Severus Snape entered the emergency discussion room, dumping himself on a chair wearily. The Order of the Phoenix had reconvened, for some reason, and he was honestly far too tired to care. He was not a slacker, however, so he pulled himself up and waited the inevitable five minutes it would take Dumbledore to get there.
Five minutes later, Dumbledore looked gravely at his followers. "We have reconvened today," he began grandly, "to speak of a great danger on our horizon. An anonymous source has informed me of certain events none of us were aware of that occurred before Voldemort's death."
There was muttering in the crowd which was quickly silenced with a wave of Dumbledore's wrinkled hand. "I shall read to you all the message I was sent. It is written in veritaserum," which meant, in Dumbledore, that it must be true, "but is very vague. I would appreciate absolute silence."
The sounds were muffled, and they listened as Dumbledore read the message.
"In house of little whinging, did one find his beginning. Means upon which you depend have come to abrupt end. I implore you, folk of phoenix, to find my deeper meanings.
Split in five was the whole, hidden in things proud and bold.
Defying death, with these, he lives; a new life his vessel gives.
We start first with Hogwarts four, we managed three, save Gryffindor.
With no fear the great sword cries, desperate to let his siblings lie.
Hufflepuff lies underground, In Lestrange's vault, safe and sound;
Slytherin lies in 12 Grimmauld, in hands of elf haunted by master's calls;
Ravenclaw, in Hogwarts, makes not a sound; with help of elf, it can be found.
Ghost of water cries and moans, desperate to have her hauntings known.
Beneath her floors, a weapon lies; take his teeth, and three will die.
Once three are gone, two remain; Ring and Diary must be slain.
In house of Gaunt lies great temptation; destroy the ring and its implications.
In house of Malfoy sleeps ink and page; subject it to unbridled rage.
All are gone once five are taken; Dark Lord will never again awaken.
Seek me not; my tracks are covered. Where I lean you oughtn't be bothered.
Heed my advice, and the war will be over. I leave you with just a few words to cover;
In year and nineteen, ninety one, a new life has just begun.
He speaks of one who died alone; he brings knowledge not his own.
Fear him, for he knows your wrongs, and if with death your life belongs.
Of cloak and stone and wand he is; forget the boy; hope lies with him.
May phoenix fly. For now - goodbye."
The letter was folded, and Dumbledore watched serenely as whispers inevitably leaped up from the silence. Finally, someone asked, "What are these things this upstart wants us to destroy? And who is this informant anyway?"
"Our informant, as I stated before," Dumbledore replied, "Is anonymous and untraceable. However, I am inclined to believe that his words imply a truly dark magic Voldemort performed to keep himself from death just a little longer."
"So you-know-who lives?" Another asked fearfully.
Dumbledore nodded slowly. "If I am correct, he used horcruxes. A forbidden, dark magic that splits the soul. While I was unaware more than one horcrux could be made, there are no other magics that match the descriptions in the letter."
"But that means that someone made horcruxes out of long-lost Hogwarts treasures!" Someone cried, scandalized. Dumbledore merely hung his head, in the way he did when he wanted to make clear he was as upset as they without losing composure.
"I believe that we can identify a few of these items," Dumbledore announced, as if nobody had done it already. "The three of the houses must represent the house treasures - the Hufflepuff cup, the Ravenclaw Diadem, and the Slytherin Locket. Our problem is identifying the ring and the diary."
"If I may," Severus finally spoke up. "Lucius Malfoy was asked by Voldemort himself to protect a particular tome during his reign. I did not take note of it because it held no knowledge; it was, indeed, blank."
"Then perhaps that is the diary," Dumbledore mused. "We will see. Now, as far as the ring…"
Severus settled in for a long meeting.
"FATHER!"
Lucius Malfoy groaned into his hands automatically. He thought he'd managed to stamp out this excitable, schoolgirl-esque side of his son already…
Draco Malfoy ignored this entirely as he hopped down the stairs in one leap and jumped into his seat. "Father, I met him!"
"Him who?" Lucius asked reasonably, contemplating asking the elves for a firewhiskey.
"The man I'm going to marry!"
Lucius spat out the piece of meat he was going to eat. "WHAT?"
"He's the most amazing person I've ever met!" Draco squealed. God, that was undignified. Did he need to lock the boy in his room for the first time since he was five? "His name's Orpheus, and he's gorgeous, Father, and so very sweet and kind. He's got this smile that could make the iciest heart melt, Father, and his eyes are this beautiful emerald green, just like gemstones! Oh, and-"
"Silence," Lucius hissed.
"-so of course, Orpheus reads them just like that, bang, he knows what to do to win them over! He's just like, hi, I'm Orpheus, let me befriend you in a matter of seconds! And he's brilliant, so wise and smart, and-"
"SILENCE," Lucius roared.
"-I didn't believe Daph when she said I was going to love him, but she was right, he's just so-"
It was time to seek aid from higher powers.
"NARCISSA!"
Narcissa listened amicably as her son rambled on about what sounded like the next coming of Merlin wrapped in a frail, delicate boy with the face of a porcelain doll. Lucius really panicked far too much. Sometimes you just need to let people talk.
"So that's why I'm going to marry him," Draco finished. Ah, Narcissa thought. That's why Lucius panicked.
"Draco, dear," Narcissa soothed, "he sounds wonderful, but you haven't actually mentioned his name, or even who his family is. Now that we know what a wonderful boy he is, do tell about exactly who he is."
Draco paused. "Oh. Orpheus Greengrass. You didn't know?"
"I'm afraid not," Narcissa admitted, on high alert. "Who is Orpheus Greengrass?"
"Daph's adopted brother. They blood-adopted him last week," Draco clarified. "They've accepted him as the Greengrass heir. Daph invited me over to introduce me."
Ah.
Ah.
"Then he is, of course, a pureblood?" Narcissa inquired. "How lovely."
Draco shrugged. "Well, yeah. I guess he is. Oh! And he said that if he was well enough to go to Hogwarts this year, he'd join me in my compartment! Isn't that awesome?" Draco glowed, smiling in awe just as he did when he was still very young. Narcissa acknowledged it with a gentle smile. As long as Draco didn't destroy any chance of a connection with the Greengrass heir, she was perfectly willing to allow this crush of his to continue. It was unlikely his feelings would be returned, but… this was definitely something she could play to her advantage.
"He sounds wonderful, dear. You behaved well in his presence?" She inquired gently, gauging his reaction.
Draco blushed up to the roots of his hair. "Um. I tried, but… well… I just couldn't get any words out," he managed, cringing.
"I see," Narcissa mused.
"I must've looked a proper fool, Mum!" Draco wailed. "He probably hates me! He'll never want to talk to me again-"
"Calm down, Draco," Narcissa soothed. "I'll instruct you. We will have you charming him easily," she smiled. Draco took a deep breath, and she allowed herself a silent cheer as she spotted the determination in his eyes.
"When do we start, mother?"
"So Orphie," Astoria smirked, "which of Daph's friends did you like most?"
Daphne cringes as Orpheus delicately put down his cup. He would, of course, humour his little sister. "They're all lovely," he replied easily. "Neville seems particularly shy, but I'm sure he'll quickly find his comfort zone. Mandy seems a bit bossy, but she's got a good heart. And Susan is very honest," he mused. "And Draco was nice."
Daphne noted that he seemed a little sad. "Draco is a very private person, Orphie," she commented. "He may not have revealed much."
Orpheus seemed to slump in his seat. Shrugging, he chugged his nutrient potions and paused to swallow the foul drinks down. "I… I realized. I just kind of wish I…" he averted his gaze. "I don't think he likes me very much. I probably look like…" he shifted again, looking down at his plate. "I wish I knew, so I could change it."
"Don't be silly, Orphie," Daphne rolled her eyes. "Draco loves you."
Orpheus froze. "He does?"
Astoria nodded irritably. "He adores you, Orphie," Astoria complained. "Why can't he like me?"
"I guess he doesn't like dolls very much," Orpheus offered. "But you mean it about him… liking me?" He inquired hopefully.
"Orpheus," Daphne gave him a pointed look, "he's besotted. He won't stop talking about you to me, and I'm your sister! You'll have to defend yourself from him at Hogwarts."
"Mmm…I guess, I mean, yeah, I will," Orpheus hurried to correct himself, but the damage was already done. Astoria stared at him. Daphne raised her eyebrow. Their parents, chatting in quiet undertones only a seat away, stopped.
"Not another one," Daphne groaned.
"We need to find Orpheus a girlfriend, Mum," Astoria hissed fearfully. "Before he steals Drakie."
Helen, always the level-headed one, replied, "Astoria. All's fair in love and war. Draco will choose whichever one of you he prefers."
Paris rolled his eyes. "If you marry him, Orpheus, Draco is taking the Greengrass name."
"He wouldn't have thought that far ahead," Daphne breathed hopefully. She glanced at Orpheus, who was blushing madly.
"I was thinking Greengrass-Malfoy sounded good," he murmured.
Harry gripped his mother's hand as they flooed into Diagon Alley. Stepping away from the fireplace in the pub, they quickly made their way outside and into the street, where Helen stopped to pluck through some coin and hand a small pouch to Harry.
"Here, Orpheus," she pushed it gently into his hand. "You're mature enough that I trust you to buy the right things with that. Make sure to get a wand and everything on the Hogwarts list." Harry shot her a proud smile and took the pouch in hand, quickly running over what he needed in his head.
His purchases went quickly. It was fairly easy to recall what he'd bought the first time around, so he found it easy to get from place to place. He bought a featherlight trunk while he had the time, quickly storing his purchases and reminding himself to sort them later.
Harry hovered at the door of Ollivanders. He had the Elder wand; he didn't technically need another. He did, however, have mixed feelings over his original wand.
Should he go in, and get the wand he'd used all his life? The one that, in the end, cast both the Patronus that saved his life and the Sectumsempra that nearly ended Draco's? Shaking his head of the terrible memory, he decided against getting it again.
He continued to hover, recalling suddenly that Neville would be going to Hogwarts with his father's wand. His own wand had inevitably given Neville tons of confidence when his spells began working. While he didn't know Neville so well, he felt it would be wrong not to try and push man and wand together.
He entered Ollivanders.
"Here for your wand?" Ollivander asked kindly, adjusting his glasses. Harry shook his head, walking up to the desk and clearing his throat.
"Can I ask you a strange favour, Mr. Ollivander?" Harry inquired softly. Ollivander raised his eyebrow but nodded slowly, allowing Harry to continue. "My friend… his guardian doesn't want him to get his own wand. She wants him to use his Dad's wand, but he's a completely different person. He doesn't work well with his Dad's wand. I did some research and I know a kind of wand that would work well for him. I was thinking, if his guardian saw how well he did with another wand, she might allow him to use it instead."
Ollivander nodded solemnly. "Alright. What sort of wand did your research come up with?"
"Cherry wood, unicorn hair, somewhere around thirteen inches," Harry recalled. "I'll pay double, and if it doesn't produce results I'll return it without refund, Mr. Ollivander."
Ollivander's eyes went soft. "I can see this means a lot to you. Alright - allow me to see if I have such a wand in stock." He walked quickly into his storerooms, and Harry reached into his bag for the fourteen plus Galleons he'd need to buy the wand.
Exchange made, he continued, "Oh, and Mr. Ollivander?" he put another seven galleons down. "For my own wand. I've already got it; it simply arrived one day and refused to leave." Chuckling, Harry left, leaving a rather perplexed Ollivander behind.
Having finished early, Harry browsed. He first stopped outside Quality Quidditch Supplies to stare longingly at his old Nimbus, then at the Magical Menagerie. As he walked by, Hedwig went mad, desperately clawing at her cage to get to him, and he decided to free her of her misery. Unlocking the cage, she landed solidly on his shoulder and refused to leave, forcing him to pay fifteen galleons for her. He privately wondered if Helen would buy the story or believe he'd bought Hedwig on a whim, and decided it was unimportant.
"Well, Hedwig," he murmured, rubbing her chin, "want to help me find a nice gift for Draco? I wonder what he'd like. We didn't talk much before, and it needs to be perfect…" he mused idly. Hedwig nipped his ear and poked her beak out deliberately, leaning towards another direction.
Harry took the hint and followed her directions. She showed him into a side alley and finally took off, landing gently on the shoulder of a street vendor who blinked at her in surprise.
"Wha- oi, youngster, yer bird's on me shoulder," he called as Harry approached.
"Yes, she is, isn't she?" Harry agreed amicably. "Thank you, Hedwig." he held out his arm, and with a pleased hoot she landed once more on his shoulder, ignoring his arm and nipping his ear affectionately.
"Yer bird's a smart one, pretty too," the vendor complimented them. "Lookin' fer somethin' I can make fer ya?"
"I am a bit curious," Harry admitted. "What do you sell?" He glanced around at the empty stall and dusty worktable.
"I sell magical items," he said proudly. "Ye' hold out the tip of yer wand, see, and then I make it into a magical item. Mostly necklaces, bracelets, ear cuffs, earrings… anything ye' can wear or carry." He snapped, and a gemlike pocketwatch flew into his hand. "Like this, see?"
Harry studied it carefully. It was indeed a beautiful object, and he couldn't quite place the material. "What is it made of?"
"Magic," the vendor replied.
Harry raised an eyebrow. "Pure magic?"
"Pure magic," the vendor confirmed. "I jes' shape it an' use it to cast any charms ye' want. So, what'll it be?" Harry returned the pocketwatch and considered, for a bit, what he could have done.
A necklace would be pretty, but might be used to choke. Not really practical. As he recalled, Draco didn't have piercings for earrings, and bracelets might obstruct magic sent to the wand. Pocket watches were a bit too clunky…
"What are ear cuffs?" Harry inquired. The vendor replied by handing him a collection of small magical objects which he turned over in his hands.
"They clip automatic'ly to yer ears," the vendor explained. "Like earrings, but without piercings."
Harry nodded. "An ear cuff, then."
"Any specifications?" The vendor inquired, taking back the piercings. "I can do jes' about anything, long as there's magic for it."
Harry smiled as an idea formed. "A dragon motif," he requested, grabbing his wand, "and some other standard charms. Can you do anything against Legilimency?"
"Jes' some minor charms," the vendor replied, deciding not to ask questions. "Won't defend against a legilimens with eye contact." Harry nodded.
"That's good enough. And any other defensive charms you can think of…" Harry mused. "So I just let magic flow out of my wand?"
He got a firm nod in reply. "Jes' like yer doin' there. It'll take around fifteen minutes, keep still as ye' can."
Harry took a steady breath and let magic flow. It was a bit eerie, but his natural magic was the same colour as his eyes, a bright emerald-green. The man used his own wand to cast a variety of spells, and from there he used his hands to shape and form the ear cuff.
The finished product was indeed beautiful. Its base was emerald, but its eyes were embedded with a stormy grey pair of magic 'gems' (as requested, halfway through, by Harry) and its hooked tail was tinted with a deep blue. The wings transitioned from emerald green to a deep black at the tips. Satisfied, Harry payed the surprisingly small fee and left for Fortescue's to wait for Helen.
Harry whistled back his familiar, a crow he'd managed to reach out to magically. Corvus cawed in recognition and returned to his outstretched arm, landing on Harry's spindly limb gently and shuffling up towards Harry's shoulders, which were slightly better equipped to manage Corvus's weight. He rubbed Corvus's chin and handed the crow a letter. "Get this to Draco for me, yeah?" Harry requested, offering Corvus a small treat. The kitchens were, thankfully, well-supplied and he was able to make a strange, fruity thing that Corvus, at least, liked.
Another caw, and Corvus was off, the rolled-up letter in a tight grip in his claws. Watching him go, Harry sighed happily and closed the window, returning to his bed and flopping into it.
He idly summoned a book and continued reading. He wanted to be prepared if he was supposed to defeat the Dark Lord. He'd let so many people die just because he wasn't prepared…
A/N: It is my personal belief that we simply don't give Neville enough credit or attention, and that his relationship with his Gran is harmful. He does not get a new wand until his father breaks, which in my opinion is ridiculous. It's almost like dressing up your grandkid as if they were your kid and judging them as if they were their parents. That Neville braved such an unhealthy situation is incredible.
I may have a personal bias towards ear cuffs. Do look them up. And apologies if I sound too OOC using ear cuffs as part of the story.
[This is the last preview chapter. Please read, review, and follow; more chapters will follow once my other projects are complete.]