Chapter Eight:
The Failed Comprehension

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A glow. Strange yellow. The shape of a paw print.

Those were the three things Harry was seeing. He could not comprehend what it was or, if it made any sense or most importantly, where on earth he was.

"Ron? Ginny?" he called out. "Hermione? Neville?" No one answered. "Luna?" It was eerily quiet.

"Why would you be calling for friends when you have power?" something asked. The voice was hollow and hoarse, but seemed angelic. The odd glow blinked, plunging his surroundings into darkness for a mere minute before brightening up.

Harry felt the need to answer, rather than ask. Something just forced him to do that, as he was never in the habit of answering properly. "There's no power that comes without love."

"You have passed the test, Harry Potter. You will be rewarded with a power, unique to you, which will help you save your bosom pals."

The glow grew and grew until Harry could no longer see anything other than yellow. Then it darkened, as if the sun was no longer giving the earth light. Something light and solid fell on his sweaty palms and the light was restored. Harry blinked hard to stop seeing stars from his visual adventure.

"I see you have passed," Turner spoke. Harry looked at her questionably. Her eyes pointed to his hand and he realized that he had been holding a black box. "That is the object I told you about. The object – called a Gramary – which, after realizing that you are worthy, has decided to bestow upon you its power and itself in whole. It can be anything. It is up to you to figure out what it does and what its power is." As she explained, his friends started waking up. "Here's a strong note of caution. Each power has its own limitations. Limitations which may weaken you, or even kill you. If you want to escape it, then use your powers wisely.

"Good luck, my new Unspeakables."

—xoxo—

"Oh my!" Hermione exclaimed, observing her box which contained her object of power. The six of them were back at Grimmauld Place after a hurried snack in their respective houses in order to let their parents know they were fine. They had also lied about going to a summer camp together in order to make up for the probable absence from their house. This excluded Harry and Hermione, as both of them had nowhere but Grimmauld Place to live in.

They had all graced the terrifyingly realistic tasks of the Chamber of Trails. Harry just hoped that he would not have nightmares about his adventures and misadventures just a while ago.

"My object probably will allow me to turn into an animal. . ." Harry guessed, inspecting the paw print on the object and turning the silver coin – his Gramary — in his hand before tightly holding it in his left palm. He closed his eyes, thinking of a creature, something unique and not seen by him before. A warm wind ruffled his clothes and when he opened his eyes, his vision had changed. It was much sharper than before and he felt a bizarre sensation in his limbs.

"Oh my Merlin!" Ginny exclaimed. "You make such a cute raven!" She offered him her arm. Harry looked down on himself, seeing black feathers attached to his chest. Opening his wings wide, he was obliged to perch himself on Ginny's arm. She stroked his neck, cooing in adoration, and Harry felt a need to preen his feathers.

"That's bizarre, mate. You look weird," Ron put in before looking at his object: a chess pawn. "What am I supposed to do with just a single pawn? A Queen at that. . ."

"The test probably sensed your fascination for chess," Hermione suggested. "I can't believe I have a time turner again. . ." She tapped the clock with her finger, sending a resonance of soft chimes.

"You are probably the perfect one for time management here, Hermione. No wonder you have it under your control. Just like the amazing Turner!" Ron grinned. Hermione shot him a glare but he was not paying heed.

Harry growled lightly when Ginny's fingers brushed his neck in a funny spot. "What am I supposed to do with an even more bizarre shaped keychain?" Neville wondered, holding up something miniscule but sharp-looking.

"I think that's a sword, or a dagger, Nev," Luna answered. "You might be proficient in sword art."

"Probably. What have you got there, Luna?"

"Oh, an amulet with the symbols of lightning, cascade, flame, earth and the wind."

"You are an elementalist, Luna!" Ginny piped up. Luna smiled knowingly but chose not to reply.

"What about you, Ginny?" Hermione probed.

Harry craned his neck to take a look at her as her expression fell. Eyes glimmering with low life, she spoke. "I don't know. . ." She abruptly withdrew her hand, causing Harry to take flight and land on Ron's head. She shuffled in her bag, then withdrew the box. Opening it lightly, she showed them a small bell.

"That looks like a cat's bell. . . Precisely, a Japanese cat's," Hermione identified, taking the bell from her.

"Well, what are Japanese cats famous for, then?" Neville asked.

"They are as normal as cats can be," Hermione replied.

"Not really," Luna cut in. "Cats are viewed as animals of worship in places like Egypt. Whereas, in the Japanese pop culture, they are viewed as special beings who are capable of attracting money."

"It could be but," Hermione paused, trying to keep the irritation out of her voice. "We are not living in Japan." Luna just smiled.

"Ruddy hell, it's almost dinner time!" Ron piped up, pointing at the annoying grandfather clock which, for the first time in many years, was adhering to the correct Greenwich time. Harry landed on a couch, thinking about how he looked like as a human and transforming back to himself.

"Dinner it is, then," he declared, leading everyone to the dining hall to have a surreptitious dinner. After all, they had one hell of a day ahead of them.

—xoxo—

Having lied about staying at Grimmauld Place for a sleepover in order to not attract suspicion about a summer camp starting abruptly, the six friends sat huddled over the center table in the drawing room, trying to comprehend the meaning of the riddle bestowed upon them to solve. They had technically told the truth as they were indeed sleeping over in the Grimmauld Place, even if it was not an enjoyable, merry occasion of sorts. Breaking their heads over a riddle was labelled as one of the most traumatic occasions for poor Ron, who had to cut his meal short for the same.

"I strike where 'oung warts get nourished,
By the union of the third of coming November;
Heart of Magic, I need, to solve what
You might try to twart," Ginny read out.

"Young warts?" Ron questioned, dumbstruck. "Do they mean the curse which makes warts sprout? The place where they use that curse? Or teach it or something?"

"That's — bizarre," Hermione gagged. "What if it's Hogwarts? Children get nourished there. . . both mentally as well as physically."

"Blimey, Hermione, but I was no wart."

"I didn't tell you were!" Hermione glared. "I only suggested it as young – or 'oung as it's written — warts can be mistakenly read as Hogwarts, should you only read it faster."

"Err, right. 'oung warts. 'oung warts. 'oung warts." Hermione shook her head at Ron's antics. So, Harry decided to step in.

"You seem to be right, Hermione. 'I strike at Hogwarts'. It means that the bloke is going to target Hogwarts!" Realization surely hit Harry rather slowly. "Oh, damn. We can't let that happen!"

"Exactly! We have to alert Professor McGonagall!" Neville suggested, standing up to use the Floo network.

"No, wait!" Ginny interrupted. "They can't know that we are Unspeakables! Besides, we don't know when he or she is going to attack!"

"Good point," Neville agreed, dejectedly, before slumping back down in his seat.

"Sometimes, patience is oxygen," Luna added, looking dreamily. Everyone nodded and got their attention back to the paper, Ron included.

"By the union of the third of November. . .?" Harry read, feeling blank. They were just going through April and the third of November was a long way to go, even if it was for something as pessimistic as war or battle.

"Wait, hold on," Neville exclaimed. "I have seen many a riddles like this in Grandma's books. She loves solving riddles, you see. Generally, such statements mean the third letter of the month. . . 'V' in our case!"

"Union of 'V's?" Ron asked. "'VV'?"

"A 'W', of course!" Hermione said, enthusiastically. "Join two V's like you said, Ronald! They make a 'W' while writing!"

"Right, but what has 'W' got anything to do with when he's gonna strike?"

"A date which starts with 'W'?" Ginny questioned as an answer, looking at Luna, who seemed clueless herself. Harry thought hard. They could not give up after they came this far! Then, Ginny's sentence echoed in his mind.

"Repeat what you said, Gin!"

"Uh? You mean if a date starts with 'W'?"

"It does not have to be a date," Harry smiled.

Ginny seemed to catch on. So were the others. "It could be a day. . . Wednesday."

"Yes."

"So, they are going to attack Hogwarts coming Wednesday for Heart of Magic?" Hermione summarized. "The last sentence is relatively easy, except for that part. I have never read about anything called the Heart of Magic. . ."

Ron and Neville exchanged glances. "Never came across such a term," Ron finally said.

Harry felt dejected. They had solved the mystery up to its penultimate sentence, only to not understand one term. One vital term which told them what they had to protect; which told them what their enemy was trying to get to. Without knowing what they had to defend, they might as well fail. What Heart of Magic did Hogwarts house? The school contained as many secrets as the hair on Dumbledore's beard which dated back, even further back, to Merlin's period. Harry could admit that despite all that he had gone through at the school – the place he called home – he had never unraveled all the secrets and mysteries hiding in the nook and crannies of the wizarding school.

Perhaps, there would be one last time when he would have to find out the secrets of Hogwarts. . .

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Thank you for reading!

Miyoko x