Snake hair: Fighting for freedom (Draco x F!Reader) (Book 8)

More than just a sword

It was a gloomy morning. Gray clouds covered the mountains that lay around Hogwarts. Black cloaked figures patrolled the skies. The sound of marching filled the air as the students walked onto the courtyard. Their faces were emotionless with a tinge of sadness.

High up, in one of the open windows stood Headmaster Snape. He had taken the role of Headmaster after Dumbledore's passing. He made strict rules about how the students should behave. And if you ever stepped a toe out of line, you would be sent to the Carrow twins, who would make sure that you would never speak out of turn again.

The laughter that once filled the halls was gone, replaced by an eery silence. No more music, no more chatter. Hogwarts wasn't Hogwarts anymore.

Snape sighed and turned his back to the courtyard. He was ready to return to his office.

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Harry sat at the table, he was holding a glass shard. He turned it in his hand until he saw the face again. He had seen it multiple times now. He didn't know if the man was real or what his intentions were.

Ron and Hermoine were also sitting at the table. Hermoine was fiddling with his hands, while Ron was staring at his hands. Samira and Daniel shared the small couch that was placed in the corner. Samira was holding Daniel's hand. She was nervously fiddling with his fingers while Daniel watched her carefully.

Luna was over by the window, looking at a windcatcher. "It's beautiful here." She said. Bill looked up from where he was hunched over the table. "It was our aunt's. We used to come here as kids. The Order uses it as a safe house now," Bill replied. "What's left of us at least."

"The Muggles think these are evil away," Luna said as she looked at the windcatcher. "But they're wrong."

"I need to talk to the goblin." Harry spoke. His voice was soft but firm. He seemed to know that the goblin knew something. Bill, who had been washing the dishes, nodded and put everything down. He waved his hand, indicating that we should follow him.

We followed him up the rickety wooden stairs. The first floor was rather small. It had 4 doors. One was Bill and Fleur's bedroom, one was the bathroom, one was a guestroom where Olivander was staying and the last one was the guest room where the goblin was staying.

Bill grabbed the brass doorknob and turned it. The door swung open with a loud creak. Bill waved his hand, welcoming us inside.

I stepped through the doorframe and looked around the room. It wasn't big. The room had a bed, a desk, and a chair. The chair was positioned in front of the window and in the chair sat the goblin.

"How are you?" I asked gently. "Alive." He answered. His voice was low and a bit raspy. He had been through a lot, who knows how long he had been in the Malfoy manner. "You probably don't remember, but-" Harry's sentence was cut off by the goblin. "That I showed you your vault, the first time you came to Gringotts. Even amongst goblins, you are famous, Harry Potter." He said.

I walked around the chair to face him. Harry followed. "How did you come by this sword?" He asked and pointed towards the sword of Gryffindor which was positioned against the wall. "It's complicated." Harry answered.

"Why did Bellatrix Lestrange think that this sword should be in her vault at Gringotts?" I asked. "It's complicated." Griphook mimicked. I sighed, already being done with this creature.

"The sword presents itself to a worthy Gryffindor in a moment of need, and that's what it did. We didn't steal it. You can't steal it because its location constantly changes." I explained. "There is a sword in madam Lestrange's vault identical to this one, but it is a fake. It was placed there this past summer."