Chapter 184: The Resurrection Stone...

Disclaimer:

Harry Potter and all its characters belong to J.K. Rowling. I own nothing but the original characters I create.

"Dialogue"

'Thoughts'

- Author notes-

Chapter 184: The Resurrection Stone...

Harry guided the golem back to the cabinet and opened the lower door.

The two of them waited for a minute.

"No traps…" Harry said.

"It does seem like it," Dumbledore agreed.

"Someone is going to have to look inside because the golem can't see, and if it tips the entire cabinet is going to be a mess…" Harry commented.

"Indeed…that seems to be the case," Dumbledore agreed again.

Harry glanced at the man. "Well… old men first…" He pointed at the cabinet.

"That is a very impolite way to speak to your Headmaster, young man," Dumbledore reprimanded him.

"What do you mean by impolite? It's the law of life. Besides, aren't professors supposed to protect their students?" Harry huffed.

"I don't remember ever teaching you anything, and yet you call me Professor…" Dumbledore remarked.

"In a different life, you were my mentor and taught me many things. That should count for something, right?" Harry said.

Dumbledore sighed. "I suppose…and I was the one who wanted this the most…" The old man took a step forward and approached the cabinet.

The golem moved out of the way but stood close. Harry kept it there in case something actually happened and he had to move the old man out of the way.

A small light appeared at the tip of Dumbledore's wand, and he used it to search the interior of the furniture.

"Mmm… most things here have been burned to an unrecognizable state. What fell from the drawer must have been extremely hot."

"If there is something that is not burnt… that's probably the thing we are looking for," Harry commented.

"Oh?!" Dumbledore exclaimed. He then used his free hand to move something out of there.

"Careful… don't touch it with your bare hands. Don't wanna get cursed again," Harry warned.

"Again?" Dumbledore raised an eyebrow.

He used his wand to move the black stone out, and Harry could get a good glimpse of it.

"Yes, that's the one…"

"The resurrection stone…" Dumbledore stared intensely at the octagonal black stone.

"Let the golem grab it first," Harry advised.

"There is no need. A curse that could be placed into something like this would not be triggered unless a living being held it," Dumbledore said without hesitation and immediately grabbed the stone.

"If you feel anything wrong, let me know. I'll cut your hand," Harry told the Headmaster.

"I don't think there will be a need for that… I don't feel anything in this stone," Dumbledore didn't take his eyes off the artifact.

"Well, that's good…" Harry noticed the way Dumbledore was staring at the stone.

"If you are going to use it, go ahead. But don't get your hopes up…"

He looked back at Harry for a moment. "You knew about it?"

Harry shrugged. "You once told me a few things about your sister… your brother told me the rest of the story."

"I see…" Dumbledore held the stone firmly in his hand and whispered a name. "Ariana…"

Harry waited for several minutes and watched as the old man called the name of his sister many times. But there was no answer.

"Sorry… but I already told you. The Hallows are not working any longer."

"It does appear to be the case… I spent so long looking for this stone. I just wanted to apologize…" Dumbledore said with a sad tone.

"I'm sure you'll have your chance to speak with her again… one day," Harry tried to cheer him up.

"Yes… you may be right." The Headmaster stood up and walked to Harry. He extended his hand and handed the stone to him.

"I think it's best if you keep this. It was not meant for me."

<><><><><><><><><><><>

On Monday morning, all students were having breakfast at the Great Hall.

Harry could not help but overhear a conversation the two biggest gossips in Hogwarts were having.

"Maybe he just got sick," Parvati said.

"I heard he wasn't even on the train here. And no one saw him during the summer either!" Lavender exclaimed.

"Still… he started classes a bit later this year," Hermione frowned. She may not like the boy, but she didn't like the idea of something bad happening to one of the students.

"I'm telling you, he's disappeared. Draco Malfoy has vanished!" Lavender said it a bit too loud.

"Wait, is that true?!" Ron became excited upon hearing the news.

"I thought it was weird he didn't come to bother us yet," Seamus added.

"Did something happen to Malfoy?" Neville asked with concern.

"I asked around, and no one knows. No one has seen him," Lavender said.

Harry felt Lyra's gaze on him. He returned the look in a way that said 'keep your mouth close.' They were not meant to know about their father's investigation.

Right at that moment, several owls entered the hall to deliver their letters and newspapers.

Two of them landed in front of Harry, and he barely managed to move his cup out of the way before it was hit. "Why do they always aim for my cup?..."

The first paper he got was from Xenos' paper, The Quibbler. He did not ask for a subscription but was apparently gifted one anyway.

The front cover spoke of the usual conspiracy theory. This time it was werewolves moving around the countryside and stealing cheese.

"Wait… what?" The cover of the Prophet was a lot more troubling.

"What is it?" Lyra heard him and got her head closer so she could also read the paper.

The newspaper headline read: Breaking News, five Azkaban convicts are discovered to be INNOCENT!.

"They had innocent people in there? Oh, that's terrible!" Hermione had also leaned towards Harry. "I had read about that prison… what a cruel place."

Harry continued to read the article until he reached the names of the innocent men being released.

"A cruel place for cruel people." Augustus Rookwood, Avery Jr, Corban Yaxley, Mister Jugson, and Mister Selwyn."

'Five known Death Eaters…'

He looked over at the Slytherin table and spotted several happy faces among the senior students.

'This must be Parkinson's doing… I hope the Order gets to work because that man is planning to make a move soon.'

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