Chapter 9
Harry came downstairs the next morning to find Severus sitting at the dining room table, elbows braced on the tabletop, chin propped on his fists, staring into the distance with an intense but inscrutable expression.
“Severus?” said Harry, coming to an uncertain halt at the foot of the stairs. Normally Severus was up hours before he was, toiling away in the workshop.
Severus seemed to come back to himself. “Ah, Harry.” He stood. “Let’s have breakfast together.”
“Um, okay.” Harry couldn’t remember the last time they’d had breakfast together. Actually, Severus usually skipped breakfast altogether. He was more of a lunch-and-dinner kind of person. “What’s the occasion?”
Severus was already in the kitchen. “Would you like scrambled eggs?”
“Sure, thanks.” Harry’s heart sank into his stomach. He knows about the Weasleys! He must know! What if he knew Harry had been lying too?
But Severus said nothing as he got breakfast together—a spread of toast and bacon and eggs and coffee—and they ate in silence. Harry couldn’t help giving Severus repeated nervous glances. What was going on here? Severus usually wasn’t shy about expressing anger or disapproval. Why didn’t he just come out and say it?
Finally, just as they were finishing their food, Harry decided he couldn’t take the suspense any longer. “Okay,” he said, turning to his guardian, “what’s going on, Severus? Why the big drama?”
Severus sipped coffee, seeming to gather his thoughts. “Harry,” he said at last, “I have something very serious to tell you.”
Harry’s heart sank even further, if that was possible. “About what?” Nevada, here we come.
“I have recently learned something deeply concerning.” Severus put down his mug and stared at Harry with utmost seriousness. “A family of British wizards has recently arrived at San Benito for an extended stay.”
Harry blinked several times, hoping he looked sufficiently surprised. “Wizards? Really?”
“Yes.” Severus nodded. “They will be here for two months.”
“Two months, really? Wow!” Harry braced himself. “Uh—how do you know that?”
“I have my sources,” Severus said, both to Harry’s relief and bewilderment. “They are the Weasley family, I believe: the parents, two of their sons, and their daughter, along with some friends. Some other members of the family will be visiting over the course of the summer, I believe.”
“Whoa.” Harry sat back, as though overwhelmed by this news. He was overwhelmed—with astonishment and confusion. How did Severus know? At least it didn’t seem like Harry was in trouble. He licked his lips and asked the question he was really dreading: “What are we going to do?”
Severus stared down at his own hands, clenched together on the tabletop. “Under ordinary circumstances,” he said at last, “I would be telling you to pack your bags so we could flee. The Weasleys are not great supporters of the Dark Lord—far from it—but they are still under his sway, and are thus dangerous.” He looked up then, eyes boring into Harry. “But these are not ordinary circumstances. I have learned that the Weasleys have in their possession something of great value to the Dark Lord. Something integral to his power.”
“Really?” Harry was almost breathless with astonishment, fear and excitement. “What is it?”
“That’s part of the problem,” Severus admitted. “I don’t really know. It will be an object, something small and easily hidden, with a great enchantment on it.”
“And the Weasleys brought it with them on vacation?” Harry frowned. “Actually, if they’re not big supporters of the Dark Lord, why would they even have something like this?”
“I doubt they realize what it is they possess. If I were to speculate, I’d say one of the Death Eaters placed it with the Weasleys precisely because they’re the last people anyone would suspect of harboring something so valuable to the Dark Lord. Perfect guardians, who don’t even know what it is they’re guarding. But the point, Harry, is that this is an excellent opportunity for us.”
“How so?” Harry’s imagination took flight. “Oh—is this like Lord of the Rings? Are we going to find the Dark Lord’s One Ring To Rule Them All, destroy it, and break his power forever?”
“No, Harry,” said Severus, his old impatience and exasperation returning. “This is not like Lord of the Rings. The Dark Lord’s power is not based solely on this one object, and throwing it into a flaming volcano will not kill him. Removing it from the Weasleys’ possession, however, will certainly strike a blow.”
Harry could hardly think. This sounded amazing and terrifying—and it didn’t tally at all with Severus’s previous attitude. A sliver of doubt and confusion worked its way into Harry’s whirl of emotions. “But—Severus, you always said that the Dark Lord had won, period. That there was no point in fighting him. Why are we trying to ‘strike a blow’ now?”
“Because we have a unique opportunity to do so. And if we hand over the Dark Lord’s possession to the right parties, the reward will be tremendous.”
Harry felt a slight kick of disappointment. “So we aren’t going to try and destroy it?”
“Listen to me, Harry.” Severus reached over to grip Harry’s shoulder, eyes more intense than ever. “I want you to forget about any ideas of destroying this object, whatever it is. Not only will the defenses around it be considerable, but it will be saturated with Dark magic. Such objects, as I have taught you, often attain their own kind of sinister intelligence. For you to try and destroy this thing—or even touch this thing—would be immensely foolish. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Severus.” Harry thought, unbidden, of Ginny: that laughing, innocent redhaired girl on the beach who seemed so interested in surfing. He felt a chill, imagining her exposed to the Dark Lord’s pet rock or whatever this thing was. “I promise I won’t try to destroy it. Or touch it.”
“Good.” Severus relaxed a little and let his hand drop. “But I do have a job for you, Harry. I want you to befriend the Weasleys this summer.”
Harry blinked. “You want me to—what?”
“Make friends. It shouldn’t be that difficult: their party has a few teenagers who are about your age. Play the part of the friendly local Muggle. Get into their confidence. And, if at all possible, get inside their house. The Dark Lord’s object will likely be there. See if you can discover what it is and where they’re keeping it—and then tell me.”
Harry wasn’t at all sure what to think. On the one hand, he felt a flutter of terror, thinking of trying to befriend strange wizards under the Dark Lord’s sway—let alone try to find the Dark Lord’s One Ring, so to speak. This sounded incredibly dangerous.
But—it also sounded incredible. Him and Severus, finding the One Ring! Striking a blow against their enemy, the most powerful Dark wizard in the world! This was the most exciting thing to happen since, well, ever. And the opportunity to meet strange wizards, let alone befriend them…how could he pass this up?
Unbidden, Harry remembered red hair beneath the sun. A light, musical laugh.
“All right,” he said. “I’ll do my best.”
Severus smiled, but his eyes remained anxious. “Thank you, Harry. I know I can count on you.”
Harry felt a swell of pride. “You can, Severus. I promise.”
“Good.” Severus placed his hand on Harry’s shoulder again. “But you must promise me you’ll be careful, Harry. The Weasleys may not be Dark wizards, or true supporters of the Dark Lord, but they are still dangerous. You must watch every word you say around them, every move you make. They must not, for one moment, suspect that you are a wizard, let alone that you are Harry Potter. You must not say or do anything to make them suspect you are anything but a Muggle boy from San Benito. If you do, they will turn you over to the Dark Lord. They will have no choice. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Severus.” Harry felt a chill, but he nodded.
“Another thing.” Severus gripped Harry’s shoulder still harder. “They probably won’t tell you anything about the wizarding world—they’ll think you’re a Muggle, after all. But if they do, you shouldn’t believe anything they say. The Dark Lord likes to keep his domain hidden and secret. There are spells that can prevent people from telling the truth, can twist people’s words. So if the Weasleys say things that make no sense…that’s because they don’t. Understand?”
“Yeah.” Harry’s curiosity piqued. “What kind of spells are these?”
“Not the kind you ever want to learn,” Severus said firmly. “Just don’t listen to what the Weasleys say about their home or their school or their work. Most of it will be lies anyway, since they’ll believe you a Muggle. And conduct yourself with the utmost care around them. They are not truly your friends. Understand?”
“Yes, Severus.” Again, Harry thought of Ginny on the beach. He pushed the memory aside, along with the pang of regret it caused. They are not truly your friends. “I promise I won’t do anything to make them think I’m a wizard. And I won’t listen to them either. Unless they tell me where the One Ring is,” he added with a grin.
Severus rolled his eyes and let his hand fall again. “I’m fairly certain it is not a ring, Harry. But it will be something small like that—a piece of jewelry is not out of the question. Perhaps a diadem or tiara.”
“Right.” A question presented itself. “But how will I spot it, if I don’t know what I’m looking for?”
“I will teach you a charm that reveals Dark magic. Look for an opportunity to cast it on the Weasleys’ possessions—but take no unnecessary risks, Harry. Do not perform this or any other spell unless you’re absolutely certain none of the Weasleys can spot you at it. And, whatever you do, do not touch the object once you’ve identified it. Absolutely do not do that, Harry. The consequences could be beyond lethal.”
Harry shivered, thinking of it. “I won’t. I promise.” He remembered that he wasn’t supposed to know anything about the Weasleys or where they were staying. “So—where are these Weasleys staying exactly? And what do they look like?”
“They’re a large family of redhaired British wizards. It shouldn’t be too difficult to spot them. And I’ll cast a divination spell to determine their location.”
“Got it.” Harry felt a pang of real anxiety. “But Severus—what if they hurt Tomas or Maya? Or anyone else?”
“I don’t think they’ll do that,” Severus said. “The Weasleys were never ones for Muggle-baiting, and I doubt their friends are either. They’re here for a peaceful holiday by the seaside, not to persecute the local Muggles. But if you think your friends are in danger, get them away as swiftly as possible. I’ll watch out for the townspeople as well.” Severus stood up from the table. “Come on. Let’s clean these dishes, and then I’m going to cast some protection charms on you. Hopefully I should be able to get hold of some protective amulets as well. You can’t go into this undefended.”
“Got it.” Harry stood, mind awhirl, and began to gather up dishes and plot how he was going to meet and befriend the Weasleys.
Harry Potter, secret agent, questing for the One Ring! This was amazing. Terrifying—but amazing.