I don't own any of the characters in this story, got that? They belong to J.K. Rowling.
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Chapter 9: A New Mission
"WHAT?! WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!" Lucius's screams echoed throughout the chamber. Some of the Death Eaters shifted uncomfortably. Wormtail started shivering.
"It has been confirmed," said Wormtail. "Lords Sirius Black and Remus Lupin have returned to Magiterran. They have landed on the western coast of the Kingdom of Hufflepuff along with the exiled Gryffindor armies and are marching toward Hogwarts."
"As if the loss of the Mirror of Erised wasn't bad enough," muttered Lucius. "The Mage Knights will probably figure out where the rings are within the next few days. Then, they'll probably gather all the armies in Magiterran, arm themselves with the rings and..."
"With all due respect," spoke up another, tall slim, Death Eater. "Black and Lupin will probably meet with the Mage Knights at Diagon Alley. If we attack them there, at their weakest, we could probably crush them before they've had a chance to mobilize at Hogwarts."
"That's a brilliant idea, Avery," said Lucius. "Why don't you and Crouch lead this mission. Oh, and take Wormtail with you. After all, he has some personal experience with Black and Lupin; Don't you Wormtail?" Wormtail shivered but bowed. "If there is nothing more, than you are all dismissed."
As the Death Eaters made their way out of the chamber, Icicle stole away and went down a different corridor. She entered a large oak door not to far from the throne room. The room was dark and had nothing more than a large wooden desk in the center of it. Seated behind the desk was the red-eyed man.
"Next time you have a meeting, remind Lucius not to scream so much. It gives me a headache," said the red-eyed man without looking up from the book he was reading.
Icicle swallowed before she spoke up. "What do you think of these events?"
"Let Black and Lupin meet the Mage Knights for all I care," said the red-eyed man. "I, for one, am more interested in this mudblood that Potter has befriended."
Icicle was about to speak more when she suddenly jumped. A Large green snake had just slithered past her feet. "Calm down. It is only Nagini," replied the red-eyed man as he stroked the snake. He then looked up at Icicle. "You know, I think I'll pay Potter and his mudblood friend a visit myself."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Hermione absolutely refused to speak to Harry for the remainder of the visit to the Burrow. As soon as they returned to Hogwarts, she shut herself in the library and only emerged during meal times. It was while she was reading in the library when Harry finally cornered her.
"You've been avoiding me." Hermione kept her eyes on her book. Harry sighed. "Look, is this about that kiss? You're the one who kissed me."
Hermione felt tears starting to build up in her eyes. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I didn't mean anything by it. It just...happened."
Harry raised his eyebrows, by decided to let it pass. "If you're thinking that I would start to hate you just because of some kiss, you're wrong. You're my friend, Hermione. I would never throw away our friendship over something as stupid as that."
Hermione let a few tears fall as she smiled at him. "Thank you, Harry. That means so much to me. I promise that I won't do anything stupid like that again."
Harry grinned. "Don't worry about that. Now how can I get you to ride Firebolt all by yourself?"
"Oh honestly," said Hermione as she rolled her eyes. "Haven't you seen me on a horse?"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
As the Mage Knights filed into the Great Hall of Hogwarts, many murmurs such as "Finally, we're going to kick Lucius's butt," were heard. Hermione noticed that Sir Draco Malfoy stiffened a little every time Lucius's name was mentioned. She had long figured out that the Mage Knights wore different colored capes depending on which Kingdom they came from: Gryffindors wore red capes, Hufflepuffs wore yellow ones, Ravenclaws wore blue, and the Mage Knights who members of the Slytherin Resistance against the Death Eaters wore green capes. She decided that since Sir Draco was a member of the Slytherin nobility, he must've had some personal dealings with Lucius.
As the Mage Knights took their seats, Dumbledore stood up and started speaking. "As all of us here know, we have recently secured the Mirror of Erised due to the efforts of Sir Harry Potter, Sir Ronald Weasley, and Miss Hermione Granger." He beamed at the trio while Sir Draco scowled. "After much examination of the mirror, we have finally discovered the location of the remaining two talismans that are the key to victory. They are two rings, the Ring of the Lion and the Ring of the Phoenix. They are located in a cave in the middle of the former Kingdom of Gryffindor. However, the cave can only be entered during the full moon. Therefore, we have an entire week to prepare for the next mission. In the mean time, I must remind that today is the second anniversary of the loss of Sir Cedric Diggory of Hufflepuff." Suddenly, the entire hall went quiet. Hermione saw a tear roll down Sir Cho Chang's face and she also notice that Harry had taken on a very dark look. "Remember, Sir Cedric Diggory," continued Dumbledore. "Let us dedicate our victory to his memory."
As the Mage Knights started to clear out of the Great Hall, Dumbledore called out "Sir Harry Potter. May I have a word?" As Harry left to talk to Dumbledore, Hermione turned to Ron.
"What happened to Sir Cedric?"
Ron sighed. "Two years ago, Harry and Diggory were working as partners on a mission. They were investigating a rumor that Death Eaters were using dragons to terrorize many of the villages in the Kingdom of Hufflepuff. One day, Harry got a tip that led them to an old grave yard near a known Death Eater hideout. It was a trap! They were attacked by an entire legion of Death Eaters who were there simply to kill Harry. Harry barely escaped with his life, Diggory never made it." Hermione felt a stab in her heart as she realized Harry must have gone through. Ron continued, "Harry was absolutely torn up by Diggory's death. The trap was for him, yet he escaped while Diggory was killed. Sir Cho Chang also went through a lot of pain. She and Diggory were lovers."
Hermione felt awful receiving this news. It was therefore, a little awkward when Harry returned with a large smile plastered on his face. "Pack your bags. We've got a new mission," he said. "We're going to Diagon Alley tomorrow."
"What for?" asked Hermione.
"Two words," answered Harry. "Sirius and Remus."
"That's three words," commented Hermione. Ron looked ecstatic.
"No bloody way! We haven't seen them for over a year! They've come back?! Did they bring the Gryffindor armies back with them?!"
"Yep! We're going to meet them at Diagon Alley and Escort them back to Hogwarts."
Hermione suddenly realized who Harry and Ron were talking about. Lords Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. Generals of the armies of Gryffindor and closest friends of the late King James and Queen Lily. As Hermione looked at Harry and Ron chatting away, Hermione couldn't help but wonder why Harry would be so happy about seeing the personal friends of the Gryffindor Royal family.