chapter forty | back to school
───── ⋆✩⋆ ─────
Stella Mason inhaled a huge breath coming up from the icy water she and her friends jumped into. She felt her clothes stick to her skin, almost like glue, giving it an uncomfortable feel. She got a glimpse of her friends before swimming to a nearby hill. Hermione and Stella helped each other onto the grass before the four started walking, shaking in their shoes from the cold.
"He knows," Harry blurted, shivering, "You-Know-Who. He knows we broke into Gringotts. He knows what we took and he knows we're hunting Horcruxes."
Stella scoffed, trying to keep up with her friends' fast pace, "how is it he knows?"
"I saw him."
"You let him in," Hermione raged, "Harry, you can't do that!"
"Hermione, I can't always help it," Harry snapped, "or maybe I can... I don't know."
Ron intervened as Hermione and Stella brought out dry clothes for the boys and towels for themselves, "never mind! What happened?"
"Well, he's angry. And scared, too. He knows if we find and destroy all the Horcruxes, we'll be able to kill him," Harry rushed as he put on a clean shirt, "I reckon he'll stop at nothing to make sure we don't find the rest. There's more, one of them is at Hogwarts."
Stella wrapped a towel around herself to keep warm as Hermione gaped beside her, "what? You saw it?"
"I saw the castle. And Rowena Ravenclaw. It must have something to do with her, we have to go there now!"
"What we can't do that," exclaimed Hermione, "we've got to plan, we've got to figure it out!"
The Potter scoffed, "Hermione, when have any of our plans ever actually worked? We plan, we get there, all hell breaks loose."
Now dressed fully in clean clothes, Ron breathed, "he's right. Only one problem. Snape's Headmaster now, we can't just walk through the front door."
"Um... we'll go to Hogsmeade—to Honeydukes. Take the secret passage in the cellar," Harry solved. He looked around at his friends, "there's something wrong with him," he shared, "it's like, you know, in the past, I've always been able to follow his thoughts. And now, everything just seems disconnected."
"Maybe it's because of the Horcruxes," Stella offered, "maybe he's weaker, maybe he's dying!"
Green met blue as the boy shook his head, "no. It's more like he's wounded. If anything, he feels more dangerous."
Harry's words didn't scare his friends, if anything, the words made them more encouraged to fight and end the war once and for all. But first, Stella needed to change into some dry clothes.
⋆⋅☆⋅⋆
As soon as the four friends landed in Hogsmeade, the sounds of sirens and shouting met their ears. They instantly ran for cover from the Death Eaters that were patrolling the dark streets. They held their breaths as they listened to the Death Eater yell for Harry. Another siren went off, making the Death Eater run in the opposite direction, opening an opportunity for them to run and seek shelter. The four ran all the way to a gate, only to find it was locked.
"In here, Potter."
An older man's voice sounded. The friends glanced at each other before rushing inside the building the man had offered. Stella took a glance at the man briefly, only to have to look back again to assure herself she wasn't just seeing things. She caught up to Ron and Hermione as she took in the room around her as Harry walked further away from them in the room.
"Did you get a look at him," Ron asked the two girls quietly, "for a second I thought it was—"
"I know, Dumbledore."
Walking further into the room, Stella found various paintings on the walls. One in particular standing out to her. A painting of a young girl with a straight but kind face. Next to the painting, was a broken piece of mirror. Stella narrowed her eyes, walking closer to it, only to see Harry in it.
"Harry," the Mason called, looking back at him, "I can see you in this."
Harry looked down at the mirror to see the back of Stella's head, her wavy curls along her back. Before he could respond, the man came into the room.
"You bloody fools," he bellowed, "what are you thinking coming here? Have you any idea how dangerous it is?"
"You're Aberforth," Harry stepped forward, ignoring the harshness in the man's voice, "Dumbledore's brother. It's you who I've been seeing in here," he showed the mirror, "you're the one who sent Dobby."
Aberforth crossed the room, "where have you left him?"
"He's safe. He went back to help other elves prepare or get to safety."
The man smiled smally, "I like that elf."
Harry pointed to the mirror behind him hotly, "who gave that to you? The mirror."
"Mundungus Fletcher, about a year ago."
"Dung had no right selling that to you, it belonged to—"
"Sirius. Albus told me," Aberforth disregarded Harry's sharp tone, "he also told me you'd likely be hacked off if you ever found out I had it. But ask yourself, where would you be if I didn't."
Dead, Stella shivered in thought.
Aberforth left the room, leaving the four friends in silence at his words. He came back with a tray of food that everyone but Harry didn't hesitate to dig into.
"Do you hear from the others much," Hermione asked, picking up a cup of Butterbeer and a slice of bread, "from the Order?"
"The Order's finished," Aberforth rasped, "You-Know-Who has won. Anyone who says otherwise is killing themselves."
Stella furrowed her brows at his words before turning to Harry, who spoke firmly, "we need to get into Hogwarts tonight. Dumbledore gave us a job to do."
"Did he now? Nice job? Easy?"
"We've been hunting Horcruxes. We think the last one's inside the castle but we'll need your help getting in."
"It's not a job my brother's given you... it's a suicide mission," Aberforth sounded surely, "do yourself a favor, boy, go home. Live a little longer."
"Dumbledore trusted me to see this through."
"What makes you think you can trust him? What makes you think you can believe anything my brother told you. In all the time you knew him, did he ever once mention my name? Did he ever mention hers?"
Aberforth motioned to the portrait behind them, causing Harry to pause, "why should he—"
"Keep secrets? You tell me."
"I trusted him."
Aberforth walked toward the Potter with a glare, "that's a boy's answer. A boy who goes hunting for Horcruxes on the word of a man who wouldn't even tell him where to start, you're lying! Not just to me, that doesn't matter, but to yourself as well. That's what a fool does. I don't strike you as a fool, Harry Potter. So, I'll ask you again. There must be a reason..."
Stella glanced towards her friends beside her uneasily as silence rang out for a moment.
Harry responded, not looking that affected by the man's words, "I'm not interested in what happened between you and your brother. I don't care that you've given up. I trusted the man I knew. We need to get into the castle tonight."
Aberforth stared at the boy before heaving a sigh. He turned to the portrait of the young girl and nodded, "you know what to do."
Before their very eyes, the young girl nodded back before walking into the distance, disappearing from sight.
"Where have you sent her?"
"You'll see," the man spoke softly, "soon enough."
As Aberforth started to leave the room, the three other teens stepped forward to get a better look at the portrait. Hermione spoke before the man left completely, stopping him in his tracks.
"That's your sister, Ariana, isn't it? She died very young, didn't she?"
Aberforth turned to face the teens one more time, "my brother sacrificed many things on his journey to find power, including Ariana. She was devoted to him and he gave her everything... but time."
"Thank you, Mr. Dumbledore."
As the man left the room, Hermione faced her friends who were giving her questionable looks. She shrugged, "he did save our lives twice. Kept an eye on us with that mirror," she leaned forward to whisper, mainly to Harry, "that doesn't seem like someone who's given up."
A few moments passed before Stella squinted at the portrait when she saw movement, "she's coming back."
"Who's that with her?"
Ron's question was answered when the portrait swung open to show the beaten up but smiling face of Neville Longbottom.
"Neville!"
"You look—"
"Like hell, I reckon," Neville chuckled, "but this is nothing, Seamus is worse."
Stella snorted, "typical."
The four friends followed Neville through the tunnel from inside the portrait.
"Don't remember seeing this on the Marauders Map."
"That's because it never existed until now," the Longbottom answered Ron, a torch in his hand to guide them through the dark tunnel, "the seven secret passages were sealed off at the start of the year. This is the only way in or out now. The grounds are crawling with Death Eaters and Dementors."
"How's Snape as Headmaster," Hermione asked.
"Hardly ever see him. It's the Carrows you've got to watch out for."
Harry furrowed his brow, "Carrows?"
"Yeah. Brother and sister. In charge of discipline," Neville motioned to his face, "they like punishment, the Carrows."
"They did that to you," Stella scoffed in disbelief, hating how her friend was stuck in that kind of environment, "why?"
Neville sighed, "today's Dark Arts lesson had us practicing the Cruciatus Curse, on first years. I refused. Hogwarts has changed," they continued their way down the tunnel until Neville stopped in front of them, "let's have a bit of fun, shall we," he pushed the door in front of him open and called out, "listen up, you lot. Got a surprise."
A familiar voice rang from below, "not more of Aberforth's cooking, I hope. Be a surprise if we can digest it."
Stella and Ron shared a chuckle at Seamus's comment before their presence was known. Cheers rang out, along with applause, for the four students. They clambered down the ladder onto the floor of a huge room filled with hammocks. Stella smiled in delight as she hugged her classmates. After everyone was settled, the group huddled around the four friends.
"What's the plan, Harry?"
"There's something we need to find," The Potter answered Neville, "something hidden here in the castle. It may help us defeat You-Know-Who."
Neville looked around at his friends, hope in his eyes, "alright, what is it?"
"We don't know?"
"Where is it?"
"We don't know that either... I realize it's not much to go on."
Seamus spoke up, "that's nothing to go on."
"It has something to do with Ravenclaw," Harry swallowed, "it'll be small, easily concealed."
The light voice of Luna Lovegood sounded, "well, there's Rowena Ravenclaw's lost diadem."
"Oh, bloody hell, here we go."
"Lost diadem of Ravenclaw," Luna looked around at the others who were silent. Stella gave Ron an elbow to the side for his comment. Luna kept going, "hasn't anyone heard of it? It's quite famous."
Cho Chang stepped forward, "yes, but Luna, it's lost, for centuries now. There isn't a person alive today who's seen it."
"Excuse me, but can someone tell me what a bloody diadem is?"
"It's a sort of crown," Cho answered Ron, "you know, like a tiara."
The closing of a door nearby was heard, along with footsteps. Ginny Weasley appeared from the parted group. The girl smiled at her brother and friends in greeting.
"What is it, Ginny," Neville asked.
"Snape knows," Ginny breathed, "he knows Harry was spotted in Hogsmeade."
───── ⋆✩⋆ ─────
don't be a silent reader!
edited: 6 april 2021