A/N - I don't own Harry Potter, or Back to the Future. I'm sorry for the delay in this chapter but I realised that I'd messed up my time line and a few other things here and had to fix it which took a bit longer than expected. Sorry. Big Thanks to my BETA Katia, for helping me sort out a knotty problem with this chapter.
Chapter 7 - Into the Snakes Den
Harry appeared in the old graveyard which had been the scene of what was both one of his worst memories and one of his most vivid. He was already under the cover of the invisibility cloak but one wrong step on a twig or creaking floorboard would be enough to give away his position and he couldn't risk that. Before moving even a step he looked carefully around the area for death eaters and for any other sign of movement, any rat could be Pettigrew and any snake could be a spy of Voldemort's.
Harry wasn't sure if Pettigrew had turned yet or not, but he wasn't about to take any chances. Once he was certain there were no spies around he moved carefully across the graveyard towards the mansion at the top of the hill. He didn't recall having seen it the only other time he'd been here but that must have been because it was dark. Between it's resemblance to the mansion in the memories Dumbledore had shown him and it's proximity to the graveyard which held the bones of Tom Riddle Snr, Harry was sure that it was the Riddle Mansion.
His progress was slow and painstaking but eventually he made his way to the house on the hill. When he got there he made a complete circuit of the house, looking for a way in, but found none. Having no luck with that route he then tried the trick that had worked so well for he and Hermione in Hogsmeade and waited by the front door, hoping to slip in behind someone else.
He waited for hours but eventually concluded that anyone who was entering the house clearly wasn't doing so by means of the front door.
So then he tried peering in through the windows. At first he didn't see much at all, but when it got dark and fires were lit inside it became a little easier. After another few hours of watching people walking past with swishing black cloaks, and trying in vain to see any more from other windows, he finally saw two things that helped, a little. The first one was, from the vantage point of the kitchen window, a group of three death eaters heading up stairs. From this Harry gathered that there must be something happening up there at least.
The second he viewed from what would have been the dining room window. One of the Death Eaters walked into the centre of the room, where Harry could vaguely discern a mark on the floor (Harry thought it was probably the dark mark but he couldn't see it well enough to be sure), then flicked his cloak around himself and popped out of sight.
Around midnight Harry, tired, sore and hungry from a day spent on his feet straining to see through windows and learning almost nothing, carefully made his way back to the graveyard and apparated back home.
When he got there he took the cloak off and made his way into the darkened house.
Hermione had obviously gone to bed already but she had left a little ball of light hovering over a plate of food on the kitchen bench. Harry flicked his wand at the ball of light and sent it spinning into the light fixture in the ceiling. When the room lit up properly Harry picked the plate up off the bench and sat down at the table with it. He inhaled the aroma and smiled, like with everything else when Hermione wanted to do something she did it properly.
After he finished eating, he cleaned the kitchen, turned off the light and trudged up the stairs to bed and sleep.
The next day when he woke Hermione was already up and the house was filled with the delicious smell of a cooked breakfast. Harry grinned, grabbed his t-shirt, and bounded down the stairs to the kitchen.
`Did you make breakfast?' asked Harry, delighted.
Hermione smiled at his enthusiasm, `Yes I did, and I notice you found last nights dinner?'
Harry nodded, `yeah that was great, thanks for doing that.'
Hermione shrugged and put a plate on the table in front of where Harry now sat, `Did you find out anything yesterday? You were gone for a long time.'
`Yeah, I didn't want to leave without learning anything, but I sure didn't learn much.'
Hermione swallowed a mouthful of food, `Why not, was there no-one around?'
Harry shook his head but waited til he'd finished the food in his mouth before speaking again, `There were heaps of people around alright, a regular Death Eater HQ, but there was no way to get in without attracting attention. They all apparate directly in, which even if I could be sure I could do that without making a noise, I don't think I'd be able to anyway cause I think you have to have a Dark Mark.'
`So are you going back today?'
`Well, I don't see the point really, I won't learn anything. All the action seems to happen upstairs and I can't get up there to see any of it and even if I could see it I probably still wouldn't know what was going on because I can't hear anything.'
Hermione looked thoughtful, `I'm sure there must be a way around that... to be honest I think I'd actually feel much better about this knowing that you're not going inside.'
`Well if you can figure out a way, I'm all ears. But I tried every spell I could think off and nothing would even chip the glass on the windows.'
Hermione frowned, `Did you try a rock at all?'
Harry shrugged, `No I didn't, do you think that would work?'
`Well, I'd bet it never occurred to Voldemort either.'
Harry nodded, `would probably be a bit noisy though, wouldn't it?
Hermione pursed her lips, `true... we need to think of a muggle way to make a hole in the glass that won't make any noise.' She thought for a moment before speaking again, `What about a glass cutter?'
`You mean those things that robbers use?'
Hermione nodded excitedly.
Harry thought about the suggestion for a second before responding, `Ok, assuming that works, it still doesn't solve the problem of how I'll be able to get to the second floor or hear what they're saying. A tiny hole in the glass is going to help unless I press my ear up against the window.'
`The plan still needs work,' Hermione admitted, `First of all we needn't worry about it being a second story window, because you can simply fly up.'
`Okay, but would that charm you found to make my cloak stick to me even if I'm hovering in mid-air?'
`We can test it if you like but, yes, it should work.'
Harry grinned at her, `OK now we just have to figure out how I'll be able to hear anything through my little hole in the glass while I'm hovering in mid air on a broomstick under an invisibility cloak.'
The way he'd said it made it sound so ridiculous that they couldn't help but laugh.
`Maybe I can find a charm that will make your ears really big?' Hermione said clutching her sides.
Harry flicked his wand at his ears causing them to grow until they were dripping from his head like Dumbo, `Do you think this will do the trick? I think might make me a little less aerodynamic.'
Between gasps of laughter Hermione pointed her wand at him and said an unfamiliar spell, Harry immediately felt the difference as his ears were now standing up like wings from either side of his head.
`That should help you fly!'
Harry jumped up and raced to the window to look at his reflection in the glass and sure enough his ears now stuck out from the sides of his head like great wings ready for flight. The sight was so ridiculous that Harry started laughing and couldn't stop until he moved away from the window and his reflection.
Even then every time he did stop laughing he would see Hermione laugh and it would get him started again. Hermione tried to stop herself from laughing but every time she did she would see Harry still laughing uncontrollably, his ears flapping about, and she would loose control again. Finally, after Merlin only knows how long, Harry managed to contain himself for long enough to end the spells on his ears and return them to normal.
It didn't take long after that for the two teens to return to a semblance at least of their formerly serious conversation.
`Seriously now,' said Harry at last, their laughter of moments earlier still evident in his voice, `how am I going to hear through a very small hole in the glass while floating in mid air on a broomstick and hiding under an invisibility cloak.'
`I don't know, but it does makes me wish that Fred and George were here. We could certainly use an extendable ear right now,' she looked at Harry hopefully, `I don't suppose you had any with you when we left the future, did you?'
Harry shook his head sadly, `no, I didn't, would you be able to figure out how to make them?'
Hermione thought about it for a moment, `I'm sure I could but it would be a challenge and who knows how long it would take, besides, I'm still working on finding a way to destroy that Diadem.'
`Yeah... so what else can we do?'
Hermione stayed quiet for a while, `well, do you think Ron would have any extendable ears on him?'
Harry shrugged, `probably, he was always carrying some of their stuff around with him. Not that it does us any good, cause he's not here is he.'
`No, he's not here, but we know exactly where and when he is. It would be easy enough to see him and ask him.'
Harry frowned, `Are you sure that's a good idea?'
`Well, we wouldn't want to pop back every time we needed something.'
`Right, cause we don't want too much time to pass in the future.'
Hermione nodded, `But I think for this....' she trailed off and finally added with a shrug, `it's not like we've any other immediate option.' Harry nodded and Hermione continued, `ok, so I'll go into the local town and buy a glass cutter, and you pay Ron a visit.'
Harry was a little surprised that she didn't want to take the opportunity of seeing Ron but made no objection to the plan. As much as she'd told him there was nothing between her and Ron he hadn't really believed her. He was sure there had to be more to their fighting and bickering over the years than she was admitting to. But the way she'd now casually overlooked an opportunity to see Ron was something he hadn't expected.
She hadn't made any indication that she was interested in seeing Ron for a few minutes on her own and he really began to see that she had been telling the truth. He still wasn't convinced that Ron didn't feel anything towards Hermione but Harry now knew that if he did his feelings were unrequited. Exactly why he cared so much, Harry couldn't say, he only knew that he did.
Hermione left for her walk into town and Harry headed up-stairs to get their flask of the time potion. He uncorked it, took a sip and then, focusing very hard on the minute after they'd left, he apparated through time once more.
`Ron!' said Harry happily seeing his red haired friend in, for him at least, the first time in months.
`Blimey Harry, that was quick!' said Ron, jumping back up out of the chair he'd probably only just sat down in.
Harry grinned, `I've been gone months actually.'
Ron grinned back at him, then frowned, `Where's Hermione?'
`Oh, she's still there, we're actually not done just yet... though things are going well so far.'
`Right, yeah... hey when you do finish and you get back I won't know what has changed, will I? It'll all be normal to me.' Ron laughed at his own joke for a second but stopped quickly, `Hey, if you're not done yet then why are you back here?'
Harry smiled, he really had missed his funny and slightly unpredictable friend, `I can only stay a few seconds, and I just need to know if you have any extendable ears on you?'
Ron immediately began to empty his pockets onto the floor and all sorts of things were in the mix. There was a packet of the instant holes, some Peruvian instant darkness powder, a couple of chocolate frogs, some Bertie Botts every flavour beans, some bits of lint, and finally a couple of extendable ears.
`Here you go,' said Ron handing over the ears, Harry took them but was distracted by the other items Ron had taken out of his pockets.
`Hey do you reckon I could take that stuff too?' asked Harry pointing to the other things that had come out of Ron's pockets.
Ron looked at the pile and frowned but Harry immediately understood his consternation, `except for the candy, of course you can keep that.'
Ron's face brightened immediately, `sure of course you can mate,' he picked up the rest of the things from the floor and, with the exception of the candy which went back into his pockets, he handed it all over to Harry.
Harry smiled at his friend, `Thanks heaps Ron, anyway I better get back.'
Ron nodded, `Have fun with Hermione.'
Harry paused for a moment before heading back to the past and looked at his friend thoughtfully, he didn't have time for a heart to heart but he thought he could get away with one quick question.
`Can I ask you something?'
`Course, what do you need?'
`I just want to know what the deal was in fourth year, you know when you went off at Hermione for going to the ball with Krum?'
Ron looked confused, `Why on earth are you bringing that up now?'
`I just...' Harry hesitated for a moment before deciding what to say, `Hermione and I were talking about it the other day and we disagreed about it. I won't tell her if you don't want me to.'
`I don't care if you do or not, I thought I was pretty clear about what my problem was... I thought he was using her to help him win the tournament, either with the tasks or so he could sabotage you.'
Harry frowned, `You weren't just jealous cause she'd gone with him and not you?'
`No, come on Harry you should know me by now... I always say exactly what I'm thinking, no matter how stupid it is.'
Harry laughed, `Yeah, I guess. Well I better go, I'll see you soon.'
Ron just nodded as he watched Harry apparate out of sight.
There was too much else going on for Harry to dwell on his conversation with Ron for long though. As soon as Hermione returned he was off to the Riddle Mansion once more to spend the first day of many listening in on the conversations of Death Eaters.
The days and weeks dragged by as Harry watched and listened to everything that happened in the old mansion. He often felt really frustrated that he wasn't able to interfere more in the carnage Voldemort was planning but he couldn't risk blowing their cover, however much he might have been tempted. He had to continually remind himself that the people who were "about" to die had really already died a long time ago and that there was far too much at stake to risk blowing his cover to try and stop something from happening when it had actually already happened.
After the first few weeks Harry started taking along books to read, mostly defence against the dark arts books, to keep him occupied and to distract him from hearing too many of the horrible things the death eaters were talking about. Their conversations became background noise, like having the radio on while you're studying, he still heard everything they said but he wasn't as focused on the details.
Studying the defence books had another advantage, aside from the distraction. After being so active for most of his life Harry was really noticing the difference physically now that so much time was spent just sitting and listening. He'd worked out the hours when there was the most activity and only spent those times listening at the window and his time spent at home he used to train.
The extra physical exertion really helped him to work of the extra tension he felt. The tension wasn't just from spending large chunks of his time listening to the depravity of death eaters either. The increasing and constant physical closeness of Hermione was taking its tole too. Doing anything about it was out of the question entirely, as he reminded himself daily, though it had been months since he'd seen her, for Ginny they had not been separated at all and he was still her boyfriend.
So he pushed all the confusion to the back of his mind. But trying to ignore it was getting more and more difficult and he needed the physical exertion the training gave him to work it off. Some times the training did more harm than good though, particularly when Hermione joined him.
Still, even with the extra training and the distraction of the books, hearing those conversations was a constant strain on him. As the months began to pass he became really desperate that something would happen or be said soon to give him a clue so that he could just stop listening to everything they had planned. He was even starting to consider putting the imperious curse on one of the Death Eaters and having him ask about Horcruxes, just so he could get his answers and get out of there, but Hermione had been horrified by the idea.
`What is the point, Harry, of trying to stop him if we are no better than he is?' she'd asked, furious that he'd even thought of something like that.
`I just don't want to have to listen to them any more Hermione,' he'd whined, `you've got no idea, they sit around talking about how many people they've tortured or killed that day and... They brag about it! Its like they're talking about how well their quidditch team is doing this year, it's awful.'
She'd softened towards him then, putting her arms around him and drawing him close for a hug, `Oh Harry, it's ok... I'm sure someone will say something soon, I'm sure this can't possibly last that much longer.'
Harry hadn't agreed, but he'd allowed her to keep hugging him anyway, it had been really nice to have someone comfort him like that. As much as the physical closeness did, in some ways contribute towards his increasing tension, he had to admit to how comfortable and right it felt to hold her like that. Not that they'd ever been physically uncomfortable with each other, but after having spent a few months living together and sharing a bed (which they'd continued to do despite the fact that no-one ever went up to their bedroom now but them) it had gone to another level entirely. Just that morning he'd woken up to find Hermione draped across his chest with her hair spilling across his face and it hadn't bothered him at all. It had actually been quite nice, he loved the smell of her shampoo so even the fact that her hair was in his face didn't annoy him at all. It wasn't the first time he'd woken to find he was intimately entwined with her either.
He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he almost missed a very important conversation; luckily the phrase "manky old diary" caught his attention. Harry quickly recognised the speaker as Lucius Malfoy and sat up straighter on his broom, now paying strict attention to every word that was said.
`I would not be so quick to label a personal possession of the Dark Lord in such a disrespectful manner if I were you Bella,' he sneered, `for all that the Dark Lord has given you the cup of Hufflepuff, do not forget that he gifted me with one of his very own personal possessions. I think that makes it clear which of us is the more greatly favoured.'
Bellatrix twisted away and flipped her hair over her shoulder, `Well personal possession it may be, to my mind what he has given me is both a personal possession of his own to safeguard and a priceless relic, whereas his gift to you cannot lay that claim.'
Lucius coolly raised one eyebrow, `I'm disappointed to think that you do not consider the personal possession of the greatest dark lord this world has ever seen to be a priceless relic Bellatrix, and perhaps you are correct, it is not yet. But one day it shall be and then it will outshine all of the possessions of all of the founders.'
A cold look of contempt settled on Bellatrix face but Harry could see that she dared not argue any further for fear of loosing that favour which she had apparently only recently gained. She forced a smile onto her face, `Quite true I am sure, Lucius, indeed I count myself very lucky to have in my possession anything which belongs to the Dark Lord at all. I trust you are keeping yours quite safe?'
`Of course, you know of our hiding place in the dining room under the table, and yourself?'
`I too keep mine with my other valuables, a place that is safer than any other in the Wizarding world but, of course, I have also added extra... special protections that only I can remove.'
Harry listened more closely still as though afraid the information might slip past him if his concentration wavered for even a moment. The thought briefly flittered through his mind, perhaps after all this time he was finally starting to get lucky.
`Oh yes, and what nefarious punishment do you have in mind for those foolish enough to try and take it from you.' Lucius had a feral glint in his eye that Harry had seen countless times recently, he knew Lucius was eager for details not because he had any intention of trying to steal the locket himself but purely because he took delight in the cruelty and depravity of it.
Bellatrix flipped her head back again and laughed, `I'll not give up my secrets that easily, my cunning friend.' She leaned closer with the same feral glint in her eyes that Harry had grown so used to, `But if you would like some entertainment of that nature, I have the most delicious story for you...'
Harry had heard enough of that kind of story to last him a lifetime. He yanked his extendable ear from the little hole he'd cut in the window pane and sped of towards the graveyard, as soon as he got there he twirled mid-air on his broom and apparated back home, eager to tell Hermione what he'd learnt.
He jumped off his broom and whipped off the cloak in the same movement as he ran towards the house and when he got there he flung open the kitchen door causing Hermione, who was seated at the table surrounded by books, to jump in fright. She took one look at his face and was instantly on her feet.
`I got it!' called Harry excitedly as he ran towards her. She opened her arms and he ran straight into them picking her up and spinning her around. He laughed and hugged her to him before setting her back on her feet. Hermione was dizzy and flushed from her spin through the air but she was still coherent enough to ask, `What did you get?'
`Information, my beautiful girl, INFORMATION! Finally! I just can't believe it, all that time just sitting there listening to them plan these awful things and not being able to do ANYTHING and today they finally talked about what we need to know.'
`So!?' demanded Hermione impatiently sitting back at the table, `What did they say?'
Harry sat down across from her, `it was Bellatrix Lestrange and Lucius Malfoy talking, and she said something about her gift being better because it was a priceless artefact and his was just a manky old diary.' Hermione frowned but nodded, so Harry continued his tale.
`So immediately I figure they are talking about that old school diary of Voldemort's that he gave to Malfoy, which was that Horcrux I destroyed in second year.'
`Right, of course!' Hermione interjected starting to catch Harry's excitement.
`They argued for a bit about whose was the most valuable and Malfoy made some comment about how one day ole Snake pants' stuff will be more valuable than all of the belongings of the founders combined.'
`That means Dumbledore was right Harry, it has to be something that belongs to one of the founders.'
Harry nodded vigorously in agreement, `Yeah, exactly. Then, and this is the really lucky part, she asked him where he kept his and he mentioned that secret panel under the dinning room floor that Ron and I learnt about in second year and then he asked her where she kept hers and she said she keeps it with all of her other valuables in the safest place in the magical world but she's also added special protections of her own.'
Hermione shivered, `That almost certainly means she's put something really vicious on it to protect it, did she give any clue as to what spells she'd used? I can't imagine that Lucius wasn't dying to know.'
Harry swallowed the lump in his throat, `He sure was but she wasn't giving up anything, the only thing she did say was that she's the only one who can remove it.' Harry sighed, his feelings of elation leaving him in a rush, `Seems like one step forward and two back at the moment, we know who has it, but I've no idea where it is or how to get it.'
Hermione snorted, `Well, I think it's pretty obvious that it's at Gringotts, I mean where else would a witch describe as the safest place in the magical world and a place that she keeps all of her valuables? Besides, Gringotts also fits with Dumbledore's theory that he wants to hide them in places of significance.'
Harry blushed, `You're right, of course, it seems obvious really now that you've said it. But that still doesn't help me figure out how to get my hands on it.'
`Couldn't you just wait outside the bank for her to go in? The death eaters are practically in charge at the moment don't forget, so she won't be trying to hide. Then you could just follow her down to her vault, wait for her to remove the protections and then steal it while she's not looking.'
Harry was slowly nodding while he ran through all aspects of her plan in his mind. Like most of Hermione's plans it had a lot of different parts and a lot of things that could potentially go wrong but, again like most of her plans, it was almost certain to work.
`Yeah, and I could stay on my broom under my cloak so no-one will see me or bump into me by accident.'
Hermione nodded, pleased that he'd accepted the plan so easily. Then Harry groaned, `and just when I thought I was done with surveillance!'
Hermione grinned, `Well, I've got some exciting news as well that might cheer you up.'
`Really?'
`Yes,' Hermione's smile was almost smug, `your parents have invited us to spend Christmas day with them!'
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