“Nothing is secret which shall not be made manifest.�
-Luke VIII. 17

Harry made plans with Ron and Hermione to meet at the Library before lunch. They knew that this would be a perfect time because Draco had gotten detention with Professor McGonagall for speaking out too many times. He had also gotten 20 points removed from Slytherin, as well. Harry eventually finished walking up the many moving stairs to the Fourth Floor and walked into the Library.

Upon walking in he saw Madam Pince telling some other students to “hush up.� Harry walked in further trying to find Ron and Hermione. He came to a table and recognized their bags on the floor beside a table. He went to the Spell Books section of the library, and eventually found them.

“Hiya, Harry,� said Ron enthusiastically. They were near a window in between two bookcases. On the window, Hermione had piled a couple books.

“Hi, Harry,� said Hermione with a smile. “Here look through these. Tell me if you see a spell that mentions making someone’s broom go out of control.� She handed Harry two large books.

“Well, this is a great welcome,� said Harry.

“Tell me about it, she made me look through three books already,� said Ron, flipping through the pages of a fourth book.

“I just want to find the spell, and with another two people it might go faster. Might, being the key word, if you don’t keep looking through the books, Ron,� said Hermione.

“Alright, alright, I’m looking,� said Ron. Harry was searching through the books Table of Contents, but there was only one chapter of spells for brooms, but it was nothing to kick a person off a broom. He put the first book back on the shelf, and looked at the other one Hermione had practically thrown at him.

Table of Contents:

Chapter 1: Spells to protect a door—p. 1 Harry looked further down.

Chapter 5: Spells to keep out the unwanted—p. 124

Chapter 12: Spells for a broom—p. 450

Harry flipped to the page. There was nothing, just ways to protect a broom. But then Harry looked at the bottom of the page. It read:

Note: Any spells to make the person on the broom be harmed, would be in Dark Arts books.

Harry closed the book. Damn.

“We won’t find anything in these books,� said Harry.

“Why not?� asked Hermione, as she looked up from her book.

“It said at the bottom of the page that spells like the one Snape had used, can be found in Dark Arts books,� said Harry.

“All this searching for nothing! Great,� said Ron. He closed the book with a loudly.

“There’s no way we can look at those books, though. They are in the Restricted Section, and you need a pass from a professor just to go in there,� said Hermione.

“Well, you could get a pass, Hermione. Any teacher would trust you,� said Harry.

“Especially McGonagall or Binns,� said Ron.

“I’ll see what I can do after the holiday,� said Hermione.

“SHH!� said Madam Pince, more loudly than them.

“Let’s get out of here,� said Ron. “Before Madam Pince yells at us again. Besides, I can’t stand looking at anymore books.�

“Are either of you staying for the holiday?� asked Harry. He put the other book on the shelf, as had Ron and Hermione with their couple of books.

“I’m staying,� said Ron.

“I’m not. I’m going to Europe with my family,� said Hermione.

“Lucky you,� said Harry. Ron mumbled something about how he wished he was leaving for a nice holiday.

“Have you ever been out of the country?� asked Harry to Ron. Hermione had grabbed her bag from the table and they were now walking out of the Library into the Fourth Floor corridors.

“Once or twice when I was little. We had to use Floo Powder, of course,� said Ron.

“Floo Powder?� asked Harry curiously.

“Floo Powder is a powder that enables a person to travel by walking into a fireplace. When you want to travel by Floo Powder, you take a handful of it, go into a fireplace, and say where you want to go at the same time you throw the powder to the floor. Then magically you go where you want to,� said Hermione cleverly.

“Wicked! I’ve never heard of that before. Can you use any fireplace? Could I use it from the Dursley’s?�

“No. It has to be at a magic place, as far as I know,� said Hermione.

“Who are the Dursley’s?� asked Ron.

“My evil family who I’ve been living with since I was one.�

“Evil?� asked Ron skeptically, but with a bit of a laugh.

“Alright maybe not evil, but horrible, anyway,� said Harry. Harry looked from Ron to Hermione.

“Well, now I know why you’re staying at Hogwarts for the holiday,� said Ron, jokingly.

“Ha. I wish I could stay here permanently,� said Harry.

“Well, Harry, if you really hate it there, then you can come over to my home during the summer break. I know that my mum and dad wouldn’t mind,� said Ron.

“Thanks Ron! That sounds brilliant!� said Harry.

“You can come too, Hermione. Another friend at the Burrow, is always welcomed,� said Ron happily.

“Thanks, I’d love to go! But why is it called The Burrow?� asked Hermione.

“Well…you just have to see it. Then you’ll know,� said Ron.

“I’ll keep that in mind,� said Hermione. They were now walking down the corridor where the statue of Angerona was, but Harry didn’t notice it until Ron pointed it out.

“Look at that statue! I’ve never noticed that statue before,� said Ron. He walked right up to it, and looked at it curiously.

“I’ve never noticed it either,� said Hermione curiously. She too walked up to it, to get a better look. Harry had stayed a bit further back, since he had already seen it.

“That’s the statue that guards the room Draco showed me. Do you want to see it?�

“What time does he get out of detention?� asked Hermione. Harry checked his watch.

“Not for another hour.�

“Well, what are we waiting for? Lets go in!� exclaimed Ron excitedly, but then he paused. “Wait. How do we get in?�

Harry moved to the statue, as Ron and Hermione moved back. Harry looked into the eyes of the statue before saying: “My secrets are yours past this door.� He bowed gracefully, and moved back up in time to see the statue remove the cloth from her face, like she has done previously. She moved away revealing the door.

“Bloody hell!� exclaimed Ron as he followed Harry toward the door. Hermione was close behind. There was something on the door, Harry hadn’t noticed before, so he stopped. Carved into the wood elegantly were the words: “Room of Buried Secrets.� Harry opened the door and walked in, Ron and Hermione right behind him.

Ron sat himself on one of the small couches, which matched his hair with hardly any difference in color; Hermione upon a beautiful purple couch. “Wicked room,� said Ron, looking around.

“Why is it called the Room of Buried Secrets?� asked Hermione. She was looking around, too. She noticed the table with incense, and got up to light one.

“Well, Draco told me that when someone tells a secret in this room, another candle goes into the air, with that person’s name on it,� said Harry. Harry had closed the door and had taken a seat across from Ron on a green couch that matched his marvelous eyes.

Harry looked up to the candles. There were lots of them, but Harry guessed that the number of the white candles reached just over fifty. Those candles were the only things illuminating the room, but the room was clearly lit, though with an air of mystery. Harry wondered what names were on the candles, so he got up and stood on one of the couches.

“What are you doing?� asked Ron. Harry looked down and saw that Ron was now standing, but on the floor, and Hermione had turned from the table with incense.

“Just looking at the names on the candles,� said Harry, turning back to the candles. He heard Ron climb onto the couch he had been sitting on, to stand on it. Harry could just hear Hermione mutter something that sounded like, “Boys.� Harry was too short to even reach a candle that was lower down.

But he could see a name: Lucius Malfoy. The name was on a lot of the candles. Harry knew that the name was Draco’s father’s name. Harry turned back to Ron, “What names do you see? I can see Lucius Malfoy.�

“Yeah, I see Lucius Malfoy. But I also see Bellatrix Black, and… the names are too far away, but it looks like the last name begins with an L,� said Ron.

“Have you ever heard any of these names?� asked Harry to both Ron and Hermione.

“Only Lucius Malfoy. He works with my dad at the Ministry of Magic,� sad Ron.

Harry saw Hermione shaking her head, as she sat on the purple couch again. “Well, I’ve heard Lucius Malfoy before. That’s probably Draco Malfoy’s father,� said Hermione.

“It is,� said Ron. He got down from the couch.

Harry too got down from the couch and stood on solid ground to the right of Ron, which felt better for his legs. “Do you think I could get one of those candles over here?� asked Harry.

“How?� asked Ron, curiously.

“Use Accio,� said Hermione.

“Accio candle!� called Harry, concentrating on one of the white candles that had said the name Lucius Malfoy. To Harry’s surprise, the candle moved toward him. Once it was near enough, he grabbed it.

Once he did, the room changed a little. Some of the couches were in a different place and the room seemed dimmer than before. Harry looked up and saw that there were fewer candles. He turned to his left; Ron wasn’t standing beside him anymore, and Hermione wasn’t sitting on the purple couch. The purple couch wasn’t even in the same place. Harry heard the door handle being turned, but didn’t have time to hide when five older students came in.

They didn’t seem to see him. The students settled themselves on the different colored couches. They looked to be in their seventh year. “Malfoy, why did you bring us in here? What do you want to tell us?� asked a dark-haired male. Harry saw his brown eyes look toward Lucius with curiosity.

Harry finally realized that he was seeing into the past. The male with long white blond hair looked smug about something, as he sat down on the green couch Harry had been standing on previously. He pulled up his left sleeve, showing something, but Harry was too far to see. Harry moved closer, but Lucius pulled his sleeve back down before Harry could reach him.

“I got it yesterday. I met the Dark Lord in the Forbidden Forest, and he took me to a graveyard. My first task for him is tonight,� said Lucius proudly. Harry saw his gray eyes looking at the others in the room. “You should all join him. He’s not just a wizard; he’s so much more than just a simple wizard. I’m telling you. He knows more dark magic than anyone.� The four other students around Lucius Malfoy looked pleased and excited.

“When can we arrange a meeting?� asked a female long dark hair.* Harry saw that she had dark, sunken eyes.

“I’ll bring you tonight into the Forbidden Forest. We should get the others to come, too,� said Lucius. “We’ll meet tonight in the Common Room at one in the morning. I want to make sure there are no younger students around. That first year boy Severus Snape** has been following me,� said Lucius.

“Don’t you think he’d be another person we should bring along. It seems he would be interested. That boy Snape knows more spells than I knew when I was a first year,� said a male that looked a lot like Goyle. Beside him, on the red couch, sat another male that looked like Grabbe.

“And those friends of his, as well, like Rosier and Wilkes,� said the female.

“They’re too young. But make sure your cousin, Sirius Black, doesn’t find out. I don’t want any Gryffindors prying in our business,� said Lucius, coldly.

“He won’t if we’re careful,� said the female.

“Then be careful,� said Lucius. The dark-haired male and the female nodded, and Harry saw that the light changed slightly.

Harry looked to the left to see that Ron was standing there. Harry’s body must have just moved in the vision.

“What the bloody hell was that?!� asked Ron flustered.

“What happened to you?!� asked Hermione upset. They had both spoken at the same time.

“What do you mean?� asked Harry, realizing their frustration at him. He also realized the candle was still in his hand. The color of the candle changed to black, much to Harry’s disappointment. Draco would definitely notice that one of the candles was now a completely different color. Harry let go of the candle and it flew back into the air, to the place it had been before Harry called for it.

“You were just standing there completely frozen!� said Ron, still upset.

“I tried to shake you, but there was some sort of force preventing me from touching you,� said Hermione, thinking more clearly now, but still worried.

“I didn’t know that. I’m sorry I scared you two,� said Harry apologetically. “But once I touched the candle, it brought me back into the past. I saw Lucius Malfoy and some of his friends in this very room. He showed the rest of them something on his left arm. Do you know what that might have been?�

Ron and Hermione didn’t know. They eventually left the Room of Buried Secrets. Ron said that he had left his bag in the Library, Hermione wanted to do work in the Gryffindor Common Room, and Harry went to Slytherin Common Room, so they all went their separate ways.