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Risks, secrets and an unexpected news…
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"You think this is a good idea?" Matt asked as he stopped the car. They were in the same neighborhood that they had visited last week. He touched the ornament on the dashboard and it glowed for a moment before activating the wards on the car, making it unnoticeable for the muggles.
"We have to find out what is going on," Ann said. "No one is supposed to know who Bonnie Cohen is and yet there's a ward around her house. Are you sure it's placed there to protect her?"
Matt glanced at her with a 'really?' look before sighing. "I told you what I felt," he said. "And I trust my knowledge in wards to know, in confidence, that that ward is meant to protect her and not keep her imprisoned." Ann pressed her lips as she looked at the house in front of them. "So?" he said seeing she hadn't said anything. "What do we do now? We are here like you wanted. What do you have in mind?"
Ann said nothing. Matt saw her unlock the car door and raised a brow. "What are you doing?" he asked before she got out and began heading for the house. "Ann!" he called after her but she didn't listen. So he hurried after her. He grabbed her hand, stopping her before she could go any further. "What are you doing?" he asked.
"I am going to talk to her," she said.
"That's your plan?" asked Matt.
"We don't know who erected the ward," Ann said. "No one would do it unless they knew who she is and we won't get any answers just by spying on her. So it's better that we ask her directly. If we are lucky, we will meet her magical guardian."
"And what if something terrible happens?" Matt said.
"Then we'll fight and try to get out of here," Ann said.
Matt clenched his jaw as he looked at the house. The wand slipped into his hand from the wrist-holster that was hidden under his sleeve. "If we walk inside the ward, we won't be able to get out using apparition or portkey," he said. "I don't know if we will be able to leave it on foot either."
"But it has no restrictions on letting us in," Ann said. "If it did then we wouldn't have felt its presence last time."
"That is actually a great way to trap someone who's coming after you," Matt said. "Bring them inside the wards from where they can't get leave afterwards. And then they are nothing but easy targets for people on the inside."
"You think too much," Ann said as they stopped where the wards started from. She then looked at him. "Didn't we promise ourselves that we would always protect her? That's what we are here to do."
Matt sighed and looked at the house. It was quiet but that could be because the ward was preventing any sound from coming out of the place. "If something happens," he said slowly but in a very serious tone, "I want you to leave immediately. Don't worry about me. Don't wait for me. Just go."
Ann nodded, although hesitatingly. She knew how Matt got during situations like this. "So, shall we?" she said. He gave a curt nod and together they both stepped inside the ward.
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He had spent the whole week looking for it, but Draco couldn't find the missing diadem. What was worse, he hadn't told anyone in his group about Voldemort's order. If they somehow find out about it, then he would definitely be branded as a traitor and then the fate of his family and his own life will be left to Voldemort. Anyone could guess what would happen then.
However, even after knowing that, he still couldn't bring himself to tell others about the dark wizard's order for them. For some reason he thought that finding the diadem on his own would be better, simply because he wanted to destroy it.
Ever since the incident at Malfoy Manor where two of Voldemort's most precious things had gone missing, Draco had this idea that whoever had stolen them knew how to destroy them as well, otherwise there was no reason to go through all the trouble. If that person really knew how to destroy these things, then it meant that Voldemort could finally be defeated, for good this time. For that reason alone Draco had decided that he couldn't let the diadem go into the dark wizard's hands and instead, look for a way to destroy it.
He knew that there was no future living under Voldemort's rule. There would be no freedom, only fear and he didn't want that life – not for himself or for his family. Maybe that is why he had decided to take this risk.
Being part of the Inquisitorial Squad, whenever Draco was given the patrolling duties during the curfew hours, he would spend that time looking for the diadem. However, one week had passed and he had no luck finding it. He tried reading about it, hoping to find something useful that would help him find it. But other than the fact that the diadem was inherited by Ravenclaw's daughter, Draco found nothing on the thing.
Helena Ravenclaw, Rowena Ravenclaw's daughter, was said to have inherited her mother's diadem. However, no one really knew if she actually got it. Some said that the diadem was lost before its inheritance while some said that Helena herself had hidden it somewhere in Hogwarts. No one really knew where it was, no one except Helena herself. Her ghost used to roam around the castle but since last decade no one had actually seen her. It made Draco wonder whether she had left Hogwarts. He couldn't know for sure until he tried looking for her. It shouldn't be that hard, he thought. Other ghosts should know about her location.
As he thought that, Draco's mind went immediately to Bloody Baron, the ghost that lived in the Slytherin tower and was the one responsible for Helena's death. He might know her location. But approaching him wasn't easy. That man was as hot-tempered in his death as he was in his living life.
Draco saw no other choice though. Finding Helena's ghost was the only thing he could do as she was the only one who could tell him where the diadem was. Otherwise all the risks that he had taken would be for nothing.
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The student crowd was gathered under the clock tower, watching Umbridge storm down at Trelawney for being an incompetent good-for-nothing professor who was wasting both – the students' time and Hogwarts' resources by teaching there. Just yesterday the inquisitor had personally audited all the faculties at the school and rumors were that she was not impressed by any of them, even McGonagall. And today someone said that she was going to fire Trelawney so when the students heard Umbridge's screeching voice coming from under the clock tower, they had all hurried over to see what was going on.
Luckily, Dumbledore had arrived on time, just before she could fire the divination professor and had de-escalated the situation by shifting Umbridge's undivided attention on him. The inquisitor accused him of being incompetent, bringing up the fact how he had barely been at Hogwarts this term. She threatened to report him to the Education Board and have his position as the headmaster sacked. Dumbledore retaliated with nothing. He just stood there, listening to Umbridge's rant while McGonagall took a crying Trelawney inside.
Harry walked away from the commotion, as soon as Dumbledore had arrived. He knew the headmaster wouldn't let any harm come to the divination professor. He trusted the man to do that much, since Trelawney was someone who Voldemort desperately wanted to get his hands on. But that was before, when the dark wizard didn't know the complete prophecy. Dumbledore didn't know that. Also, Voldemort knowing the full prophecy didn't mean Trelawney was out of danger. There was a possibility that he could still come after her and torture her to foretell the prophecy in a more specific way – like who was actually going to live at the end. It wasn't possible because Harry knew that seers never saw a clear future. They only got glimpses of it and that is why their foretelling was so vague. Also, they forgot about the prophecies as soon as they had spoken about them. However, that wouldn't stop Voldemort from torturing the poor professor.
He knew that after today's commotion Umbridge wouldn't be in a good mood. She will rain down her anger on the students so Harry decided to lay low, hoping to not attract her attention. He attended the classes and then went to serve detention in her office. Luckily, after the morning events Umbridge wasn't in Hogwarts for the whole day. She returned during the evening when he was in her office serving his detention. When Umbridge walked into the office she looked pale and had an expressionless look on her face, causing Harry to think what had happened to her.
She didn't even notice him and went straight into her quarters and didn't come out. As time for the curfew got near Harry wondered if she was alright but then decided to ignore the woman. Being concerned for her was the last thing he wanted to do.
As usual, a few minutes before the curfew was to start, a sixth year Slytherin – who was also the member of the Inquisitorial Squad – walked into the office and told him that it was time to go. Harry collected his belongings and stood up. He then glanced at the door that lead to Umbridge's quarters before leaving the office with the Slytherin.
Walking into the common room he saw students talking to each other looking all worried and scared.
"What's going on," Harry asked when he saw Neville coming his way.
The boy simply handed him a copy of the Prophet's evening edition and his eyes widened in surprise as he read the headline.
'You-know-who is alive!'
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Thanks for reading…
