Falling for the Enemy||Draco Malfoy Love Story Fanfiction

Chapter 31

Chapter 31: Why?..

Scrimgeour paused, looking at her. Then he carried on,

"I leave my favourite mirror, in hopes it will reflect what she cares about most, and will show her life's every angle so that she may enjoy it." Merielle blinked. The words sounded familiar. Not exactly the same, but nevertheless similar. Was it something Dumbledore had told her before? She couldn't quite recall it. Scrimgeour drew out an antique mirror. It was crafted from fine, decorative silver, with carved runes around the border and embossed with glittering gemstones. There was a strange pattern of jewels on the back. It seemed all too familiar, but she couldn't remember how. Merielle silently cursed her memory. She knew that Dumbledore would not have left her a mirror for no reason, but she just couldn't figure out what his purpose was. She was sure she knew. It was just that her brain refused to cooperate. Scrimgeour was watching her carefully.

"Why do you think Dumbledore would have left you a mirror, Miss Stargline?"

"I'm not sure, to be honest. It's rather pretty though. Maybe he thought I could have a mirror I could carry with me so that I could always see my reflection." The surface of the mirror was shiny and polished, and she looked at her reflection staring back at her. Scrimgeour scowled at her sarcasm.

"Is that all?" Harry demanded.

"Not quite. Dumbledore left you a second bequest, Potter." They frowned and waited, but Scrimgeour didn't take anything out.

"The Sword of Gryffindor." Their eyes widened and they waited, but still Scrimgeour did not draw anything out from the pouch.

"Well, where is it?" snapped Harry impatiently.

"Unfortunately, the sword is an important historical artefact. It is not Dumbledore's to give away. The sword belongs-"

"To Harry! The sword belongs to Harry! It came to him in the Chamber of Secrets when he most needed it! He was the one who pulled it out!" Hermione snarled hotly.

"According to reliable historical sources, the sword may present itself to any worthy Gryffindor. That does not make it that wizard's property. Why do you think-"

"-Dumbledore gave me the sword?" Harry finished, struggling to contain his temper, "Maybe he thought it'd look nice on my wall?"

"This is not a joke, Potter!" Scrimgeour growled, "And in any case, the whereabouts of the sword remains unknown." They all fell silent.

"Excuse me?" demanded Harry.

"The sword is missing. I do not pretend to be your friend, Harry Potter, but I can assure you I am not your enemy."

"Hard to tell the difference nowadays," Harry snapped.

"Dumbledore said something very similar the last time we spoke." Scrimgeour looked out of the window with haunted eyes, and Merielle asked,

"Minister, where is your guard?"

"I came alone. I don't really need them anymore." He walked out and left.

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The four items were laid out on the table and everybody had a turn at looking at them. They marvelled over the Deluminator, fingered the book, lamented over the sword and exclaimed at the antique mirror, but nobody could understand why Dumbledore had given Harry a Snitch.

Harry's birthday dinner was served, and after a chorus of 'Happy Birthday' and finishing off the cake, they all began to feel rather sleepy.

"Meet us upstairs," Harry whispered to Merielle and Hermione, "After everyone's gone to bed."

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Merielle and Hermione waited until silence echoed round the house.

"I think it's clear now," Merielle whispered. The two of them tiptoed over to the boys' room and crept it, shutting the door quietly behind them.

"Muffliato," said Hermione.

"Thought you didn't approve of that spell?" Ron raised his eyebrows.

"Times change," Hermione muttered, "Now show us that Deluminator." Ron clicked it, and the lights went inside the Deluminator. He clicked it again, and the lights returned.

"It's impressive. Dumbledore invented it himself," Ron said excitedly.

"I know that the Ministry must've examined all of Dumbledore's will," said Hermione, "so I'm sure he must've known they would."

"Yes, but like, couldn't he have given us at least some kind of clue when he was alive?" said Ron.

"Maybe he did, but we just haven't realised it yet," Merielle murmured.

"Whatever do you mean?" Harry asked.

"The words Dumbledore wrote in his will for me: 'in hopes it will reflect what she cares about most, and will show her life's every angle so that she may enjoy it'. It sounds so familiar, but I just can't place my finger on where I've heard it before. And the bejewelled pattern on the back of this mirror? It looks familiar as well, but I don't remember where I've seen it before." She turned the mirror over so that they could examine it.

"It doesn't seem to be anything I recognise," Hermione admitted, and the other two shook their heads.

"But why a mirror? There's so many in the world; why this one?"

"It's just not making sense," agreed Harry.

"But why would Dumbledore have given Harry a Snitch?" Ron asked.

"Yes, I was sure something was going to happen when he touched it," Merielle agreed.

"Well, I wasn't going to try too hard in front of Scrimgeour, was I?" Harry arched an eyebrow. Hermione and I exchanged bemused looks, but Ron was pointing excitedly between Harry and the Snitch.

"That Snitch! When you caught your first Snitch, you-"

"-swallowed it, correct," grinned Harry. He raised the Snitch to his lips and pressed his mouth against it. They stared expectantly at it, but nothing happened.

"There's writing on it!" cried Merielle, "Quick, look!" Harry studied the Snitch. Indeed, five words were appearing in slanted writing across the golden, smooth surface of the Snitch -words that Harry recognised as Dumbledore's writing. He had barely read it when they vanished again.

"I open at the close...I open at the close...I open at the close..." he murmured, "What's that supposed to mean?" They just stared at him blankly. And though they tried their hardest to interpret the words, no meaning appeared to them. When they abandoned their fruitless attempts at deciphering the sentence, they reverted to the Sword of Gryffindor.

"Why didn't Dumbledore just give it to me then?" Harry exclaimed, "It was hanging on the wall in his office!"

"And as for this book," said Hermione, holding it up, "I've never even heard of it!"

"Oh surely you must've!" Ron cried, "All the old kids' stories are Beedle's, aren't they? 'The Fountain of Fair Fortune'...'The Wizard and the Hopping Pot'...'Babbity Rabbity and the Cackling Stump'..."

"Excuse me? What was that last one?" Hermione giggled.

"Oh, come off it! Surely you've read 'Babbity Rabbity," Ron looked between Harry and Hermione in disbelief. Merielle smirked,

"Ron, they were brought up by Muggles. They probably read different ones from us."

"Yeah, like 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' and 'Cinderella'..." said Hermione.

"What's that, an illness?" Ron shook his head, "Strange."

"So these are children's stories?" Hermione asked.

"They are," Merielle nodded, "Though I have no idea whatsoever why Dumbledore wanted to give you that."

"Anyways, we should all get some rest. We don't want to oversleep," Harry said.

"No," agreed Ron, "A brutal quadruple murder by the bridegroom's mother might put a bit of damper on the wedding. I'll get the light."