I really wanted to post the new chapter last Saturday (had it almost finished) but the Corona situation in Belgium has escalated so I got a two week fall break instead of a one week fall break. I then decided to visit my family in Austria… You've probably all heard of the terrorist attack here. So, I got kind of obsessed with watching the news of both countries, which really isn't good for me… And now there's the American elections that keep me obsessively following the news…

Anyhow, I hope you're all safe and healthy. Here's chapter 89:

When Draco made his way towards the kitchen the next morning, he could already smell just-out-of-the-oven scones and fried bacon before he reached the door. He had not slept well, constantly thinking about Astoria, but the smell of fresh food managed to lift his spirits. Encouraged by the smell, he stepped into the kitchen, where he found Sirius, Andromeda, Alice, Frank and Augusta sitting around the table.

Andromeda and Sirius were both leaning over a copy of the Daily Prophet. Augusta held a copy of the Quibbler in her hands, talking to Frank and Alice while gesturing animatedly. The two younger Longbottoms seemed to be listening intently, nodding along with whatever she was saying. Several more copies of the Daily Prophet and the Quibbler were lying in front of them, in between a vast selection of breakfast food.

"Did it work?" asked Draco, while he poured himself a cup of tea and sat down next to Sirius.

"Front page in both papers," smiled Sirius, looking up from the paper he was reading with Andromeda. There was something mischievous in his eyes. "I wish I could be at the ministry right now. Imagine the chaos. And Voldemort is probably throwing a tantrum."

Draco frowned. He could very well imagine the chaos the unexpected and surely unwanted addition to the paper would have caused. While Harry's account of the Dark Lord's resurrection was phrased rather neutrally, it did contradict the official version published in previous editions of the Daily Prophet. Unlike Sirius, however, Draco was rather glad he for once was not in the middle of the chaos.

He also hoped that whatever tantrum the Dark Lord was throwing, neither his family nor Severus would have to pay for. It was unlikely, though. The Dark Lord had always let his closest followers, which Severus and his family definitely were a part of, suffer when he was angry. Most of all Bellatrix, whose failings he seemed to view as a personal betrayal. To this day, Draco could not understand her devotion to him.

"And the letters?" he asked, pushing aside thoughts of his estranged family. He reached for a scone. They were indeed still warm.

"According to Arthur Weasley, he encountered no problems," replied Augusta, apparently having finished whatever speech she had given to the two younger Longbottoms. "There will be an Order meeting soon, then we will know more."

Draco nodded. He had almost forgotten about today's Order meeting, although the presence of Andromeda should have served as a reminder. She and her husband were allies of the Order of the Phoenix, but they were not members. They did, however, attend almost all of their meetings, always hoping to hear news about their daughter.

He split his scone in two, covered each half with clotted cream, and then added strawberry jam on top. While he enjoyed his scone, and the others returned to reading their papers, he wondered about Andromeda.

Even though she had welcomed him enthusiastically into their cast out branch of the family, they had barely seen each other since, much less talked to each other. That was unfortunate, as Draco would have liked to learn more about his aunt.

She had an uncanny physical resemblance to her older sister, Bellatrix. However, Andromeda's hair was a light soft brown, and her eyes were wider and kinder. Her demeanor reminded him somewhat of his mother. But that was the extent to which Draco knew her. Everything else was mere speculation on his part.

His mother had called her a traitor at Sirius' trial and had not been interested in talking to her at all. Quite the opposite. That, Draco had found surprising. His mother valued family above all else. She had begged Severus to take an Unbreakable Vow and had lied to the Dark Lord, thus helping Harry Potter win the war, to protect her son. She had had a close relationship with her sociopath of a sister, Bellatrix, that Draco had never fully understood. She had been able to forgive Sirius, even though he was a blood-traitor and her husband had disapproved. Arguably, that had happened when she had not known the Dark Lord would soon return, but still. Draco had therefore concluded that marrying a muggle-born alone could not be the sole reason why Narcissa had so little interest in reconciliation.

His musings were interrupted by a head poking into the kitchen.

"Morning, Nev," greeted Draco, finishing his scone.

"Uhm- morning," said Neville, his eyes darting across the room. "You are all here, that's- uhm- that's good." He stepped into the kitchen.

Draco observed Neville. He was squirming, moving his balance from one leg to another, wringing his hands,… Draco had not seen Neville this nervous since the last time he had been scared of Snape, and that he had not been in months.

"Mom, dad… Gran," he looked at each of them individually, "I know I've talked about her a lot over Easter… and I know I mention her in every letter I write… and I really can't believe that you haven't met before, it's been so long and…" He took a deep breath, probably realizing he had started to ramble. "I would like you to meet my girlfriend – Daphne Greengrass."

Daphne stepped into the room. "Good morning. It's nice to finally meet you." Draco could not remember ever hearing Daphne sounding so polite. She had to be at least as nervous as Neville but was better at hiding it.

The introduction was met with stunned silence, which Draco almost interrupted with a yelp as Sirius had kicked him in the shin. Sirius motioned at Neville, as if Draco was not aware of what was going on without Sirius' less than subtle hints.

"But," Frank broke the silence with his gruff voice, sounding perplexed, "she is a Slytherin."

Again, silence. Then Draco burst out laughing. He looked at Neville. "What, precisely, do you write in those letters of yours?"

Neville glowered at Draco.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry," laughed Draco. He wondered if Neville's family was even able to make sense of his letters with so many important details missing.

"Yes, I am a Slytherin," Daphne said, crossing her arms in front of her. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"Oh no, dear," said Augusta quickly, cutting off whatever her son was about to say. "It was just a bit unexpected, that's all."

"I know Slytherin has a bad reputation," continued Daphne. "But just know this – I will do anything in my power to stop this maniac who has killed and tortured so many. And I love Neville, with all of my heart."

"It's lovely to meet you, darling," said Alice, smiling at her warmly and Neville beamed at her in response. Alice elbowed her husband, "Isn't that right, Frank?"

"She seems feisty," commented Frank. "I like that."

"Come sit with us, dear," said Alice, pulling an empty chair next to her and motioning Daphne to sit. "I want to hear all about you and how you met Neville and how you two fell in love."

Daphne looked uncertainly at Neville, who nodded encouragingly.

Sirius elbowed Draco several times and when Draco finally turned to him, the man was grinning like an idiot. Although, to be fair, Draco was sure his own expression was similar. Neville deserved to be happy.

The only one who wasn't smiling was Andromeda. She had a slight frown on her face and soon excused herself.

Draco decided to follow her. There was still time before the Order meeting and even though he loved to see Neville happy, after last night's talk with Astoria, he did not feel like listening to their love story.

"Is everything alright?" asked Draco, finding her standing in the hallway, staring at the currently empty portrait of Walburga Black.

Andromeda spun around at the sound of his voice, straightening her posture, her face composed. "Yes, of course. Why wouldn't it be?"

Draco studied her face. "You remind me of my mother when you do that."

"Do what?"

Draco smiled. "Lie about your well-being."

Andromeda scowled. "I don't know what you are talking about."

"You left the room rather abruptly. And now you've got that haughty expression on your face... which really reminds me of my mother when she is upset and trying to hide it."

"I am nothing like her," insisted Andromeda.

Draco just raised his eyebrows at that. "You are upset. It is okay to be upset. And I think I understand. I don't know you very well, but I think I understand. I love Neville and I am genuinely happy for him. But it is hard seeing such a happy family when you yourself come from one that is broken. That has rejected you. And that has members missing."

Andromeda brought her hands to her face. Her cold façade crumbled. "I miss my little girl," she admitted. "I miss her so much. For a long time… for a long time she and Ted were my only family. And now I don't know if I'll ever see her again. So I worry. Constantly. It's driving me crazy."

Draco nodded.

"And there's so many Death Eaters in the ministry, I worry what He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named will do in retaliation to what the Order did last night. And I worry about Ted. Should we lose…" She shuddered and trailed off. "And… don't tell anyone, but sometimes I miss them too."

That had Draco confused, but only for a second. "Them? Your sisters?"

She nodded her head. "I know I shouldn't. It's been so long, and they've done such terrible things… but they are my sisters. And growing up… they were my best friends." She smiled wistfully.

"I… I understand. I miss my parents as well. But it's hard to talk about that when everyone here only knows the worst of them." That reminded him of the time after the war when it felt impossible to share his grief. Most of those who might have mourned the same people he had were either in Azkaban or dead. "But they've been great parents to me. They loved me and made sure I was happy. My mother is fiercely loyal, protective… she'd do anything for her family. But the others don't know that-" He stopped mid-sentence because Andromeda had begun to laugh. "What?"

"N-nothing. Your description of Cissy just reminded me… The hat wanted to put her in Hufflepuff."

"What?" repeated Draco, shocked.

"Fiercely loyal and hard-working, that's what the hat told her, but she wanted to be in the same house as the rest of the family. She told the hat she'd rather die than end up in Hufflepuff," she chuckled. "The hat clearly forgot to mention melodramatic."

Draco shook his head, laughing as well. "She never told me."

"I don't think she ever told anyone but me and Bella… She was overreacting, really. There is nothing wrong with Hufflepuff. My daughter was in Hufflepuff and she is a wonderful person. Our parents, however,… they would have been livid had Narcissa ended up in any house but Slytherin…"

"I don't think my parents would have been very happy either, had I ended up in another house."

"They would have gotten over it, I think. I never much liked Lucius, but Narcissa would have understood, and I think he would have come around eventually as well. My parents, on the other hand, I am not so sure… Father had a temper…" She was lost in thought momentarily. "Bella and I made fun of Cissy when she told us. But now I sometimes think about what our lives would look like had Narcissa not ended up in Slytherin. If none of us had. Bella would have made a fine Hufflepuff as well, I think."

"Really?" asked Draco, skeptically.

"She has always been very protective of Cissy, especially when we were young and our... Never mind. She was very protective. And no matter how many faults people find with her, I doubt anyone would criticize her for not being loyal."

Her husband might, Draco thought. But Andromeda was right. Most Death Eaters would switch sides if they'd benefit from it. Most Death Eaters had denied the Dark Lord after the first war was over. Bellatrix never had. And she would never switch sides. He could torture her for hours, but she would remain loyal.

"A whole generation of Blacks in other houses," Draco mused, trying to imagine such a world. Narcissa might not have ended up with Lucius, thus Draco would not exist. Bellatrix might not have ended up a Death Eater, so Neville would have grown up with his parents. Sirius' sorting might have caused less conflict if he had not been the first to be sorted in something other than Slytherin.

Draco briefly wondered what house he might have ended up in if not Slytherin. He most certainly was not a Gryffindor, no matter what Harry thought of him. He was not a Ravenclaw either. He did not value knowledge for the sake of knowledge. He was mostly interested in knowledge that he could apply. And Hufflepuff? He couldn't say, but he certainly would not have fit into the house when he had first been sorted.

"What about you?" Draco asked. "Could you have been a Hufflepuff as well?"

Andromeda's face fell. "No, I- no. I don't think so. I think this is why my sisters hate me so much now. They did everything for the family. They made sacrifices to keep the family together. But I left as soon as I could. For our parents it was a difference in ideology. For my sisters, I think they saw it as betrayal… as me abandoning them…"

That would explain his mother's reaction, Draco thought. It also resembled his own earlier thoughts on his aunt. He used to think that she had chosen a muggle-born over her family, not caring what it would do to the rest of her family. That had of course been before he himself had chosen a path that had led him away from his family.

Draco wanted to say something, he had so many questions, but it was in that moment that Dumbledore arrived.

"Good morning, headmaster," Draco greeted, and the Dumbledore nodded his head in acknowledgement.

"It seems like the meeting is about to begin," said Draco to Andromeda, unwilling to continue such a personal conversation in front of other people.

"It is fine. It was nice talking to you. I am glad you are here. It's good to have another person around who I can talk to, who understands." She smiled at him. "Let's join the others."

Together with Dumbledore, they walked back into the kitchen, where the Longbottoms, Daphne and Sirius were still talking. They were soon joined by Astoria, who did not look like she had slept much either, Harry and Severus.

They were still waiting for the last Order members to arrive, when something large and silver rushed into the room. Graceful and gleaming, the lynx landed lightly in front of Dumbledore. Then the Patronus's mouth opened wide and it spoke in the loud, deep, slow voice of Kingsley Shacklebolt.

"Pius Thicknesse has issued an arrest warrant for Albus Dumbledore."

"Pius Th- the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement?" asked Andromeda, panic creeping into her voice.

"Imperiused, no doubt," supplied Snape, his face unreadable but his gaze set on Dumbledore.

Dumbledore considered this news as the lynx faded. All eyes were on him, a tense silence pressing down on the occupants of the room. "I am afraid you will have to start the meeting without me," he finally said to the group at large. "Sirius, please inform Remus. He will know what to do." Sirius nodded and hurried out of the room. Then Dumbledore turned to Draco and Harry. "I believe it is time for us to continue our quest."

Harry and Draco looked at each other, before they both nodded. The ring. It was now or never.

"Go where?" asked Astoria sounding worried.

"Remember the diadem?" Draco asked but did not wait for an answer. They were in a hurry, and of course Astoria would remember how their search for the diadem had nearly killed them all. He quickly glanced in Neville's direction. He also knew what Draco was talking about and looked rather tense. "There's two more objects like it and we are going to retrieve one of them."

"We have to step out of the house to apparate," Dumbledore said. "Severus, I trust you know what to do?"

Severus gave a curt nod.

"Alright," said Draco, "let's go."

Dumbledore walked out of the room, Harry hot on his heels.

Draco looked at Astoria one last time.

"Stay safe," she said.

He smiled at her, then hurried after Dumbledore and Harry.

He could feel Dumbledore's apparition pulling him along and a second later they were no longer standing in front of 12 Grimmauld Place but on a country lane bordered by high, tangled hedgerows. A wooden signpost that was sticking out of the brambles on the left-hand side of the road informed them that they were five miles away from Great Hangleton, and one mile from Little Hangleton. They followed the path that was leading towards Little Hangleton.

They hurried along. No one said anything. The tension was almost palpable.

For a while, there was little to see but hedgerows. Then the lane curved to the left and fell away, sloping steeply down a hillside, so that they had a sudden, unexpected view of a whole valley laid out in front of them. Draco could see a village, undoubtedly Little Hangleton, nestled between two steep hills, its church and graveyard clearly visible. Across the valley, set on the opposite hillside, was a manor surrounded by a wide expanse of velvety green lawn.

"This place feels oddly familiar," commented Draco, looking at the town, then at Dumbledore. Something about the view unsettled him.

Dumbledore nodded. "You have been here before. The both of you, not too long ago."

Harry also looked towards the town, before his gaze soured. "The graveyard?"

Another nod from the headmaster. "The local cemetery of Little Hangleton was the burial place for various members of the Riddle family, including Tom Riddle Senior."

Draco took a closer look and a cold shiver ran down his spine as his mind replayed the events that had transpired there. "Are we sure the Dark Lord is no longer around?" he asked.

"Aurors have searched the graveyard and its surroundings, and they patrol the streets of Little Hangleton regularly. It would be rather reckless of him to return," replied Dumbledore.

It did sound rather foolish and reckless, but Draco could not help but feel a dark sense of foreboding. There were so many ways this could go wrong. The Aurors knew about this place. The Death Eaters knew about this place. If any one of them found out that Dumbledore had been here, the Dark Lord would know, and he would check on his Horcrux. If he found it missing, he would know they were on to him, and possibly create more. If that happened, all their efforts would be ruined, and all the foreknowledge Draco had would be useless.

He thought back on the locket's predictions – You are making things worse - and shuddered. But there was no use in dwelling on that now. If Dumbledore felt confident Voldemort would not find out what they were doing, then he had to trust him.

He followed Dumbledore down a narrow dirt track bordered by higher and wilder hedgerows than those they had left behind. The path was crooked, rocky, and potholed, sloping downhill like the last one, and it seemed to be heading for a patch of dark trees a little below them.

The track soon opened up, and Dumbledore stopped to draw his wand.

It took Draco a few seconds to realize they were already standing in front of the shack, hidden in shadows and behind a tangle of trunks as it was. He had read Elladora's account several times since they had first discovered her diary. Yet, his mind had still somehow romanticized the idea of an abandoned old shack in a forest.

However, there was nothing romantic about the dump he was looking at now. If anything, Elladora had understated how truly disgusting the place was. The walls were splintered and mossy, and the roof barely had any tiles left. Nettles grew all around and over the shack. The tiny windows were so thick with grime, you could only see through those that were broken. The closer they got, the more the air smelled of mould and decay.

Draco looked at Harry and saw his own expression of disgust mirrored. They both followed Dumbledore's example and drew their wands, although Draco hoped that Harry knew that if they used magic, Aurors would swarm the place and arrest Dumbledore.

Dumbledore had moved closer to the door which had the carcass of a snake nailed to it and had started casting spells Draco had never seen before. When nothing happened, he tapped the door with his wand. The door swung open with an ear-splitting creak from the hinges.

As the door flew open, the foul stench intensified, and Draco had to fight the urge to retch.

Dumbledore lit up his wand with a Lumos, then turned to Harry and Draco and motioned them to follow him before he disappeared in the shack.

Harry took a deep breath and then used his free hand to pull his shirt over his nose. Then he followed Dumbledore.

Draco inhaled deeply and followed their lead, his eyes already burning from whatever was causing the stench.

Once he was inside, it immediately became clear what caused the smell of decay – dead rats and other critters were scattered on the wooden floor, causing the whole place to reek of death.

The moldy remnants of furniture that could still be found, did not improve matters.

"Are we sure it is safe in here?" asked Harry, his noise muffled through his shirt. "I don't think the animals died of natural causes."

Dumbledore frowned. "The only thing I can trace is a Muggle-Repelling charm." He stepped forward, making sure not to step on any dead critters or rodents.

Harry stepped towards a cupboard.

"Don't open it," warned Dumbledore. He waved his wand at the cupboard. "There is a boggart inside."

Harry took a step back. "How do we find the ring?"

"I can try a few spells," Dumbledore said. "While we cannot call for the Horcrux directly, we can search for dark magic."

"I think," Draco started, "that might not be necessary. Look at all the dead animals."

Harry let go of his shirt, squinting his eyes as he analyzed the gruesome scene in front of him. "It doesn't look like they are lying around randomly."

"Excellent observation," commented Dumbledore.

It looked as if the dead vermin were centered around a certain point, which itself was entirely free of any dead animals.

Harry knelt down on one knee and examined the floor. "Looks like the floorboard is loose." He used his wand as a lever to pull up the rotten floorboard. Beneath it, was a golden box. It was extravagant with golden snakes around the edges, and completely out of place in the Gaunt shack.

"Not suspicious at all," commented Draco dryly, crouching down to get a closer look. This was too easy. Way too easy. No cups that burned them, no basilisk that killed them on sight, no fire that threatened their lives. There weren't even any Inferi around. Either the Dark Lord had grown sloppy over the years or they were about to walk into a trap of colossal proportions.

Dumbledore kneeled down next to them and touched the box with his wand. Again, nothing happened. "Alohomora," he mumbled. "Portaberto. Emancipare. Dunamis. Liberare…" Nothing caused the box to move. Not that Draco had expected it to, and he doubted that Dumbledore had truly believed it to be that easy.

Draco weighed their options. Taking the risk, he put away his wand and carefully touched the box. Nothing happened. He tried to lift it but couldn't. "A Permanent Sticking charm?" That seemed a little childish.

"Let me try," said Harry. He leaned forward and hissed something.

Draco was shocked when the Snakes on the box became alive, hissing something in return.

Harry frowned at them. "They demand a blood sacrifice…"

Draco groaned. "Of course, they do."

"… from a Slytherin," Harry finished.

Draco stared at Harry, uncomprehending. "You just made that up, right?" He must have. Dumbledore had been able to open the box in the other timeline and he doubted that he'd had some Slytherins handy just in case he needed to sacrifice one. But the other Dumbledore had had time. Time that they had not.

Harry looked at him apologetically. "I'm sure a drop or two will do."

Draco glowered at him, then sighed. It wasn't Harry's fault the Dark Lord was a sadist. "Has anyone brought a knife?"

It turned out that Dumbledore had. "I am sorry," he said as he handed it to Draco.

"Don't be," he said. "It's nothing compared to what you two went through to get the locket."

"I can heal it for you right away," said Dumbledore.

Draco hesitated, but ultimately decided thinking too much about it would only make it harder. He placed the sharp edge of the knife in the palm of his left hand, clasped it, and slit across in a swift motion.

For a moment he did not even feel anything, but as soon as he opened his hand, a throbbing feeling took over, and a sharp pain shot through his hand. Blood ran down his arm. The knife had been sharp and had drawn more than the few drops that were needed. He clenched his teeth as he returned the knife to Dumbledore.

He felt light-headed now. The moldy air and the foul stench were bad enough even without the blood loss.

He placed his blood covered hand on the box. The blood started to run down the edges until it reached the snakes. They came to life once more and slithered around the box, repositioning themselves. The box sprang open, revealing the ring on a cushion of green velvet.

The ring of Marvolo Gaunt looked just as it had in the memory Draco had seen.

Draco turned to Dumbledore, who had promised to heal his wound right away. But Dumbledore's eyes were fixated on the ring. And slowly, he reached for it.

As soon as his fingers touched the ring, a soft, female voice spoke, "Albus."

"This cannot be real," whispered Dumbledore, his gaze transfixed. "A-Ariana?"

"It is real," replied the voice. "You have found me. I knew you would. You can save me. You can bring me back. You know what it is that you are holding in your hands. You know what you have to do."

"What are you doing?" asked Harry in alarm when Dumbledore took the ring between the thumb and index fingers of his right hand, looking at his left.

And in that moment, everything clicked. Draco remembered Dumbledore's blackened hand and that he had been dying even without Draco's attempts at murder.

"No," he yelled and grabbed the ring with his bloody hand, jumping backwards with it. Dumbledore must have put it onto his finger in the other timeline and that was what had killed him. It would certainly explain the hand.

"Mr Malfoy," started Dumbledore, and Draco could not remember him ever sounding so stern before, "hand over the ring." He stood up, and for the first time Draco noticed that the old man was quite a bit taller than him. Dumbledore still had the bloody knife in one hand. The other hand had his wand pointed at Draco.

But the formidable wizard was not the only danger around. The vermin Draco had assumed to be dead had formed a large circle around him, snapping at him with their half-rotten teeth.

Draco grabbed Harry and pushed him towards the door. "Run!"

TBC

The idea to have Neville introduce Daphne to his family came from Zeivira's review.

In case you did not get Draco's reference to the letters, in chapter 66 Augusta first learns that Neville had befriended Draco.

"So, that is why you never mentioned your new friend's name in any of your letters?" Augusta asked.

"I didn't?" Neville asked, scratching his head and looking sheepish.

The dead Inferi critters and the golden box are two ideas I stole from Severus Snape and the Art of War by CypressWand.

I am not a hundred percent happy with the transitions between scenes... but other than that, I am rather happy with this chapter, hope you enjoyed it as well :)