Chapter 19

After the night he'd had, reliving his nightmares of a crumbling Hogwarts, Harry had figured a hot shower would help him relax and he'd been right. He stepped out of his private bathroom with a towel wrapped around his hips, sighing with pleasure at the relief he felt having uncovered the existence of the founder's secret rooms. If the ones in Hufflepuff had a homey feel, Ravenclaw's had felt like a moonlit sky scattered with puffy white clouds; refreshing and inspirational with a hint of comfort. He smiled to himself as he relived Luna's introduction to the rooms.

They walked down the hall openly while Luna smiled at everyone, greeting them all as if they were her best friends. When they reached the door to the Ravenclaw common room, she turned to him for his password and several people noted that he whispered to the door-knocker rather than answering a riddle but nobody said anything because the door opened promptly and Luna took his hand, quickly leading him toward the statue standing in the corner.

Harry looked at the statue of his ancestor and noticed that she was facing west so he turned to face that way too and smiled. Of course it was a bookcase. As he walked over to it, he realized he had drawn an audience so he smiled and nodded a greeting to Cho Chang and her friends but didn't spend much time thinking about them as he was concentrating on figuring out how to open the door.

"Hello, Lord Potter!" Professor Flitwick joined the group of onlookers. "I hardly expected to find you here after you missed class this afternoon."

"Hello, Professor." Harry replied politely as he ran his fingertips over the bookcase's edges. "I truly am sorry about that. Malfoy and I were deeply engrossed in planning for our shared classes."

"Understandable and I may have excused you for simply being tardy but since you did not arrive until the last five minutes of class..." Flitwick paused since Harry didn't stop what he was doing. "May I ask what you're doing?"

"You may certainly ask, Professor. I'm searching the common room for the entrance to Rowena Ravenclaw's personal quarters." Harry said offhand, concentrating on feeling for a splinter in the molding of the wall or some other kind of trigger but then he spotted a book about an unkindness of ravens and asked his cousin about it. Luna mentioned the trivia that that's what a group of ravens are called and Harry laughed at the irony.

The diminutive professor blinked rapidly at Harry in confusion. "The founders didn't have personal quarters here in the castle, Lord Potter. You must be mistaken."

"Please excuse me for being presumptuous, then, Professor ...but I have a theory..." Harry interrupted, chuckling as he triggered a secret door by lifting the book. An ancient mechanism could be heard as a panel shifted to allow passage into a steep spiral stairwell. "Perhaps you'd like to join us?"

Professor Flitwick did indeed follow Harry and Luna up the stairs, marveling all the way.

Luna's eyes sparkled as she turned to Harry and giggled. "This is wonderful, Harry! Just look at the treasures this study holds!"

"My, my, Lord Potter!" Flitwick murmured in amazement. "An eight book carousel! In such good condition!"

While half of the room was lined with dark wood colored bookcases, a couple of old musical instruments sat atop a unique set of floating shelves that were scattered white against an indigo wall.

"There's a second level!" Luna cried, hurrying to pull the hidden staircase from the wall by a string.

Harry tried not to show his surprise but, when the shelves split into steps without disturbing the books, it was difficult.

The second floor held a telescope and a large table with star charts along with an awe inspiring mural of Raven's Roost. As the group watched, a young woman swam in the water with a beautiful creature that Harry and Luna knew was Nessie the hippocampus.

"What do you think is behind this curtain, Luna?" Harry asked as he approached it slowly to give her time to make a guess. "Another room?"

"It could be anything!" She giggled. "An alcove with more books? A wall of windows to make stargazing easier?"

Harry pulled the fabric back to reveal a bedroom with an elegant canopy bed set against the wall with a matching nightstand. A family portrait hung above a delicate writing table and Harry walked silently over to look closer. A woman in her thirties stood behind two children; a girl sitting in a chair and a young boy at her feet.

"That's Lady Ravenclaw." Professor Flitwick said gently. "Those are her children with her."

"Yes. That was before." A ghostly voice sounded before its owner entered the room.

Luna greeted the Grey Lady. "Hello, Aunt Helena."

"Luna." The lovely ghost smiled at her.

"This is Harry!" Luna grinned at her. "He's..."

"I know who he is, Luna." Helena said softly as she eyed him.

Harry looked up at her sadly. "Do you?"

"Lord Potter, Luna, curfew is almost upon us." Flitwick told them regretfully. "I'm sorry, but if you want to explore more it'll have to be done at another time."

Harry graciously agreed to leave but offered welcoming words to Helena. "If you'd like to visit my suite, I'd be happy to see you there."

She seemed to nod as she faded leaving Flitwick to oversee Harry and Luna's exit as well as the subsequent sealing of her mother's quarters.

Finally dressed and ready for the day, Harry went out to the sitting room and into his office where he'd last seen the beautiful ghost.

It hadn't surprised Harry when Helena came to the suite around midnight. When he mentioned the walls of his office and the glass cases, she had rushed to look at them and explained that each of the founders had left a single possession that they felt symbolized their house. Those items were supposed to remain in the castle, on display in the great hall... forever. She didn't know what had happened but the items had disappeared, becoming lost to time. She told him very seriously that the presence of the cases in his quarters meant that it was his job to find the items and return them to the castle. Knowing that the hat's prophecy included him and the pieces of a puzzle... he agreed and told her so.

Sighing, he contemplated the glass cases again. He recalled seeing things displayed in such a way before. The trophy room had several sets of swords and most of them were in horizontal racks but one or two had shield shaped plaques. The Sword of Gryffindor belonged in this case. He could feel it.

The other three cases made him curious though, as he'd never heard of the other founders having relics. Helena had said that her mother's object was an enchanted diadem. He'd have to talk to the other ghosts or his cousins to find out what objects he was looking for.

In the old days, he would ask Hermione or Dumbledore about it. Now, of course, he'd be hesitant to ask anyone, but he'd written to his solicitor last night and hopefully he wouldn't have to ask.

Breakfast was delicious and relatively uneventful but Hermione glared at him the whole time until they left for the first class of the day. Defense Against the Dark Arts was sure to be interesting. He was curious to see what Snape would do with a lord as a student. He was also dying to know how he'd react to seeing Draco's new relationship with Harry.

Draco and his fellow Slytherins arrived just in time for class and by unspoken agreement they didn't pretend to dither, simply sitting at Draco's usual table to wait.

As opposed to Snape's first entrance to potions class, he came in without any fanfare or theatrics and used a stern tone to remind them that their education in this area had been very inconsistent. To counter that, the first month would be spent by going over what they should have learned in previous years but, it was what happened next that truly surprised Harry. Not only did Snape use Harry's title without prompting, but he called on Harry in class, gave him time to answer and allowed him to explain that answer. Ok, so maybe he hadn't given Harry points but the rest was a real step up from the man's past behavior... After all, he hadn't removed any points either.

After class, a clearly tired Malfoy took off to do his own thing with barely a word to Harry who went to lunch with an internal shrug even though what he wanted was to ask Draco about Snape's actions. While at lunch, Hedwig dropped in with a letter for him which turned out to be an answer from his solicitor but he didn't want to open it in public so he slipped it into the pocket of his rucksack and finished eating.

Hagrid greeted the fifth year Care of Magical Creatures class and told them that they would pick a different partner for each creature this year. Then he led them to a makeshift corral in the dirt field a short distance from his hut.

Currently it contained the first creature they'd be learning about - fire-crabs. The students would be expected to observe and sketch them over the class period and then they would need to meet with their partner several times over a month to groom them and label the anatomy of their sketched fire-crab.

Harry looked at his classmates and noticed that Susan Bones was among them. He walked over and murmured an invitation.

"I'd love to, Lord Potter." Susan nodded pleasantly.

"Great. I'll go put us on the list." Harry smiled awkwardly as he turned to find Hagrid who was talking to Ron and Justin Finch-Fletchly. He walked over and waited politely until he was acknowledged. "I'll be partnered with Susan for this one."

"That's great, 'arry!" Hagrid said with a huge grin as he handed over the sheet of parchment for him to write their names down before returning to his partner.

They decided they would both sketch the crab and then choose whose drawing was better to work off of for the assignment. Once they showed their work it became clear that she was the better artist so he offered to be the one labelling later.

"Uhm, no offense, Lord Potter...but I've seen your handwriting and it's not much better than that sketch." She said, biting her lip. "How about I take care of the drawing and labeling, and you do the physical stuff?"

Harry chuckled. "Alright, I'll work on my penmanship for next time."

She smiled back and they parted ways, agreeing to meet on Saturday morning in order to groom their crab.

"Fred and George think there's a loose brick in the fireplace mantle that could be a secret passage trigger." Ron tagged along as Harry made his way back to his suite which worked out well because it meant they could update each other on the search for the founder's quarters.

"That sounds promising." Harry considered this. "I'm coming to Gryffindor tomorrow afternoon. History of magic is in the morning and then astronomy doesn't start until after dinner."

"I have Muggle Studies right after lunch." Ron shook his head, pouting. "By the time I get there, you'll have found Gryffindor's quarters and gone back to your apartment."

Harry stopped in his tracks and turned to face his best friend. "So how about if I do homework in my suite til you're done with Muggle Studies and meet you at the common room?"

Ron blinked. "Ok. I'll make sure not to take my time after."

Harry grinned as sped up to get inside the suite. He hurried directly into his office and pulled out the letter from his solicitor. He cheered when he finished skimming it. "The first puzzle piece is almost in my hands!"

Ron looked at him curiously and listened as Harry explained the situation.

"And I know just how to approach Dumbledore about this." Harry grinned as he cast a tempus charm. "Let's get to dinner."

Rather than sit when they arrived at their house table, Harry walked right up to the center of the faculty table. "Headmaster, may I have a moment of your time?"

Dumbledore smiled kindly at him. "Certainly, my boy. I hear you found something interesting last night."

"I did, sir, and I hope to find something similar in each common room. The matter I wish to speak with you about is related to the room I found." Harry explained. "I was wondering if I might have my ancestor's sword."

"I beg your pardon?" Dumbledore blinked in surprise.

"Lord Potter, the Sword of Gryffindor is the property of the school." Professor Mcgonagall reminded him carefully.

"It's not, actually." Harry smiled at her as he handed a piece of parchment over to the Headmaster. "It would be if there weren't a living descendant of Gryffindor and I happily agree that, if I pass without a blood heir, it will be returned as a relic of Hogwarts. Until then, it is mine and I wish to display it in my suite."

Dumbledore read the very official letter from Harry's solicitor that this and any other relics that were found to be former possessions of the founders were to be given to Lord Potter, Earl of Inverness.

"Very well, my boy." The Headmaster gave him a smile but his blue eyes weren't twinkling. "Visit my office after the meal, I'll give the sword to you."

"Thank you." Harry nodded formally and retreated to his house table with a glance toward the Slytherin table where Malfoy was watching him discreetly.

Harry was still upset with the blond for the invasive mind magic he'd performed yesterday but something told him that holding a grudge would be more harmful than anything, so he'd resolved to keep an open mind. He sat beside Ron and sighed. "He has reluctantly agreed to give me the sword."

Ron looked shocked but quickly swallowed his food and began thinking. "I should accompany you."

Harry blinked in confusion at first but realized that if he went alone, Dumbledore could slip him something or memory charm him. "I'll have Dobby bring the cloak. You'll stay hidden unless absolutely necessary."

Ron nodded and went about finishing his meal while Harry made a small plate. He was more concerned with the puzzle than his stomach.

When Dumbledore stood, Harry waited a moment to give the illusion that this wasn't an urgent matter. As soon as the door closed behind the older man, Harry stood and walked out at a leisurely pace.

Ron wasn't far behind but Harry already had the cloak in hand when he arrived. The redhead took the invisibility cloak and threw it over his head, hurrying to catch up with his cousin.

It didn't take long to get to the headmaster's office and, although Harry had neglected to get the password ahead of time, he found that his heir's password worked to get the gargoyle to step aside. Soon enough they were standing in the antechamber and Harry knocked on the nearest surface to alert the old man.

"Ah! Harry!" Dumbledore smiled as he came out from behind his desk. "As you know ...I'm sure you've seen... I keep the sword here beside the hat." He gestured to a peg where the hat hung and the horizontal rack mounted to the wall below it. "I keep them together because..."

Harry was internally thrilled with this development. "Oh, yes...The hat belonged to Godric as well, didn't it?" His reply didn't show anything but musing.

"Yes...but as its purpose is 'service to the school', I'm sure you'll agree that it belongs here in the head's office." Dumbledore jumped to say.

"Well, I hope you won't begrudge me a visit with it. I have always wondered what kind of conversationalist it could be." Harry smiled placidly at his former mentor.

"Very well, but please bring it back in a few days. We are still investigating the prophecy, you know." Dumbledore reminded the young lord.

Harry's smile widened a touch. "How's that going?"

"Slowly, but surely." Dumbledore smiled back giving Harry the impression that it was quite fake.

Harry lifted the sword and then touched the brim of the hat just in time to feel something inside of it. "Shall we say Sunday night, Headmaster?"

"I think that works out quite well, yes." The older man nodded, making no visible attempt to stop Harry from leaving. "Oh, Harry, I had a letter from Percival Weasley that several members of the wizengamut will be visiting over the next few weeks." Dumbledore called out as Harry opened the door.

"Yes. All during my free periods and on the weekends." Harry left the door open as he turned around. "I must acquaint myself with my fellow members, mustn't I?"

"Oh, yes! Indeed!" Dumbledore nodded enthusiastically. "It will help keep things running smoothly at the ministry, after all! I should've thought to recommend it myself."

Harry nodded once and backed out of the room, sighing in relief. As soon as it clicked closed, he called Dobby and had the elf pop them back to the suite.

Completely disregarding his cousins who were scattered around the sitting room, Harry rushed into the office and approached the desk. In the back of his mind, he heard the others join him as he placed the hat on the flat surface and pulled out the object he'd felt a moment ago. It was a leather scabbard and it was tooled with designs reminiscent of Celtic drawings of the elements. He ran his hands over the fine material and finally slid the sword home. Harry lifted the sword into place on its plaque and as it sank into the wall, the group heard a phrase spoken by a deep voice with reverent tones.

"When four houses become one, darkness will enlighten."

Harry frowned as he glanced around the room. "Huh. I wonder what that means."

"Probably nothing, mate. Things are just coming together." Ron said with a yawn. "Let's sleep on it. See you at breakfast."

Harry had an odd feeling but shrugged it off for now. "G'night."

The next morning, Luna greeted Harry with the news that Draco had asked her to have lunch with him.

Harry reasoned that the Slytherin probably wanted an update on the visit to Ravenclaw, now that the rumors had circulated. "If you're in the hall, stick to public knowledge. If not, you can tell him that one puzzle piece is secure."

Luna grinned. "We'll probably be in Professor Snape's office."

Harry's eyebrows shot up. "Public knowledge only!"

"You're being silly, Harry! Professor Snape is on your side..." Luna giggled. "Well, sort of."

"Oh, really? 'Well, sort of' isn't good enough for me." Harry grumped.

"As you wish, cousin." Luna's smile unnerved him and he didn't know why but he relaxed.

The day began slowly and calmly, with breakfast and then Draco stopped at the Gryffindor table to ask if they could walk to class together.

Harry agreed and looked to Ron who told him to go ahead without him because the Weasley's owl had just arrived.

"Luna says I have to ask you about a puzzle piece because you told her not to tell me." Draco hissed.

"I told her not to tell you in Snape's office." Harry whispered back. "I've got the sword. Now I need to figure out what the other items are that I'm looking for and then find them."

Draco calmed himself. "Oh."

"I just don't know who to trust yet, Draco, and I don't want certain parties knowing specific details yet." Harry explained quietly.

Draco's breathing hitched in his throat at the sound of his name. "You called me Draco..."

"Did I?" Harry blinked. "I didn't notice. I didn't mean to."

"You can...if you want." Draco said softly.

Harry sighed. "I do need to tell you...I forgive you...for Tuesday."

Draco stared at him.

"You weren't doing it because you wanted to but because your father asked." Harry explained as they got to the classroom. "You went after useless information when you had the chance to find things that could hurt me and you seemed genuinely remorseful when I caught you out. I'm choosing to trust you."

Draco felt overwhelmed by the other boy's words. He took a deep breath and simply said, "Thank you, Potter."

"You're welcome." Harry murmured. "Erm...I don't think it's unfounded...I mean, if you feel comfortable... You can call me Harry in private."

"Potter in public..." Draco felt a flutter in his chest. "Harry in private?"

Harry nodded cautiously.

"Thank you." The blond bowed his head solemnly as other students began to arrive.

Ron rushed up knocking into the young lord. "Oh, sorry, Harry!"

A jolt of emotion hit Draco in that moment. He couldn't identify it but it was not a pleasant feeling. Suddenly a piece of parchment was thrust into his sight.

"What's this all about, Malfoy?" Ron asked with a suspicious frown.

The Slytherin took the parchment and scanned the words dispassionately. "It appears that Father took my advice and proposed a truce with your family."

"Your advice?" Ron echoed in shock.

Draco hummed. "I suggested to him that, due to Luna's relationships with Potter and your sister, it might be a good idea."

Harry smirked softly but said nothing.

"Oh." Ron fell silent and dazedly went to find a desk.

Harry chuckled. "Thank you."

"It wasn't only for your benefit." Draco whispered trying to suppress a blush.

Harry nodded. "Luna."

"Y-yes." Draco nodded thanking the gods that the room was lit poorly. "Luna."

"The meeting with your dad is Friday. You'd given Percy your schedule the other day, so when I told him I wanted you included, he set it for thirty minutes after your herbology class." Harry told his partner quietly.

"I'll be there." Draco smiled as Harry turned and began to take notes.

Rather than notes, however, what Draco wrote was a letter to his mother. He was sure his father would've told her what he'd said before she arrived and, although he didn't mind fibbing to them about the elemental powers that were awakening in the young lord, he would not lie to her about the potential for a relationship with someone who already affected him. He'd send it on his way to lunch and hope to hear back tonight.

"And then Malfoy picked me for his partner!" Ron ranted. "Can you believe him? The cheek!"

Harry hid his smirk. They were on the way to meet the twins at the Gryffindor common room and Ron hadn't shut up about his Muggle Studies class. He'd returned from it with the astonishing news that he and Draco Malfoy were partners. "I can believe it, actually." Harry grinned in amusement when Ron's expression froze in shock. "Alright, think about it in terms of strategy, mate. Everyone knows your dad likes muggle stuff and works for the ministry in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts office; yes?"

"Yeah." Ron pouted.

"Malfoy obviously thinks that means you know about the stuff too...or at least have access to the knowledge." Harry explained. "The new truce between your families means that he can ask you to share that knowledge."

"I guess I hadn't thought about it in those terms." Ron sighed. "Thought he might have some kind of hidden agenda."

"Oh, he does, but I'm sure it's nothing terrible." Harry chuckled. "It probably has something to do with the fact that I started flirting with him a bit."

"You have?" Ron asked, sounding uncertain.

"Yeah... Perhaps he hasn't noticed or he's resistant to the idea, but..." Harry rushed the words out. "Yeah... a bit."

"You really fancy..." Ron's brow furrowed with confusion. "Malfoy?"

"Yes, Ron!" Harry laughed as they climbed the moving staircases. "Look, he's got his own money and he's from a powerful family so I can be sure he won't be with me just to use mine. He's...pleasant to look at...more than..."

"Pleasant to..." Ron reached to put a hand on Harry's forehead. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Help!"

Harry suddenly heard a yell from the wrong direction and turned to look. "Neville?"

"What are you doing over there, mate?" Ron asked their friend.

"Well, I'm not practicing for the ballet! What does it look like?" The boy in question was in absolute distress. "Please help me get off this platform?"

Harry looked around but didn't see anything that would help. "I suppose I could summon my broom..."

"No!" Neville protested. "You know how I am with brooms, Harry!"

"Stupid child!" The Slytherin ghost floated up from below them. "You have elves at your command."

"Of course!" Harry's eyes widened. "Dobby!"

The elf in question popped into view as the Bloody Baron slowly continued his climb.

"Dobby, can you please pop over there and get my friend?" Harry asked.

"Certainly, sir!" The diminutive creature happily complied and Neville was saved.

Harry thanked the ghost and his elf before turning to Neville. "So what happened?"

"I didn't see faces but their scarves were blue." Neville complained as he rang the water from his robes. "They could've done worse than just put me over there, I suppose."

"How did they put you there?" Harry wondered. "Why are you all wet?"

"One cast Leviosa and the other one used aguamenti to push me." Neville mumbled sadly, fumbling in his pockets for something that seemed important. "Oh, Merlin! I think my wand fell."

Ron's jaw locked as Harry cast an accio for Neville's wand. When it landed in his palm, Harry gritted his teeth and handed it to his friend.

"Bullying." Harry said with a slow shake of his head. "Again!"

"Just a prank, Harry." Neville tried to calm his friend.

"A dangerous prank!" Harry snapped. "What if you slipped on the wet stone? What if you decided to try jumping to safety? You'd be a smear on the floor of the stairwell, Neville! A prank is mixing something in your shampoo to color it temporarily."

"Or feeding you sweets that change you into an animal for a minute or two and then change you back." Fred said as he joined the group. "You alright, Nev?"

"We need to figure out who did this and see that they're punished." Harry insisted. "Think I'll chat with Malfoy. See if his blackmail can get us some information."

"Until then, maybe you should be more observant of your surroundings." George smirked from behind Neville, making him jump.

Fred grinned. "Or keep a friend with you."

Harry's expression remained grim but he sighed heavily and got himself back on track, reminding them that they had a lead to follow for Gryffindor's secret quarters. "Nev, do you want to come?"

Neville protested that his clothes were wet and he wasn't family but Harry told him about Professor Flitwick joining him the day before and offered a quick drying charm. Soon, they were on their way.

"Show me this 'loose brick'." Harry said to Ron.

"George found it." Ron said, pulling his brother along as they passed the others and gave the password to the Fat Lady.

George led the way past a group of younger students to the hearth. "It's over here. Oh, no! The fire is lit!"

Harry calmly said again. "Show me."

George looked at him speculatively but grabbed the poker from its rack and tapped at a loose brick.

Harry tried Wingardium Leviosa and when it didn't work he borrowed the poker from George to prod the brick from different angles and, after a bit of work, managed to pull it up.

Fred doused the flames for them, making it easier to see.

In the area beneath the brick, there was a small oval hole and what looked like a button for a muggle machine but it wasn't raised at all so Harry wasn't quite sure what to do.

"I'll bet it's a key lock!" Ron said excitedly. "But where's the key?"

This made Harry look at him. "It doesn't look like any keyhole I've ever seen. Maybe the 'key' isn't an actual key. Maybe it's an object. What do we have around that's small and oval shaped?"

As the five boys scanned the room, Harry looked again at the fireplace and the tools that maintained it. The poker in his hand gained a frown as he turned it in his hands.

"It's this!" Harry cried out as he rushed to push the poker into the hole.

The twins cheered as the poker pushed the button up but nothing else happened which confused them.

Ron stepped up and tried to push the button down but that didn't work. "Well, what if the poker turns or something?"

Harry hummed as he attempted to turn the poker. "It doesn't turn. Maybe it levers...?" He tried to push it in each direction and only after he tried and failed three times did he realize that the fourth direction was south and would likely push the button down. He sighed, chagrined and vowed to himself not to forget the law of four.

Four founders. Four elements. Four cardinal directions.

He pushed the poker in the final direction and grinned with pride as the grate slid aside and the wall behind it rose. Everyone in the common room cheered but one. She was watching the proceedings silently.

Hermione was sad and confused about everything that had been happening since she'd gone home in June.

Her parents had been incredibly strict this summer. When she'd asked why, they said things like 'they were worried for her safety' and 'the wizarding world is so full of danger'.

Her parents had even bought an owl so she could order anything she needed from the comfortable safety of her home. She wrote to Ron and Harry once each but the owls came back with letters on the school stationary warning muggleborn students to avoid direct contact with the magical world during the summer holidays because owls could be tracked with spells and there were dangerous people at large who wanted to hurt or kill certain parties and they wouldn't hesitate to use one student to get to another.

At one point, she'd written to ask Professor Mcgonagall to come talk to her parents the way she had when she'd brought the news of Hermione's invitation to Hogwarts. This time Headmaster Dumbledore wrote personally to tell her that the world was more dangerous than ever because Voldemort was back. Her response had been to offer her own services to the war effort but he told her in no uncertain terms that she was much too young. She could be more involved with the wizarding world when she was of age, he'd said, but for now she needed to rely on her parents and her teachers' guidance.

She'd broken down, then, isolated as she was, since her parents and the school authorities agreed that it was dangerous, she knew she had to obey. It had hurt in her heart when she turned away the owls from Ron and Harry and Ginny but she honestly hadn't known what else to do.

Now her only friends were having adventures without her. The adventures were against the rules and she should be running to report them but she didn't want to. She wanted to participate but she couldn't without feeling like she was betraying her parents' trust.

If only they could see how powerful she and her friends were! If only they could witness the wizarding world at its best! If that could happen, they wouldn't worry about the dangers anymore! Maybe there was a loophole in the Statute of Secrecy that she'd missed or a legal argument she could make to get the wizengamut to see that the statute wasn't a feasible idea anymore.

She ignored the trembling of her lower lip as she turned away from the Gryffindor fireplace and hurried to the library. She needed her books. She needed to research.

Harry looked around in wonder as the 'door' closed behind them.

This set of rooms was inspiring in a much different way than Ravenclaw's quarters had been. Several ancient brooms rested on racks next to a large window. On the other side of the window, a number of practice swords were displayed along with quite a few shields. Archery targets hung on the wall at the far side of the room and next to them were several quivers of arrows. Training dummies were piled in the corners.

While his cousins and friend looked at the old weapons, Harry peeked into the next room where suits of armor stood in a neat line along the wall. He smirked into the ancient mirror and imagined putting on the armor. It was an intriguing picture but armor wasn't really needed these days so it was just a cool bit of his family history.

A curtain fluttered invitingly with a draft, indicating that the arch was more than decorative. Harry walked over and moved the fabric aside to see a surprisingly utilitarian bedroom. No sumptuous luxury bedroom for this founder. Though the frame was a four post design, the mattress was made of straw and the supports were hand tied. The one nod to comfort was a quilt that looked handmade.

That's when he noticed it. A small trunk peeked out from under the bed. As he lifted the corner of the quilt, Harry saw an embroidered HH but ignored it in favor of the trunk.

"It's not locked." Harry whispered to nobody in particular as he lifted the lid. Inside laid a dagger and sheath that resembled the sword sitting in a case in his office. Underneath that was a thick sheaf of parchment that seemed to be wrapped in leather.

"Nev? Ron? Forge?" Harry called as he placed the dagger on the bed next to him. "I think I found something!"

The others came rushing in. Ron got to his side first and noticed the dagger. Fred reached out to touch the leather wrapped bundle of paper. "There must be preservation spells. The leather feels soft."

Harry grinned and pulled the laces that were keeping it closed. It popped open and although most of it stayed together, a few pages fell to the floor. "It's bound. Looks like a journal."

"Harry? These sketches fell out of it." Neville said, handing them over.

Harry took them and leafed through. There were a few stereotypical sketches. Things like the castle and lake, the armory filled with swords as if ready for a battle, and some magical creatures that were still found in the forest today were all depicted in them. He saw a still life or two but flipped past them to look at several sketches of people. A young Helena was pictured with her mother. A young man was with a dragon.

Harry dropped the book as he stood up to move toward the window for more light. "Ron, does that say what I think it says?"

"Myrddin Wyllt." George read the words at the bottom of the picture and looked at his twin. "This is Merlin... and a dragon!"

"No." Harry looked closer. "He's too close to it for them to be considered two separate subjects. He's touching it. He's got eye contact. He's practically communing with it."

"Could it be true? The legends?" Fred asked with awe. "All the old stories say he was a dragonlord."

"Charlie would know." Ron said softly. "We can ask him to meet us on the first Hogsmeade weekend."

Harry started to nod but then he noticed something else and put some things together. "No need. I know who I can ask."

Harry scanned the room as he gathered the loose papers into the journal. Grabbing the dagger, he called for Dobby and Ziva. "Take these to the desk in my office and put them in a drawer. I'll find a safe place for them after astronomy class."

Dobby understood from the tone Harry was using that this was important. He only nodded and popped away.

"Ziva?" Harry spoke softly to her. "The quilt on the bed is special. Please clean it and fold it so the embroidery is visible for display." Turning to the others, he told them, "Until we know exactly what all this means, nobody can know about it except us, Luna, Ginny and Zack. So, what did we find in here..."

"Just a cool-" Fred and George held up their right hands and promised. "Set of rooms with-"

Ron followed suit. "Old unusable weapons."

"And an old quilt." Neville chimed in.

"Good." Harry nodded to himself. "I'll tell Remus to step up the search for an occlumency tutor. Now let's get to dinner."

Draco watched Harry Potter and his redheaded companions walk into the great hall. The way they were acting made him suspicious. Something had happened.

He wondered what but became distracted when his mother's owl landed on his shoulder. The letter attached to her leg was easily removed and Draco hurried to unroll it once the owl took off again.

Jealousy? She thinks I'm jealous? Draco fumed internally as he reread the letter he'd just received. How could Mother get it so wrong?! He's a classmate... an acquaintance, at best. We're barely even friends. Besides, I only hated when the Weasel took Harry's attention from me and touched him and was intimately familiar with him and... Oh... He looked up and in the direction of the Gryffindor table where Harry was looking particularly intense. "Merlin's beard. I'm jealous."

"Did it really take you that long to figure it out, Draco?" Blaise asked innocently.

"I said that out loud?" The blond buried his face in his hands.

Pansy giggled. "I'm sure there was more going on in your head than just four words, Draco."

He groaned.

"Just look up." Blaise hissed and went back to appearing as if nothing out of the ordinary was about to happen.

Draco sighed heavily but straightened up just in time to see Harry Potter walking in their direction. His breath caught in his throat so he took a sip of water.

"Everything alright?" Harry asked, glancing at Draco's companions.

"Yes, fine, Potter." Draco deadpanned. "Why?"

"No reason." Harry narrowed his eyes at the blond even as he noticed that several of the other students realized that Draco had not used his title. "I have a question for you and didn't wish to wait until tomorrow."

"Oh?" Draco's curiosity was piqued.

"If I was able to guess..." Harry began.

"No." Draco stopped him with a deadly look. "Not that I think you can guess it... but only my father can tell you if you're right or wrong. If you aren't head of the Malfoy family and you attempt to reveal the secret, the spell that protects it will take your voice."

"Permanently?" Harry was startled.

"It's only permanent if my father doesn't forgive the offense." Draco huffed.

"Alright...I'll make my guess with him tomorrow." Harry said, nodding.

Draco nodded once to accept this.

"I do have another question...but I hesitate to ask it." Harry confessed lightly.

Draco allowed one eyebrow to rise. "A Gryffindor hesitates? Do tell."

"Draco." Blaise cut in. "Perhaps he should wait until after Friday."

"The secret changes nothing whether I'm right or wrong, Zabini." Harry glowered at the Slytherin boy.

"You don't know that." Blaise stared at him.

"Fine, Zabini." Harry snapped. "But in that case, I'd like to make a bet with you, Draco. If I guess the secret, you have to have dinner at the Gryffindor table with me for a week."

"And when you're wrong you'll have to have dinner here for a week." Draco replied arrogantly.

"Done!" Harry said triumphantly as he walked away muttering about Astronomy.

"What just happened?" Draco asked his friends dazedly.

"You've got seven dates starting Saturday." Pansy giggled.

Blaise glared in the direction Harry had gone.

"He was going to ask me out?" Draco whispered in shock.

"That's the way it seemed, but given the secret, I thought it best to wait until he knew before you committed to dating him." Blaise explained.

"Got around you neatly, didn't he?" Pansy grinned.

Blaise nodded ruefully. "Indeed."

Draco smirked in amusement. "How very Slytherin of him."