairs as Amycus burst over the threshold, brandishing his wand.
Hunched like his sister, he had a pallid, doughy face and tiny eyes, which fell at once on Alecto, sprawled motionless on the floor. He let out a yell of fury and fear.
"WHAT HAVE THEY DONE!" he screamed. "I'll torture all the whelps in this damned tower till they tell me who did it! Oh HELL! What's the Dark Lord going to say!?" he shrieked as he stood over his sister smacking himself on the forehead with his fist. "We haven't got him, and they've gorn and kill't her!"
The stately Professor McGonagall had moved more sedately as she entered the Ravenclaw common room behind Amycus, her graying red hair in its usual neat bun atop her head. Her green robs swished softly as she moved and though her pale wrinkled face had a cold expression, a flicker of pleasure was seen dancing across it by those hidden when her eyes came to rest on the dead witch before melting into a look of worry. Minerva McGonagall had not liked Alecto Carrow anymore than the Ravenclaw students had and she was just as worried as they were about the possible consequences.
The elderly woman knelt next to Alecto's body.
"Perhaps it was a simple accident. Books sometimes slip from ones hands and fall, after all."
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"Don't be a daft idiot, woman. Neither she nor the book are anywhere near the shelves and my sister wasn't such a fool as ta levitate books above her head and drop'em!" shouted Amycus. "This is Potters doing for sure and I bet one of the whelps around here helped him. But that's the least of our worries. The Dark Lord's come'n, she sent for him, I felt me Mark burn, and he thinks we've got Potter! He'll 'ave all our heads when he arrives an sees we don't."
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"'Got Potter'?" said Professor McGonagall sharply. "What do you mean, 'got Potter'?"
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"He told us Potter might try and get inside Ravenclaw Tower, and to send for him if we caught him!"
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"Why would Harry Potter try to get inside Ravenclaw Tower? Potter belongs in my House!"
Beneath the disbelief and anger, Harry heard a little strain of pride in her voice, and affection for Minerva McGonagall gushed up inside him. The other two listening Gryffindors, Ron and Hermione, and the lone Ravenclaw, Cho, were also pleased that McGonagall was still on their side.
"We was told he might come here!" said Amycus. "I dunno why, do I?"
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Professor McGonaGall Stood up and her beady hazel eyes swept the room. Twice they passed over the area where Harry, Ron, Cho, and Hermione hid.
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"We can push it off on the kids," said the remaining Carrow sibling, his pig-like face suddenly crafty.
"Yeah, that's what we'll do. We'll say Alecto was ambushed by the kids, them kids up there," he looked up at the starry ceiling toward the dormitories, "and we'll say they forced her to press her Mark, and that's why he got a false alarm… He can punish them. Couple of kids more or less, what's the difference?"
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"Only the difference between truth and lies, courage and cowardice," said Professor McGonagall, who had become even more pale than was her usual, "a difference, in short, which you and your sister seem can never appreciate. But let me make one thing very clear. You are not going to pass off your many ineptitudes on the students of Hogwarts. I shall not permit it."
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"Excuse me?" Amycus said, his tone dangerous.
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"Stupefy!"
The cruel wizard had just turned threateningly toward McGonagall when her sudden spell struck him and he crumpled to the floor, unconscious.
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Harry pulled off the Cloak and got out from under the table, the other three following.
"You shouldn't have done that." he said. "You'll be in trouble now when Voldemort arrives."
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"Lighten up, Harry," said Ron, "the evil snake deserved it. Anyway, I think it was bloody brilliant."
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Cho grinned, her dark eyes dancing, "Professor, I didn't know you had it in you."
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"We've caught him," said Hermione, "but what do we do with him now?" Her words instantly turning the other two's glee into worry.
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"Potter!" McGonagall whispered in shock, clutching her heart. "Potter… you're here! What…? How…?" she stuttered, struggling to pull herself together.
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"Tch, that hardly matters now." Ciel said as he and Sebastian seemingly materialized out of nowhere on the other side of the room and walked over to join them. "I know exactly what we should do with the Carrow's, there is no need for further concern."
He stopped and bowed respectfully to Professor Mcgonagall once he arrived at Harry's side, Sebastian, however, just strolled past them all and went to Amycus's helpless figure.
"Madam," said Ciel, "It is an honor to meet a lady of such noble spirit. You do credit to your profession. I am the Earl of Phantomhive, Ciel Phantomhive."
He straightened up and gestured to where his servant knelt by the unconscious wizard.
"That is my butler, Sebastian Michaelis."
Sebastian turned his head and gave her a polite nod.
"Madam."
The butler then finished tucking Amycus's confiscated wand up his sleeve and lifted the insensate man on to his shoulder, before standing. He then promptly turned and headed toward the body of Alecto.
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"Potter, just what is going on here?" McGonagall demanded. "You shouldn't be here! Don't you know how dangerous it is? And who are these two persons and what is that man doing with Carrow's?" This last was said while waving a hand over to where the butler stood. The dead witch's body now draped over his other shoulder.
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"Calm down Professor." said Harry. "Listen, before his death Dumbledore gave me an important mission. He'd found out about Voldemort's real name, Tom Marvolo Riddle, and about his greatest weaknesses. Voldemort used dark magic to enchant some special items. The only way to beat him is to destroy all those items and then him. One of them is hidden here at Hogwarts and I was hoping to find a clue to it here in Ravenclaw Tower. The trouble is that those items, Horcuxes, aren't easy to destroy. There's not many things that can manage it; but somehow Ciel Phantomhive can and he's agreed to help. His butler came along because he likes to follow his master and wanted to keep an eye on us."
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At that moment, Hermione happened to be watching the little Earl's butler. She'd been wondering what he intended to do with the Carrows. While Harry had been explaining things to McGonagall, she'd been keeping an eye on Sebastian. She watched him gracefully walk as if the weight of carrying two grown adults was nothing to him. A fact which should have surprised her, yet didn't; not after all she'd seen.
It was only as she saw him stroll up to one of the windows and unlatch it that his intention sunk in.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" she shrieked, drawing everyone's attention first to herself and secondly to the black-clad butler.
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Ignoring her and the others hurrying over, Sebastian pushed the male Carrow out the very very high window and then dropped the sister's body out after him.
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(To Be Continued…)
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HAPPY THANKSGIVING & MARRY CHRISTMAS & HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR!
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Just in case I don't get the next chapters up in time for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Years. Hay, I'm slow and lazy and stuff happens so it's a real possibility.
I've managed to keep up the story because of all your encouraging support and Reviews.
So if you like what you've read let me know, and if you think of something that might help improve the chapter I'd like to hear that to. There were a few awkward spots I didn't know how to smooth out; so helpful advice is welcome.
Thanks for reading.
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November 22, 2013