In the Melancholy Moonlight, Part 5: Dark Matter

Chapter 263: Now You Grow

HARRY:

As soon as Lucy left, Hermione dove into her small beaded bag and emerged a couple seconds later with Phineas Nigellus Black's portrait, which she set on the floor facing us.

"If somebody swapped the real sword for the fake while it was in Dumbledore's office, Phineas Nigellus would have seen it happen, he hangs right beside the case!" she said excitedly. "Er — Phineas? Phineas Nigellus? Professor Black? Please could we talk to you? Please?"

"'Please' always helps," he replied as he appeared.

"Obscuro!" Hermione said quickly, and a blindfold appeared over his eyes.

"What — how dare — what are you — ?"

"I'm very sorry, Professor Black, but it's a necessary precaution!"

"Remove this foul addition at once! Remove it, I say! You are ruining a great work of art! Where am I? What is going on?"

"Never mind where we are," I cut in.

Phineas froze. "Can that possibly be the voice of the elusive Mr. Potter?"

"Maybe."

Phineas stopped trying to peel off the blindfold, so I pressed on.

"We've got a couple of questions to ask you — about the sword of Gryffindor," I continued.

"Ah, yes. That silly girl acted most unwisely there — "

"Shut up about my sister!" Ron snapped.

"Who else is here? Your tone displeases me! The girl and her friends were foolhardy in the extreme. Thieving from the headmaster!"

"They weren't thieving. That sword isn't Snape's," I said.

"It belongs to Professor Snape's school. Exactly what claim did the Weasley girl have upon it? She deserved her punishment, as did the idiot Longbottom and the Lovegood oddity!"

Hermione's eyebrows furrowed. "Neville is not an idiot and Luna is not an oddity!"

Phineas paid her no mind as he started trying to remove the blindfold again. "Where am I? Where have you brought me? Why have you removed me from the house of my forebears?"

"Never mind that!" I said. "How did Snape punish Ginny, Neville, and Luna?"

"He didn't do any of the punishing," Phineas replied. "Professor Snape suggested detentions for the lot, but the Carrows insisted upon corporal punishment to make an example. The Weasley girl was briefly tortured in the headmaster's office, then all three were punished again in front of the school, I heard the Carrows discussing their plans before they left."

"Are they okay?" I asked in a small voice.

Phineas nodded. "Yes. They have recovered from the ordeal and seem surprisingly unfazed. The incident was the talk of the portraits for days after the fact."

Hermione bit her lip and then pressed on. "What we really wanted to know, Professor Black, is whether anyone else has, um, taken out the sword at all? Maybe it's been taken away for cleaning or — or something?"

"Muggle-borns. Goblin-made armor does not require cleaning, simple girl. Goblins' silver repels mundane dirt, imbibing only that which strengthens it."

"Don't call Hermione simple," I grit out.

"I grow weary of contradiction. Perhaps it is time for me to return to the headmaster's office?"

He started to leave, but I had an idea all of a sudden.

"Dumbledore!" I shouted. "Can't you bring us Dumbledore?"

Phineas stopped. "I beg your pardon?"

"Professor Dumbledore's portrait — couldn't you bring him along, here, into yours?"