Chapter 8 It's in the Blood

Ron held the snitch out to Harry and Hermione.

"Don't you agree? It's too light to be a paperweight. It seems out of place."

They all began talking at once. Ron said, "No, it can't be." Hermione said, "You don't think he…" Harry said, "Flesh memories."

As Harry reached for the snitch, the wings extended and flapped, the movement so quick the wings became indiscernible. Ron lost his grip, and the snitch bobbed and wove around the office in a golden blur.

Harry shouted, "Quick, someone shut the door!"

Hermione spun into action, whipping her wand and directing it towards the office door, which slammed shut seconds before the snitch had time to escape. It bounced off the closed door, whipping and spinning in a drunken motion.

"Accio snitch," Harry directed with his wand, but the snitch continued to dart around the room as if looking for another exit. "That stupid summoning charm never works!" Harry complained.

The trio tried charms and spells, including arresto momentum and immobulus, but it continued to zip around the room. If anything, it gained speed, instead of slowing.

"Harry, I should have given you more credit for catching the snitch in your quidditch matches. This is impossible!" Hermione cried, blowing hair away from her face.

"Right Hermione!" Harry said, placing his wand on the worktable. "I've never used magic to catch it before, although you'd think it would be easier to catch in such a small area."

Harry dodged and lunged, trying his best to catch it with his bare hands. He collided once with Ron and went skidding across the floor. He pounded the floor in frustration. There had to be an easier way.

"I have an idea!" Harry said as he snapped his finger. He shook off his jacket and held it like a bullfighter with a cape. As the snitch moved closer, he cast the jacket over the snitch. Caught within the folds of the jacket, it tried to whirl away, but the weight of the material pushed it to the floor. Harry threw himself on the jacket to hold it in place and carefully reached underneath to grasp the golden ball and pull it out.

The snitch opened immediately. A triumphant Harry pushed up his glasses and pulled out a small measure of folded paper, which he spread flat on Teddy's worktable for them all to read. It said:

If you find this at the bottom of your cup, you are doomed.

If your knees creak and your skin is wrinkled.

This is the place to find what you seek.

"He couldn't have simply told us?" Ron deadpanned.

Hermione read the clue again, "Bottom of your cup?"

"Grim," Harry said. "I had a sign of the Grim in my cup. Remember? Old Mrs. Trelawney told me every time I saw her that I was doomed."

"Oh, of course! Knees creak and skin wrinkled must mean old. Grim Old." Hermione replied.

Ron snapped his fingers, "Grimmauld Place!"

"Grimmauld Place. This is the place to find what you seek. He wants us to meet him there, but why all the secrecy?" Harry asked.

Ron shrugged. "I guess we have to find out, don't we?"

Hermione collapsed into Teddy's office chair. "Something is disturbing about this."

"I agree. Why did he feel the need to do this cloak and dagger stuff? Something is wrong," Harry replied, putting on his jacket.

"I think Teddy's in some sort of trouble. Serious trouble. He obviously doesn't want anyone to know where he is, so we'd better be careful," Hermione suggested.

"Right. Until we know what sort of trouble Teddy's in, we need to act like nothing happened. If we do anything unusual, then it might tip off whoever it is Teddy is hiding from," Harry added. "Maybe you can take Hugh and Rose out for dinner to make it look like a special visit for a birthday or something. I'll go home and wait to leave for Grimmauld in the morning at the time I usually go to work."

"Good idea," replied Ron. He looked at Hermione and said, "I could use a little dinner, anyway."

They left Teddy's office, heading in different directions. Harry quickly made it to the school entrance and, lost in thought, he headed down the sidewalk towards the gate. Harry hated to disapparate, but it was the quickest form of transportation. He wanted to get home and tell Ginny about what they found and see what she thought about the day's events.

His shoulder lightly grazed a woman who was walking with her head down towards the school.

"Excuse me," Harry said politely. The woman was small and dressed in a long black cloak with her hood pulled up to cover her face. Several long silken blond hairs had snuck out and were waving in the breeze as she walked. There was something familiar about the color…

She thrust her hood back and touched her wand between Harry's eyebrows. He froze, forced to watch helplessly as she muttered her incantation. Blinded by a pulsating light, visible only by him, growing brighter and brighter until all was dark.