Silence had claimed the Wiltshire manor like a vice since Lucius’ return from Azkaban. Lucius was down in his study, starting on his third Firewhisky of the day; Narcissa was out speaking to old friends and maintaining their position as well as she could. Draco Malfoy sat alone in his room, flicking dully through an old copy of Which Broomstick? without interest.
Four rooms down in a large, elegantly furnished guest bedroom, there was a quiet crack. Harry, Ron and Hermione released their grip on Dobby’s hands.
“It’s the fourth door down?” Harry whispered. The elf nodded.
“Okay; let’s go.”
Harry, Ron and Hermione slipped out of the doorway and moved down the corridor as quietly as possible. They approached the fourth door which was ajar; the word ‘Draco’ was carved neatly into the wood. Harry pushed it open a little way, his wand raised. Malfoy was standing with his back to them, looking out of the window; Harry aimed carefully.
“Stupefy.”
*
Draco groaned and started to open his eyes muzzily. He had just enough time to vaguely register the hard ground beneath his face before a whispered spell sent him swiftly back to unconsciousness.
*
“Right,” Harry said quietly. The three Gryffindors were stood with the unconscious Malfoy behind the large mirror on the fourth floor. They had entered Hogwarts through the Honeydukes tunnel, and used the invisibility cloak and Marauder’s Map to make their way, unseen, through the almost silent castle.
“Ron, you stay here and guard Malfoy,” Harry continued, his voice low. “Me and Hermione will go to meet Ernie. Make sure he’s not awake long enough to guess what’s going on “ if the Horcrux is in the Hufflepuff common room we won’t need him and we can just drop him back where we found him.”
Ron nodded. Harry handed him the Marauder’s Map.
“Good luck,” Ron murmured as Harry pulled the invisibility cloak over Hermione and himself and pulled the mirror open. There was a quiet thud as it closed behind them.
*
Ernie Macmillan was on his way to the library with a few books to return, when he heard his name.
“Ernie!”
He turned, squinting a little. It was dim in the castle corridors after the bright sunlight outside. He saw Harry, beckoning to him from under the stairwell, and looked around warily before joining him.
“Harry, what are you doing here?” he asked worriedly. “Haven’t you heard “”
“We don’t have long, Ernie,” Harry cut in. Whatever Ernie was worried about, it would have to wait. “We need to ask you a favour.”
Ernie nodded.
“What do you need?” he asked. Hermione and Harry glanced at each other.
“We need to get into the Hufflepuff common room.”
Ernie looked surprised, but after a moment he nodded again.
“I can let you in,” he said. “Everyone who’s stayed here for Easter’s outside in the sun, and the others aren’t due back on the train for a few more hours, we should be alright. But Harry “”
“Let’s go.”
Perhaps it was the tension in Harry’s voice, but Ernie was silent as he led the invisible Harry and Hermione up a flight of stairs, around a corner that appeared at first glance to be a dead end, and then down a spiral staircase with stone steps worn smooth by busy feet. Harry felt that they had reached ground level again when they stopped; although the stairwell twisted on down, and there was no sign of a door or entrance.
Ernie turned to them.
“You’ll need to take off the cloak,” he said. “You won’t be able to get through, otherwise.”
Harry and Hermione pulled the cloak off of themselves and Harry took it, slinging it over one shoulder to keep it within easy reach.
“There won’t be anyone in,” Ernie reassured them. “There are less of us here than any other house, and I’m sure everyone’s outside in the sun. Anyone coming back to the common room would’ve passed us.”
Harry nodded.
“Good,” he said. “How do we get in?”
As far as he and Hermione could see, they were standing half-way down a steep staircase. Hermione’s hand was firmly planted on the wall and Harry knew why; he wouldn’t want to trip and fall either. Ernie gave a smile with a hint of uncharacteristic pride in it before turning to address the stairwell.
“Ernie Macmillan, Hufflepuff, accompanying two Gryffindor friends: Harry Potter and Hermione Granger.”
And with that he took a step forward “ and stood, seemingly on thin air.
“Come on.”
Harry and Hermione looked at each other. Harry was the first to move. Fighting the urge to close his eyes, Harry stepped into the open space above the steps. Hermione followed, her eyes firmly shut. She only opened them when Harry nudged her, looking around. They were still in the stairwell but the steps below them had disappeared, replaced by a stone floor in front of a large, wooden door.
Ernie opened the door and led them inside.
The Hufflepuff common room was a large, comfortable space with warm, buttery yellow walls. Wide, tall windows looked out onto the lawns, which Harry thought was strange; he’d never noticed those windows from the outside. Ernie saw him looking.
“They’re not visible from the outside,” he said. “Helga Hufflepuff believed that if they were, this wouldn’t be the refuge it was supposed to be.” He shrugged.
Large leather sofas and round wooden tables were scattered around the room, and two fireplaces clearly made the room very warm, though they were not currently lit. Hermione walked to the centre of the room and raised her hands; Harry spoke to Ernie.
“We’re just looking for something,” he said. “It’s either hidden here, or in the Slytherin common room.”
Ernie nodded.
“Harry, while Hermione’s looking, I need to talk to you; it’s been in the Prophet and everything “”
“Ernie, whatever it is it can “”
“They’re looking for you!” The words burst out of Ernie desperately. “You’ve been all over the Prophet, You-Know-Who’s offered a reward to anyone who can bring you to him alive, or Ron or Hermione. He’s saying if they’re the one to capture you, he’ll promise them and their family safety from Death Eater attacks. The Ministry’s threatened anyone taking part but it won’t do any good. They’re calling you a dead man walking.”
Ernie stopped, out of breath. Beside Harry, Hermione had stopped her spell-casting. He turned to her, his thoughts in a whirl.
“Anything?” he asked. She shook her head. Harry turned back to Ernie.
“Thanks for letting us know, Ernie,” he said, not knowing what else he could offer. “But there’s nothing we can do “ we’ve still got to do this.”
Harry’s final words were as much to Hermione as to Ernie; he could see her frightened expression.
Ernie nodded resignedly.
“I thought you’d say that,” he said, sighing. “So it’s not here? What you’re looking for, I mean.”
Hermione shook her head.
“It doesn’t look like it,” she replied. “Sorry Ernie. Thanks for letting us in.”
Ernie shrugged.
“No problem.”
He led the way back out of the bright common room and up the winding staircase.
“By the way, where’s Ron?” he asked as Harry threw the cloak over Hermione and himself.
“Ron’s keeping an eye on something for us,” came Harry’s voice from thin air.
*
Ron stood up and raised his wand as the mirror swung open.
“It’s alright, Ron, it’s just us,” Hermione whispered as she pulled the mirror closed behind them. Ron relaxed.
“How’s Malfoy?” Harry asked. Ron threw a glance over to the corner where the unconscious Slytherin lay.
“Same old. He woke up again but I stunned him before he had time to think about it.”
Harry nodded, thinking ahead. They didn’t have a lot of time.
“Wake him up,” he said, drawing his wand and training it on Malfoy. Ron and Hermione glanced at each other, and then Hermione knelt down beside the unconscious Slytherin. Ron back away to stand next to Harry, his wand drawn. Hermione’s wand was held over Malfoy’s chest.
“Ennervate,” she murmured, moving back quickly when she had cast the spell to train her wand on Malfoy too.
*
Malfoy groaned quietly against the stone as he awoke. His head throbbing, he pushed himself upright “ and focused on the three wand tips pointing at him. His eyes widened, and he froze for a moment before realising who was holding them.
“Potter, are you completely “”
Ron took a sudden step forward.
“Shut up, Malfoy.”
“… out of your mind?” Malfoy finished deliberately, raising his eyebrows, his grey eyes glittering mockingly at Ron before focussing back on Harry. Harry considered the Slytherin for a moment, before sliding his wand away and offering a wary hand to pull Malfoy to his feet.
“Potter, can anyone hear us in here?” Malfoy asked quietly. Harry raised his eyebrows.
“Malfoy, if you’re just “”
Malfoy didn’t let him finish.
“Potter. Can. Anyone. Hear “”
“No, alright? What is it?”
“You’ve no idea what you’ve done.” Harry rolled his eyes and started to turn away, but felt Malfoy’s hand grasp his shoulder and pull him back so that they met eyes. He saw Ron and Hermione raise their wands in his peripheral version.
“What’ve I done, Malfoy?” Harry asked, more out of annoyance than interest. “And why should I care?”
Malfoy may have been at wandpoint, but he still took the time to roll his eyes before answering.
“Do you think the Manor isn’t guarded?” he asked. “However you got in, they will have detected you “ and if they haven’t captured you already, it’s because they want to see what you want me for.”
“And why would you care what Voldemort and his cronies are going to do to us?” Harry responded, privately pleased when Malfoy flinched at the name. “You were happy to do his bidding earlier in the year.”
Malfoy released his grip on Harry’s shoulder, his expression becoming wary, and there was a little fear in his voice when he replied.
“Like I could choose to do otherwise,” he said bitterly. He and Harry were still staring at each other; Draco was the first to break the gaze, looking away at the space that the four of them were in. No one spoke for a few minutes.
“What do you want me for, anyway?” Malfoy eventually asked, feigning disinterest. Harry gave him a grim smile.
“You’re going to take us to the Slytherin common room, let us in, and show us around. It’s the last day of the Easter holidays, it should be quiet.”
*
They made their way hurriedly down the hallways, taking every shortcut that Harry knew. They had decided not to use the cloak or the map, keeping Malfoy from knowing about them unless absolutely necessary. Instead, they relied on the quiet of the hallways to warn them of anyone approaching.
When they reached the corridor and the stretch of wall that was the entrance to the Slytherin common room, they slowed to a stop. Running through the next part of the plan, Harry came to a sudden realisation. His heart sinking, he turned to look at Malfoy. The Slytherin looked resigned, almost bored. But he was twisting the fingers and thumb of one hand nervously. Had he realised, as Harry had, that there was one obvious flaw in the plan?
Harry swallowed. If Malfoy was going to pretend confidence, then so would Harry.
“What’s the password?” Harry said quietly. But he knew that Malfoy would not be able to answer; how could he? He hadn’t attended Hogwarts for nearly a year. Internally, Harry cursed himself for not thinking of this. He had been so pleased to break the monotony of wandering the countryside that he hadn’t bothered to think it through.
But Malfoy stepped forward, placing a hand on the wall.
“I, as an honourable member of the noble house of Slytherin, beg entry,” he said quietly. The wall slid to one side. Harry stared.
“But I thought you lot had a password that changed regularly?” Ron said, voicing Harry’s thoughts. Malfoy snorted.
“At least you have the sense not to share everything you know with your two little lapdogs,” he shot at Harry, walking through the entrance. The three Gryffindors followed him, Harry not daring to meet Ron or Hermione’s eyes.
The Slytherin common room was as empty as the Hufflepuffs’. The green lamps burnt coolly in their globes and the whole room was something of a respite from the blazing sunshine outside.
“I don’t suppose you’re planning on telling me why we’re in here?”
“You’re lucky we don’t get rid of you now we are.”
“Oh, Weasley, I’m so scared. My knees are knocking in horror. You’re not going to do anything to me “”
“After what you did to Ginny, you bastard, you’d deserve every “”
“Ron.”
Hermione did not raise her voice as she spoke, just met Ron’s eyes. Ron went quiet, but continued to glower in Malfoy’s direction.
Harry looked around the room, his wand out.
“Hermione, could you…” he asked. Hermione nodded, and began her spellwork. The other three were silent as she gestured and muttered for a minute or so.
Draco rolled his eyes.
Ron scowled.
Harry waited.
And then Hermione was finished.
“Anything, Hermione?” Harry asked. His head was aching, but the pain didn’t seem to be focussed in his scar, so he tried to ignore it. Hermione nodded.
“There, above the fireplace,” she said quietly. Malfoy was looking at them curiously, and Ron spotted his expression.
“What do we do about Malfoy?” he asked.
Harry watched the Slytherin for a few seconds. Malfoy looked nervous, despite his earlier assertion; he was definitely more afraid of Harry than he had been of Ron. Harry thought of Ginny, lying out cold in the bathroom; but then he thought of Draco’s face on the astronomy tower. He made a decision.
“Your choice,” he said to the Slytherin. “Either we knock you out now, or we wipe your memory later.”
Malfoy stared at him, something strange “ gratitude? “ in his expression for a moment, and then swallowed.
“I’m not having you messing with my head,” he said, almost his usual self. “Knock me out.”
Harry nodded, and raised his wand. He thought he saw Draco force himself to relax for a second.
“Stupefy.”
Draco Malfoy collapsed onto the floor. Harry turned back to Hermione.
“You said above the fireplace?”
*
“Hey Ernie!”
“Hi, Ern!”
Ernie smiled as Hannah and Justin greeted him, but it was slightly forced.
“Hey,” he said, collapsing onto the grass.
“Did you get much studying done, Ernie?” Susan asked. Ernie shook his head.
“Too nice a day,” he replied. “And Pince kept peering down at me like I was about to mutilate her precious books.”
The other three Hufflepuffs lying on the grass all tittered a little.
“Are you sure you’re alright, Ernie?” Hannah asked quietly. Ernie gave her more genuine smile.
“Just stressed from studying,” he said. “What time is the Express getting in?”
“Half-past four,” Justin said. “Thought we’d go down and meet Zacharias and the others.”
“And Neville, of course,” giggled Hannah, nudging Susan, who had turned pink at the Gryffindor’s name and was now studiously ignoring them all.
“Has he actually managed to ask her out yet?” Ernie asked curiously, feeling his good humour return as Susan went even redder.
*
Above the fireplace was an ornate carving of the Slytherin house crest; the hissing silver serpent on a deep green backdrop. Harry ran his hand along the bottom of it, the only part he could reach; perhaps he was imagining it, the stone seemed to be vibrating slightly. As he took his hand away, his scar began throbbing gently. He swallowed and forced himself to ignore it.
“How do we open it, d’you think?” Ron asked quietly. Hermione looked frustrated.
“The only indication I could get is there’s some kind of key, or password. But I don’t know what it would be.”
Harry was still staring at the carving. In the light of the green lamps, the serpent seemed to glow with all too much life.
“Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts four,” he said quietly, the parseltongue flowing without a thought. He heard Ron jump slightly behind him.
“Bloody hell, Harry. A warning’d be nice.”
Harry ignored him. He was sure that using parseltongue was right; it was just the password that was wrong. But what would it be?
Voldemort. Tom Marvolo Riddle… the heir of Salazar Slytherin… the last of the Slytherin line…
Harry tried variations on these phrases over and over, switching around the words, the hissed syllables slipping through his lips like water. Hermione and Ron watched in silence.
“Horcrux… immortal… immortality… Hufflepuff’s cup…” Harry, his hand against the stone again, felt the stone shudder at the name of the founder. He leant forward.
“Harry?”
Hermione’s voice was irrelevant. Harry tried more variations.
“Hufflepuff. Helga Hufflepuff. Helga. Helga’s cup… Hepzibah Smith… Hufflepuff’s horcux?”
Harry frowned. None of these were right, but he had to be close. Something Tom Riddle would have chosen; something no Slytherin would guess; arrogant, proud Tom Riddle… and then Harry knew, and after a few variations, he had it.
“Hufflepuff’s pride.”
With a shudder of stone, the carving began to slowly sink down into the mantelpiece. Behind it, raised on a circular stone slab, was Hufflepuff’s cup.
“Yes! Nice one, Harry,” Ron muttered from behind him. Harry grinned as Hermione stepped forward, murmuring charms again. Then she nodded.
“You should be able to take it out,” she said quietly. Harry hesitated, but then reached one arm up into the cavity behind the carving and picked up the cup by the stem. When the cup had been removed, the carving slid back into place. Harry turned to look at Ron and Hermione.
“Where do we destroy it?” Hermione wondered.
“Find an empty classroom,” Harry returned. The other two nodded. “Ron, you take Malfoy; Hermione, you carry the cup, stay under the cloak; I’ll watch the map as we go.”
*
Hogsmeade station was busy and loud, despite the smaller number of students at Hogwarts this year.
“Zacharias!” Justin called. Zacharias turned around, grinning, and came to greet them.
“How was Easter?” he asked as the group moved towards the station’s exit.
“Not bad,” Justin shrugged.
“I think Susan spent most of it missing her beloved,” quipped Hannah, earning herself an elbow in the ribs from a pink-faced Susan.
“Hi Susan; hi everyone.”
The Hufflepuffs returned Neville’s greeting casually as the Gryffindor passed them. Hannah giggled.
“They’ll be back to sneaking glances at each other in Herbology in no time,” she whispered, prompting more laughter and blushing.
When the Hufflepuffs reached the place where the carriages would usually meet them, there was only a crowd of confused students milling around.
“Hey, Neville! Lavender!” Hannah called over the younger students to the head boy and girl. “What’s going on?”
The two Gryffindors glanced at each other.
“Don’t know,” mouthed Neville in reply, while Lavender shook her head. “No carriages.”
Neville turned to the crowd at large and raised his voice.
“Alright! Everyone, you either come with me and walk up to the school, or wait with Lavender until either the carriages turn up or “”
There was suddenly an incredibly loud BANG from the direction of the village. Everyone turned, staring as smoke sprouted in the air above Hogsmeade, shooting up until it formed a shape.
A skull, with a serpent for a tongue.
The Dark Mark.