Harry and Luci spent the next fortnight meeting in the drawing room late each evening. The time had been flying by, and it was now early October. Harry knew that he needed to continue his search for the Horcruxes, but he was really having a splendid time with Luci. He’d totally forgotten the feelings of being stuck in a dismal, sunless place. By day, they were pretending not to notice one another, so as not to alert anyone to what they’d been up to, but by night, she’d been teaching him a few new things. For instance, there was a spell that blinded your enemies, which they obviously didn’t practice on each other. She cautioned that he should only use this one in extreme situations, because it was almost never reversible. There was also an interesting enchantment that reminded Harry of the Bubble-Head charm, except that it enwrapped your entire body in a protective shield. It was nearly impossible to conjure, however, and Harry wasn’t even close to succeeding.
This evening, Luci greeted him merrily with, “OK, I’ve got one you surely haven’t learned!”
He turned to see her in the doorway of the drawing room. She still gave him that swooping sensation in his stomach. “Oh, yeah?”
“It’s the Traitor Hex,” she answered, entering the room.
“Traitor Hex?” Harry repeated.
“It temporarily turns a person against their allies. Very helpful in any kind of battle situation.”
He grinned. “Brilliant!”
“Yes,” she agreed.
“We could get Death Eaters like Snape and Bellatrix on our side!” Harry realized excitedly.
“No!” snapped Luci.
Harry gaped at her in surprise.
She cleared her throat. “It won’t work on Snape.”
Harry looked at her skeptically. “How do you even know who Snape is?” He tried to remember whether or not he’d mentioned his old Potions teacher to her. He was fairly certain that he hadn’t.
A fleeting look of panic flashed in Luci’s eyes, but it disappeared just as quickly, and she said unperturbedly, “Everyone knows Severus Snape, and it won’t work on him.”
He thought her answer was a bit suspicious, but instead of probing further, Harry asked, “Why not?”
“He’s much too talented.”
“So it only works on weak wizards?”
“Not necessarily. But it won’t work on Snape, and certainly not on Voldemort,” she replied. “And besides that, it’s temporary “ only lasts for several minutes, depending on the person.”
Harry was very displeased with this.
“Well, let’s see it anyway,” he sighed in disappointment.
She looked contemplative. “I don’t know how you could practice it…”
“I could try it on Malfoy,” Harry suggested.
Luci laughed, but then clapped her hand over her mouth.
“Not funny,” she said from between her fingers, but he could tell that she was smiling.
Composing herself, she flicked her wand and, at their feet, there appeared four mice, two brown and two white.
“Addo Ferito,” she said, and the two brown mice began to bite and scratch at the other pair.
“All right, Harry, the incantation for the Traitor Hex is Abeo Proditio. Give it a try.”
Harry brandished his wand. He’d finally been able to remove the bandages from his right hand, which had now healed, thanks to a salve that Mrs. Weasley had been applying daily. Each time, she’d demanded an explanation for the burn, but he’d always refused to tell her.
He said clearly, “Abeo Proditio.”
He watched the mice, but nothing had changed. They were still sparring, two on two.
“Here,” Luci said. “It’s more of a wave, like this.” She demonstrated the motion with her wand.
Harry mimicked her, saying again, “Abeo Proditio.”
One of the white rats began to try to bathe its partner.
Harry blushed, but Luci smiled.
“Keep trying,” she encouraged.
And Harry did. He tried five more times, each attempt resulting in odd conduct from the mice, but never the desired behavior, though he seemed to get closer with every go he had at it.
After a long period of time and the ninth failure, he sighed in frustration. He was feeling very self-conscious, with Luci watching him, and with his inability to get this right.
“Why don’t we try this again later?” proposed Luci.
Then, at her murmur of “Evanesco,” the mice vanished as instantly as they had appeared.
“Stupid mice,” muttered Harry.
She laughed. “It’s a tough one, but I have no doubt that you’ll get it. You’re really quite gifted.”
He stared at her for a moment. His cheeks were burning. “Thanks,” he mumbled.
“OK,” she began. “So try the bubble shield on me again. You’ve almost got it. Just remember not to actually envision bubbles when you do it.”
Last night, he’d tried it on her for the first time, and she’d blown up like a balloon, after which she’d floated around the room, giggling at him, until she had finally decided to fix the problem.
“I’d rather not,” he said, hesitantly.
“I want you to try it on me before you try it on yourself. It’s safer that way.”
Harry frowned.
“Come on,” Luci encouraged, giving him a welcoming gesture.
Slowly pointing his wand at her, he said firmly, “Clypeus.”
For a moment, nothing happened. Then, Luci opened her mouth and bubbles began pouring out of it.
Harry gasped in horror.
But Luci was doubled over with laughter, which, in turn, was filling the room with incandescent suds that floated towards the ceiling.
“I’m sorry!” he moaned.
She was shaking her head at him and just continued to laugh.
After a few moments, she pointed her wand at herself and said something, causing more bubbles to erupt. Then, without another word, and to Harry’s puzzlement, she laid down on the floor, her long blonde hair spread out beneath her head like a halo, her arms at her sides. She was watching the bubbles hovering above them, but she was still giggling at him. Harry was mortified.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“Yes, very easily solved,” said Luci, smiling. “And so pretty too.”
Nothing emerged from her mouth, so she must have righted the problem.
Harry, relieved, lowered himself onto the floor beside her and looked up at the ceiling of suspended spheres that reflected the colors in the room. She was so close that he could smell her “ sugary, as if he’d just walked into a sweet shop. He inhaled indulgently, feeling all of his walls come tumbling down around him. He wasn’t quite sure if he’d proven to Luci that he trusted her, but he’d certainly proven it to himself.
The two of them lay there for a while, silent, on the drawing room floor. Harry felt his body relax as he listened to Luci’s soft breathing. Eventually, he gave in to his intuition.
“Luci?”
“Hmm?” she answered lazily.
He took a deep breath. “Do you know anything about Horcruxes?”
Luci bolted upright, spluttering, “Wh…?”
A residual bubble popped from her mouth. They both ignored it.
Harry sat up too.
She was gaping at him. “Why would you ask me that?”
They stared at each other for a few moments. Her wintergreen eyes were piercing.
Then, she said, “That’s your secret? You’re making Horcruxes?”
“No!” exclaimed Harry. “No, that’s not it at all.”
Luci shook her head, baffled.
Harry figured he might as well just tell her straight. “Voldemort made six of them. Three have been destroyed and I have to find the others.”
Luci’s eyes had grown increasingly wider with every word from Harry’s mouth.
“Tell me you’re kidding.”
He shook his head.
She gazed at him as she turned this information over in her mind.
“Harry…” she began cautiously. “Do you have any idea…”
“I know,” he interrupted. “It’s dangerous. But I have to do it.”
Luci was looking contemplative. “Yes, of course, you do,” she said, almost to herself. “If you want to destroy Voldemort, you have to get to the Horcruxes first…”
Harry felt a glimmer of hope. “So you do know about them?”
“A little, yeah...” she said, still frowning and staring at the floor in thought.
Harry knew that he wouldn’t have a better opportunity than to ask an Auror for help.
“How do I destroy them?”
Luci looked up at him. “Assuming you can find them?”
“Yeah.”
She sighed. “God, they’re all different. It would depend on so many things.”
“Like what?”
She began chewing thoughtfully on her right thumbnail. Harry found himself thinking that this was tremendously attractive.
“Well, I assume that Voldemort’s Horcruxes’ll be particularly difficult to destroy… No, that probably wouldn’t work, at least not on its own…”
She was mumbling to herself at this point, and Harry watched her patiently. Finally, she looked up at him and sighed, “I’m sorry; I wouldn’t know unless I could see it. And then, I probably still wouldn’t know.”
“Isn’t there anything?” asked Harry desperately.
Luci smiled softly. “I don’t have all of the answers, Harry.”
Disappointed, he asked, “Well, can you at least tell me how to know when I’ve found one?”
She pondered the question. “Um… I don’t know… I’ve only read about them, but, from what I understand, it’s such dark magic that you can almost feel it in your gut when you’re near one.”
Harry sighed. “That’s what Hermione said, but I’ve never felt anything.”
Luci looked incredulously at him. “You’ve been in contact with Horcruxes before?”
He nodded. “Two of them.”
Harry proceeded to tell her about Riddle’s diary and Ravenclaw’s golden wings. He also informed her of the third destroyed Horcrux, Gaunt’s ring. He’d only seen it in Horcrux form in the Pensieve and had never had any actual contact with it until after Dumbledore had destroyed it.
When he’d finished, Luci breathed, “Wow, I’m… totally blown away…”
He was discomfited to see that she was gazing admirably at him. “You really are something, aren’t you?”
Harry shook his head. Heat was slithering up his neck and spreading over his face. He averted his eyes.
“Yes, you are,” said Luci. “And now you’re going to continue risking your life to find the remaining Horcruxes?”
“I have no choice,” replied Harry quietly.
“Of course, you do,” she countered solicitously. “We always have choices. Your choice is to follow a difficult and dangerous path for the greater good. That’s… mind-blowing.”
He shrugged, very much wanting to change the subject.
“I don’t mean to embarrass you,” said Luci gently. “I’m just in awe over you sometimes.”
Now, he was definitely going to change the subject.
“You’ll keep this between us, won’t you?” It was a little late to ask that question, and he knew it.
She smiled faintly. “I thought dueling together was going to help you to trust me?”
“It has. That’s why I’ve just told you all of this.”
She took a breath. “It’s a lot.”
“Yeah.”
“You can trust me, Harry.”
He smiled wearily. Glancing up, he noticed that most of the bubbles had now disappeared.
Luci observed this too, along with Harry’s fatigue, and said, “I’ll clean this up. Why don’t you go to bed?”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes. Get some sleep. Tomorrow, you need to start thinking about leaving here again.”
Harry sighed. “I know.”
Luci sounded troubled as she said, “We’ve been wasting precious time.”
“I don’t think it’s been a waste of time at all,” responded Harry.
She smiled, as if this greatly lifted her spirits. “Go to bed.”
And he did.
Harry was looking forward to his last night with Luci, as he’d looked forward to every night that had preceded it, but he was dreading the morning that would follow. He’d decided that he would spend one more evening here, and then he really had to go, though, where, he wasn’t sure yet.
That afternoon, Harry went to Luci’s room to ask her if she’d spend one more night with him. He had a feeling that she’d protest, insisting again that she was a waste of his time, but he would ask anyway. He had just put his knuckles to the wood and was about to knock, when he realized that Luci was talking to someone.
He put an ear to the door.
“Everything’s going fine,” she was saying. “How are things on your end?”
Harry expected to hear a separate voice respond, but instead, there was only silence.
Then it was Luci’s voice again. “So the Dark Lord is still buying it?”
The Dark Lord? thought Harry, every nerve in his body tingling unpleasantly.
“He continues to be insolent and aggravating, but I think I have a handle on things,” Luci carried on.
Who was insolent and aggravating? Harry wished that he had those Extendable Ears right about now.
Then, Luci spoke again, “I know. I just want to keep him safe.”
A brief pause.
“Harry? Harry is… well, he’s quite amazing, actually. I had no idea…”
Harry felt as if someone had turned him upside down, shaken him, and then set him upright again. Luci thought he was amazing!
“Oh, I don’t think he’s arrogant at all.”
A pause.
“Well, it’s a difference of opinion.”
Another pause.
“No, I’m not distracted. I have everything under control. Why don’t you worry about your job and I’ll worry about mine?”
Harry, who had been trying to get into a better position in which to eavesdrop, had hit the door with his foot.
He heard Luci whisper hastily, “I have to go!”
Harry fumbled in his pocket for the Invisibility Cloak, which he’d taken to carrying with him at all times, and threw it over his head. He pressed himself into the wall and held his breath, trying to remain as silent as possible.
Luci poked her head out of her door and looked up and down the hallway.
“Hmm,” she said aloud. Then she closed the door again.
Harry exhaled in relief.
Who was Luci talking to, and how were they communicating?
He stripped off the Cloak, grateful to have had it with him, and started back downstairs. Luci would notice that he hadn’t left yet and would meet him in the drawing room, as usual. And then he would ask her about that strange conversation. He was sure that there was a perfectly reasonable explanation.
Harry was waving his wand at the two pairs of mice. He’d been trying the Traitor Hex for a while now, with Luci watching patiently from a chair behind him.
Finally, he noticed the mice beginning to fight with their partners instead of their opponents.
“I did it!” he bellowed.
“There you go!” Luci cheered from her seat. “Nice job. Bit more difficult on humans, of course, but I don’t think you’ll have a problem.”
Suddenly, there was a loud CRACK.
Harry and Luci turned to see a pathetic little creature staring up at them.
“Dobby has a message from Miss Granger, sir, for Harry Potter, sir.”
The elf handed a folded letter to Harry, who said, “Thanks, Dobby.”
Dobby bowed low, his nose brushing against the floor.
“It is my honor and pleasure, Harry Potter, sir.”
Harry unrolled the parchment to find a neatly written letter from Hermione.
“Dear Harry,
I hope you’re being watchful and taking care of yourself. Be on guard, because I don’t know who around you can be trusted. Anyway, Ron and I have continued the D.A. meetings. But a lot of people haven’t returned to school or have finished, of course. Seamus’s mother didn’t let him return, and the Patil twins are gone, as well. So here is the new list. Cho and Lavender are still here, but they won’t join us, for obvious reasons.
Love from, Hermione
Hermione Granger
Ron Weasley
Ginny Weasley
Neville Longbottom
Luna Lovegood
Dean Thomas
Ernie Macmillan
Justin Finch-Fletchley
Dennis Creevey
Colin Creevey”
It was still an impressive number. Harry was pleased that his friends were still standing by him, and, not to mention, they were being remarkably courageous.
“Is it good news, sir?” Dobby asked Harry.
“Yes,” Harry replied. “Thanks for bringing this.”
Suddenly, Luci had jumped to her feet. “I’m sorry… Dobby, is it?”
The house elf looked at her cautiously, as her abrupt rise seemed to have startled him.
“What’s that around your neck?” Luci asked.
Dobby took a step back, grasping the item protectively.
Luci moved slowly towards him. “I just want a peek…”
Dobby shook his head adamantly.
“Let her see it, Dobby,” Harry interjected, curious to discover what had caught Luci’s attention.
The elf’s bottom lip quivered as he glanced up at Harry. Finally, he reluctantly pulled the trinket out from beneath his pillowcase shirt for them to see.
Harry gasped when he recognized it.
Luci looked at him questioningly. “Do you know what it is?”
He nodded.
“Really, really bad vibes coming from that thing… Dobby, I’d better take that.”
“No!” cried Dobby, looking fiercer than Harry had ever seen him.
“Give it to me,” Harry commanded.
Once again, the elf grudgingly obeyed, lifting the necklace slowly over his head and handing it to Harry, who let out a loud yelp when the locket met his skin. He dropped it onto the drawing room table.
“Are you OK?” Luci asked.
Harry nodded, looking down at the necklace and holding his injured hand to his chest. The heavy golden locket was the same one that he had seen in the Pensieve, with the serpentine “S” engraving.
“Dobby, where did you get this?” he asked the trembling creature.
“Dobby won it, Harry Potter, sir, fair and square.”
Harry glanced questioningly at him. “You won it?”
Dobby nodded. “From the nasty Kreacher, sir.”
“Kreacher had this?”
The elf nodded again.
Harry stared again at the locket.
“Dobby has helped Harry Potter, sir?”
Harry nodded, not looking away from the necklace. “Yes, Dobby, you’ve helped me.”
The house elf emitted a shrill note of joy and hopped about animatedly, seeming to have forgotten how precious this item had been to him just moments before. Then, with another cracking noise, he disappeared again.
When he was gone, Harry glanced up at Luci, who was also studying the locket.
“Is it a…?”
He nodded.
“Holy Horcruxes, Harry,” she said.
He gave her a perplexed glance.
“It was a joke.”
Harry frowned.
The smile slid from her face. “Not the time for jokes... OK…”
“What do I do with it?” he asked her.
Luci met his gaze. “You haven’t told anyone else about this hunt of yours?”
Harry shook his head. “But Moody suspects.”
She looked at him thoughtfully for a moment. “Did it burn you when you touched it? Like the wings?”
He held out his hand for her to see. It was red and swollen where his skin had come into contact with the gold. He’d only just gotten this hand healed, and now it was burned again, though certainly not as severely.
“That’ll heal in a few days,” said Luci.
She removed her cardigan, and, picking up the locket, wrapped it tightly inside.
“It doesn’t burn you?” Harry asked.
She shook her head. “I think they burn you because of the connection you have to Voldemort. Horcruxes appear as nothing more than inanimate objects to anyone who doesn’t know better.”
“The diary never burned me,” countered Harry.
Luci nodded. “Yes, but didn’t Riddle want you to read it? He would have removed any enchantments that might harm you, maybe?”
Handing him the sweater, she continued, “I think you know where to take this.”
Harry shook his head in a lack of understanding.
“You haven’t opened your birthday present?” she asked disbelievingly.
“What?”
She frowned. “The one that I gave you.”
He’d totally forgotten about it.
“I… I forgot.”
Luci’s eyes were wide. “You… forgot?”
“Yeah, I just…”
“You’ve had a lot on your mind, I know. Nevermind. You should open it.”
“But I did!” replied Harry. “It’s just a useless key!”
She gave him an exasperated glance. “Look in the box.”
“OK…”
Luci nodded. “Look in the box, and you’ll know what to do with the Horcrux.”
Harry dashed from the room, with Luci on his heels. Soon, he was digging underneath his mattress for the small black box that he’d stashed there. Luci was watching him from the doorway.
He sat down upon his bed and opened the box. The scarlet key laid still and indescript inside. Harry removed it, placed it on the bed beside him, and started to take out the stuffing of its container. At the very bottom, he discovered a small piece of parchment, which he eagerly unfolded.
“Dear Harry,
I hope that this letter finds you well and that you are continuing what we started together. The enclosed key will open the Hogwarts headmaster’s office at your convenience. I hope that you will come and visit me.
Sincerely, Albus P.W.B. Dumbledore”
Harry looked up at Luci, gaping.
“Where did you get this? Is this really from…?”
She nodded.
“How did you…?”
Luci smiled. “Let’s just say that I’ve had the pleasure of visiting Hogwarts.”
Harry’s head was filled with so many questions that he couldn’t separate them in order to get them out through his mouth, so he just stuttered, “I… but I can’t get into Hogwarts!”
“You were supposed to go with everyone else for the beginning of the term,” said Luci.
“Right, but I didn’t,” replied Harry impatiently. “So how am I supposed to get in now?”
Luci looked at him hesitantly.
“Just tell me,” he sighed.
She pursed her lips. “I have a Professor’s Pass.”
Harry knew that these were the medallions that the Hogwarts professors wore in order to come and go from the school grounds as they pleased, without being constrained by the castle’s many protective enchantments.
“Why?” he asked.
“Well, I needed to get this key for you,” responded Luci surreptitiously.
He frowned at her. “You’re hiding a lot of things from me, aren’t you?”
She took a deep breath.
“Luci, I’ve told you everything,” he griped.
“I know,” she nodded. “But these are not entirely my secrets to tell.”
Anger was quickly flooding Harry’s mind.
“Do I even know you at all?” he barked at her.
Luci stumbled into the doorframe, obviously startled by this outburst.
“Harry, you have to understand…” she faltered.
“What do I have to understand?”
She stared at the floor. “There are some things about me that I can’t tell you, and if you can’t handle that, then maybe we shouldn’t be friends. But, yes, you know who I am. I’ve always been myself with you.”
Then Harry remembered something.
“Who were you talking to in your room?”
Luci’s expression had now changed to anger as well.
“Are you spying on me?”
“No,” he replied. “It was an accident.”
She shook her head. “I can’t believe you.”
“Who was it?”
Luci sighed in defeat. “Would it help if I told you that it doesn’t affect you?”
“No, I want to know,” said Harry.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t say,” she responded, but Harry thought that she’d nearly given him a straight answer.
He glared. “I’ll need that Pass. I’m leaving.”
Luci looked into his eyes, and the anger was gone. Now, she looked almost… scared.
She whimpered, “Forgive me, Harry.”
Her voice was so defenseless that he couldn’t interrogate her anymore.
“I need to go,” he sighed.
With a brisk nod, Luci went to her room to retrieve the medallion.