Chapter 9: A Threat Revealed

Albus Dumbledore sat back in his chair and smiled. Another year done, with the children off home again. Not only that, but most of his teacher problems had been dealt with. He'd managed to get waivers for Sybill and Charity, both of whom would be revising their curriculums for the year after next. In Charity's case it had been absolutely necessary, as the new O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. exams for that course would not be ready in time. Lupin's hiring had gone through with very little problem. Lupin and Black's tireless crusade to improve the image of werewolves had worked wonders there. Dumbledore was still worried about his new Defense against the Dark Arts instructor. But she was by far the most qualified candidate, and he couldn't exactly tell the Board of Governors that he didn't trust her because she used occlumency to block his legilimency.

Still, he didn't seem to think that Morgan was aligned with Voldemort. Despite that, her mysteriousness definitely worried him. On many occasions during his life, Dumbledore had encountered powers working towards goals that he couldn't even fathom. The Unspeakables for example. They at least acted in a way that seemed at least semi-rational, trying to prevent dangerous knowledge from falling into the wrong hands as well as taking extreme action in cases with a serious breach of the Statute of Secrecy. Yet there were plenty of things they kept secret that Dumbledore did not understand. And then there were… others was the only way Dumbledore could explain it. He didn't know who or what they were, but they seemed to intervene in very dangerous situations, but only as it suited them. Was Morgan part of this group? Or was she just doing her own thing?

Fawkes suddenly appeared in front of Dumbledore. That was strange, he hadn't known the phoenix was gone. Only a few people could have summoned him. Whoever had summoned him had left a letter with Fawkes.

Taking the letter, he opened it. It read:

Headmaster,

Quirrell has returned to Britain. Saw him talking with Dung. You asked me to keep an eye out, so I did.

AM

Dumbledore sighed. He had been looking forward to having a rest for the summer. Well this obviously couldn't wait.

While ostensibly Dumbledore had disbanded the Order of the Phoenix after Voldemort disappeared, he had left several of his operatives active, continuing to report to him. Moody was the only active Auror left sending reports, but he probably would have kept it up even if Dumbledore hadn't asked. Barty Crouch had found out about it, but he had quietly told Dumbledore that he didn't care as long as he only used the Order to watch the Death Eaters. Snape still reported to Dumbledore of course, as did Remus Lupin on occasion. Andromeda Tonks still sent the occasional report if she saw curses that might have been used by Death Eaters. Sirius didn't file reports, but he always mentioned anything suspicious that he saw to Dumbledore every time they met.

Leaving his office, Dumbledore went to find Minerva. He had no idea how long he might be gone.

XXXXX

Mundungus Fletcher was the most disreputable former member of the Order of the Phoenix. He wasn't brave, or strong. His primary use to the order had been that he knew the wizarding underworld better than anyone else. Well, anyone else who opposed Voldemort. As a consequence, now that peace had broken out he considered himself a free agent so to speak. Dumbledore was a little surprised that Quirrell would go to Mundungus nonetheless. There was always the chance that he would try to sell the information he had to Dumbledore, and at a discount at that.

And of COURSE the place that Mundungus was at was the Hog's Head. Dumbledore disliked going to his brother's establishment. Not that he hated Aberforth, quite the opposite. But his brother had never forgiven him for what had happened to their sister. Understandable, since Albus had never really forgiven himself either.

Sure enough, Aberforth gave him a glare as he walked in. "What do YOU want?" he asked pointedly.

"I'm looking for Mundungus Fletcher," said Dumbledore.

Aberforth narrowed his eyes. "Now you're the third person to look for him today. First that Quirrell fellow, then old Mad-Eye, now you. What's going on, brother?"

Dumbledore frowned. He didn't like giving out information when he had so little to go on himself. On the other hand, this was Aberforth. He decided to at least warn him away.

"Quirrell seems to have made a new friend recently," said Dumbledore, "I want to make sure this new friend doesn't make an appearance in the flesh."

Aberforth's eyes widened. "Dung is in the back room," he said immediately. No, Aberforth knew what was at stake here.

Dumbledore walked into the back room. Mundungus Fletcher was there nursing a glass of Firewhiskey, and holding ice up to his head.

"Did you have an incident Mundungus?" asked Dumbledore.

"Headmaster!" said the man with a slight slur to his speech. "Just some fellows who were dissatisfied with the quality of some goods I sold them. No big deal."

"I heard you had a conversation with Quirinus Quirrell today," said Dumbledore.

"Word sure gets around fast," said Mundungus, "Has Quirrell done something?"

"Not yet," said Dumbledore, "I'm trying to keep it that way."

"Well it isn't good for a man in my position to be going around talking about the people he works with," noted Mundungus, "But given what he asked, I'm willing to talk for free. That man was just asking to get caught."

"Oh?" asked Dumbledore.

"He wanted a runic array that could break through defensive wards. Powerful defensive wards. Mind you, I'm talking about home defensive wards, not the really powerful wards like around the Ministry or Hogwarts. Said he needed it to be undetectable." Mundungus laughed. "I told him that I wanted a harem of young beautiful witches, but that it wasn't happening."

Dumbledore nodded. It was obvious that Quirrell was trying to get somewhere he wasn't supposed to be. It was also clear that he really didn't want to be caught. His own skills probably wouldn't suffice for robbing the home of a powerful witch or wizard.

"No idea who it was that he was planning on robbing?" asked Dumbledore.

Mundungus frowned for a moment. "Well I've rarely dealt with Quirrell before. But I did once. He was asking for books on how to make himself immortal. Some forbidden stuff. Well you know I don't like to deal in Dark Magic artifacts."

Dumbledore nodded. It was true that Mundungus didn't like dealing in dark magic. It was also true that he would, for a price.

"Anyway I couldn't help him. But now that I think about it, what's the one thing he could steal that would make him immortal?"

No, thought Dumbledore, not that. Please.

"I'm thinking he's going after Flamel. He has that Philosopher's Stone or whatever it's called. Makes the Elixir of Life. Might be up Quirrell's alley."

It would also be up Voldemort's alley. This was about as bad an outcome as Dumbledore could have feared. The Elixir of Life could definitely heal Voldemort. He had to warn Flamel.

XXXXX

Upon arriving in Devon, Dumbledore snuck up on Flamel's house. No use warning Quirrell if he was nearby. He Disillusioned himself and tried to walk quietly. He silently transfigured the gravel on the path to be soft and not crunch, it would return to normal in just a few minutes. The house itself was a small one floor cottage.

"Hello Headmaster," said the voice of a woman, very quietly.

Dumbledore turned to see Morgan Solaire perched in a tree. She was wearing muggle camouflage. He was still disillusioned. How could she detect him?

"You're very good at staying hidden, that's what gave away that it was you," said Morgan. "But low noise doesn't mean no noise. I'm a fair tracker all things considered."

Dumbledore walked over to the tree. "Why are you here?"

"I'm after Quirrell," she said simply.

"How did you know that he was going to come here?" Dumbledore was really suspicious now.

"Quirrell has been obsessed with immortality for years now," said Morgan, "He tried to get Flamel to teach him how to make a Philosopher's Stone. Flamel refused, of course. And it struck me that Quirrell may have joined Voldemort to learn how to be immortal. Obviously Voldemort isn't just going to give that information up, but given that Voldemort is already functionally immortal, once he's used the stone he might let Quirrell keep it for him. He has been known to reward his servants in similar ways, or so I've heard."

"So how long have you known this?" asked Dumbledore.

Morgan shrugged. "A couple weeks?"

She'd definitely beaten him to it then. She seemed to read his mind because she quickly said, "It's less that I beat you to it Headmaster, and more that you have actual responsibilities at the moment."

"So you've been there all this time?" he asked.

"God no!" she said vehemently, "I came today, when Quirrell returned to Britain."

Dumbledore shook his head, then remembered that Morgan couldn't see him. "Why not just warn Flamel?"

Morgan shrugged, "I have nothing better to do."

Dumbledore was silent. Why did she have so much stake in this? What was her goal?

"I'm sure you'll forgive me, but I am having a bit of trouble understanding your motivations here." he said good-naturedly.

Morgan looked unsure for a moment. Then she sighed. "There are enough barriers separating muggles and magicals, without Voldemort adding to them. I want to stop a man who would make that barrier absolute."

Dumbledore knew that if she could see him, his eye would be twinkling. "You should definitely speak to Flamel, I think you two would have a lot in common."

"Really?" asked Morgan with exaggerated suspicion in her voice.

Suddenly a loud wail came from the other side of the house.

"Someone tripped the wards!" said Morgan as she leapt out of the tree. She glided towards the ground slowly, but seemed to be able to walk in mid-air at her normal rate of speed. A remarkable piece of magic, and Dumbledore suspected it was spontaneous. Was Morgan a true sorceress? That would explain a lot of her abilities.

Dumbledore himself went the other direction.

On the other side of the house he saw Quirrell. He was dodging spells coming out of the house. "Get out of here, thief!" shouted a voice, a woman's voice. That must be Perenelle, Nicholas's wife. Flamel himself burst out of the back door flinging spells at Quirrell. He dodged for a bit, but then Morgan opened up with stunners. Dumbledore joined in, his disillusionment falling off, and Quirrell fled.

"Huh, now this is a surprise!" said Flamel in flawless English, "Not only do I have to deal with a thief, but then my old friend Albus shows up to help deal with him, and with a young woman in tow. Has something changed Albus?"

Dumbledore nearly laughed in spite of himself. Flamel had a bit of a way about him. Always taking things lightly. "Morgan here has been hired as next year's Defense against the Dark Arts professor. But we were both tracking Quirrell independently."

"Morgan Solaire," she said, extending her hand. But as she took it, her eyes widened. She stared at Flamel in absolute shock.

"Something the matter?" Flamel asked.

"N-n-no, sorry," said Morgan, recovering as best she could, "You have an aura around you that... Well I didn't expect it."

Dumbledore knew what she meant. There was some strange feeling he got around Nicolas, and it wasn't just from his advanced age. But Morgan wasn't acting as if she didn't know what Flamel was. She was acting as if she recognized it and was genuinely surprised.

Flamel nodded. "I get that all the time," he said, "So that was old Quirinus I see. No points for guessing what he was after! As if he hadn't asked after it for years. I am a little disappointed that you didn't feel I could handle this one Albus."

"I was merely coming to warn you," said Dumbledore, "Morgan was the one who staked out your house."

"Ah, I thought I noticed her!" said Flamel, "Good to know I'm not just getting paranoid in my old age. In any event, I don't need any help with the likes of him."

"It wasn't Quirrell we were worried about," said Morgan.

"It appears that Quirrell has taken up with the spirit of Lord Voldemort," said Dumbledore.

"Why on earth would he do that?" wondered Flamel.

"Greater witches and wizards have done more foolish things in the search for immortality," said Morgan. Dumbledore knew she wasn't referring to him, but nonetheless he felt a twinge of shame.

"True," said Flamel.

"The Stone could bring Voldemort back to life," said Dumbledore, "It needs to be moved to somewhere safer. I could house it in Hogwarts…"

"No," said Flamel, "I know a better place to hide it. Thank you for the offer however."

"Nicholas," started Dumbledore, "This isn't the time to be stubborn."

"Headmaster, I think we can trust Flamel's judgement on this one," said Morgan. Oh she definitely knew something!

"Still," she said, "Perhaps a subterfuge is in order. Maybe Flamel could make an elaborately covert visit to Gringotts? That might throw them off the trail for a bit."

Flamel laughed. "Not a bad idea!" he said, "Don't worry Albus, I know what Voldemort getting the Philosopher's Stone would mean. I won't let it happen."

"Very well," said Dumbledore, realising that this conversation was over. "Be safe old friend."

"I will," he replied, "And if me and my wife seem to disappear for a bit, just know that you can always get a hold of me with that phoenix of yours." And he walked back into the house.

"Odd man," said Morgan.

"Do you, by chance, know where Flamel intends to take the stone?" asked Dumbledore.

Morgan cocked her head a bit, then simply said "Yes."

"And you won't tell me?"

Morgan smiled. "For the same reason he won't tell you. If you don't already know, you don't need to know."

Somehow Dumbledore was beginning to suspect that this would be a long year.

XXXXX

"Who was that woman?" Perenelle Flamel asked her husband as soon as the two interlopers were away.

"Morgan Solaire. I don't know her. But she recognized what I was right off the bat," Nicolas said unhappily, "There was something about her as well. I haven't ever felt what I felt then before. It was like an echo or a recognition."

"What are we doing?" asked Perenelle.

"We are going into hiding with the Stone." said Nicolas.

"Surely things can't be that bad," said Perenelle.

Nicolas shook his head. "Even if I am wrong about this Morgan woman, I will not allow Tom Riddle to get the Philosopher's Stone." he shook his head. He'd met the man once, years ago when he'd still been a teenager. He'd known immediately that he was trouble.

"Maybe we need help," said Perenelle her voice suggesting more.

Flamel gave her a blank look. "We'll ask."

That was all he could promise after all.

XXXXX

For Harriet, today was a big day. In a way her entire life had led to this moment. Today was the day she finally would begin to unlock the magical world. Today was her eleventh birthday.

She'd spent the last month living with Sirius again. This time she'd been able to properly enjoy the experience. Sirius was working on another bill with Arthur Weasley, but this one was more of a slow burn and didn't require him to put in nearly as much work in at the moment. She'd had the chance to visit most of her friends again. Luna seemed to have mostly recovered from the death of her mother. Not that she wasn't sad about it still, but she had long since adapted to her mother no longer being a part of her life. Most of her letters now just detailed the things she found on her explorations, which Harriet enjoyed trying to figure out if they were real or just more of Luna's imaginary creatures.

Ginny was beginning to show signs of panic in her letters. Her brother Charlie was gone, having received a job at a Dragon preserve in Romania. This meant that once Ron went off to Hogwarts she'd be spending most of her time alone with her mother. Harriet liked Mrs. Weasley, but she could be a bit much at times. Harriet had suggested that Ginny invite Luna over more. Luna was showing signs of going a bit wild actually, as her father had been slowly becoming more and more distant. Spending time with Ginny and her mother would probably be good for her.

But today, Harriet wasn't worried about any of that. Today she and Hermione were going to go to Diagon Alley. Technically Hermione could have bought her wand months back, but she couldn't have used it anyway. So she had waited to buy her wand as well. But with only a month to go they'd resolved to go buy their wands together.

This time they'd traveled to the Leaky Cauldron together. Harriet didn't bother disguising herself this time. This was her grand return to the magical world, at least in public, and she wanted to be seen. Not that she was thrilled about the idea that her going shopping would probably make the papers, but Harriet had to take control of her life sometime, and now was as good a time as any.

The response she had received in the Leaky Cauldron was a bit overwhelming all the same. A mob of people all thanking her for something she didn't remember. However, one figure did not seem eager to meet her. A strange man wearing a turban started sneaking out the moment she walked in.

Sirius noticed this as well. "Quirinus Quirrell," he said roughly, "Dumbledore told me to watch out for him. Whatever happens today Harriet, do not run off without me. Do you understand?"

"Perfectly," she said.

They stopped by Gringotts first. Harriet made her usual small talk with the goblins. Hermione, on the other hand, was taking notes.

"What are you doing?" asked Harriet.

"I was going to ask the same question," said the goblin clerk.

"I am just writing down my impressions of Gringotts and goblins," she said, "Harriet tells me that most wizards try to act as if you don't exist. I'm just trying to avoid doing that."

"Hermione," said Harriet kindly, "maybe you should just talk to them."

"While I appreciate you leaping to our defense Miss. Potter," said the clerk, "It isn't necessary. Rest assured, when we goblins meet with your wizard leadership, we take copious notes."

Hermione looked a little smug for a bit, at least until the goblin Griphook was loading them into the cart to go to Harriet's vault. Hermione hated roller coasters. By the time they got to Harriet's vault, Hermione looked a bit queasy.

Harriet withdrew a fair amount of gold. While Sirius was paying for her school things, she felt it would be nice to have some money to buy a few extras, as well as have some spending money for the year. But just as she finished loading the sack an alarm began sounding through the Gringotts tunnels. Griphook ushered them into Harriet's vault then with a snap of his finger the door shut.

"What's happening?" said Hermione.

"Someone just attempted to gain illegal access to one of the vaults." said Griphook. "They won't be able to stay in the tunnels long though. Once you trip our alarms your only hope is to escape before our numbers overwhelm you."

A few minutes later a tone sounded. "All clear," said Griphook, "Let's get you out of here."

When they arrived back in the lobby, the Grangers and Sirius both seemed incredibly relieved.

"We should never have let you go down there," said Helen.

"Oh Mum, we weren't in any danger," said Hermione, "Griphook sealed us in Harriet's vault until the danger passed."

"Well, if that person couldn't get into any of the vaults, why were they there?" her mother countered.

"I mean they could have tried to get in," said Harriet, "but by the time they did the goblins would have caught them."

"Gringotts is very secure," said a goblin who walked up to them, "My name is Blisteraxe, and I wish to apologize for the inconvenience you suffered today. Luckily, while a trespasser did infiltrate our security, they only gained access to an empty vault which did not have a full suite of security spells on it. Your daughter was quite safe inside the Potter vault."

"That's a bit reassuring," said Helen dubiously.

"Thank you very much for the update," said Robert.

Harriet couldn't help but notice that Helen had cooled towards her a lot since the incident with the mud. She wasn't exactly sure why, but had to admit it was a bit confusing.

"We still have a lot of shopping to do," said Sirius.

XXXXX

Harriet already had Hedwig, so she decided that her extra this year would be a new broom. She might not be able to bring it with her for her first year, but by Merlin she'd be able to say she had a Nimbus 2000 to anyone who asked! She also bought a bunch of books. Hermione had been jealous, but Harriet's promise to let her borrow them immediately mollified her.

But now they were here, standing outside Ollivander's wand shop.

Harriet felt a rush of excitement as she walked in. There were wands stacked everywhere. It reminded her of a lot of muggle antique shops she'd been dragged to by her aunt. An old man with strange silver eyes popped out of the back suddenly.

"Ah, two new witches, getting their wands," he looked to Hermione, "You are?"

"Hermione Granger," she said quietly.

"I am Garrick Ollivander Miss Granger, and I am pleased to meet you," he said. Then he turned towards Harriet and she immediately knew why Hermione had gone quiet when he'd looked at her. It felt like he was staring right through her!

"Miss Potter, of course, needs no introduction," he said, which caused Sirius to scowl a bit.

"Now let us start with Miss Granger, as I suspect that Miss Potter will require some effort to find the correct wand for her," said Ollivander.

"Don't we just pick one?" asked Helen, who was clearly puzzled.

"The wand chooses the wizard," said Harriet, "In theory any wizard can use just about any wand, but the wand that chooses you will always give you the best results."

"Quite so!" said Ollivander, "Each wand has its own subtleties. They are designed to suit the most eclectic of witches and wizards."

"I suppose that makes sense," said Helen.

Ollivander gave Hermione several wands. The first he placed in her hand and it did nothing. The second started screeching horribly when she took it. The third wand made a lackluster WHUMP, and scattered sparks everywhere.

"Hmmm," said Ollivander, "Those were odd reactions. Unless…" Suddenly he ran back into the back and came back with a more delicate looking wand that had vines carved on it. He placed it in Hermione's hand, and immediately it started glowing.

"Yes! Vinewood, with dragon heartstring," said Ollivander, "Dragon heartstring is the most powerful of the wand cores that I use. Vinewood is a relatively rare wood. It indicates a witch with a great deal of hidden potential, who has the capability to pick many different paths, but has not yet decided which she wishes to take."

Hermione beamed as she held her wand. "This feels amazing! I've never felt anything like this before!"

Ollivander turned to Harriet. "Now let us see what we can do for you."

Over a score wands later, and Ollivander still hadn't found a match for Harriet. "I had a feeling you'd be a difficult one," said Ollivander, "but no worries, I have plenty of wands. One of them will certainly work."

Harriet had to admit she was feeling a bit foolish as wand after wand rejected her. She wondered what would happen if none of his wands did pick her. Would she have to go to another wandmaker?

Suddenly Ollivander came out with a box wrapped with a green ribbon. Ollivander pulled off the ribbon. "This is a very special wand, a one of a kind. Perhaps…" he trailed off as he pulled the wand out of its case.

"11 inches, Holly, with a phoenix feather core," said Ollivander.

This wand was something else. It had a carved handle, with smooth, wavy lines. At the end of the wand was what looked like a space for a stone or gem, like a sword pommel, but it was empty. The moment Harriet took it in her hand, it felt right, and a strong yet subtle glow seemed to surround her.

"Sometimes a wandmaker does not choose to make a wand,"said Ollivander, "Sometimes the plan for a wand just comes to him, like a form of divination. This wand was made for one person. And that is you."

"What do you mean?" asked Harriet.

"This wood is Holly, meant to contain the fury of a hero. A questor's wand. But the core, the core is an augmented phoenix feather, wrapped in a dragon heartstring."

"What?" asked Sirius, "Is that even possible?"

"For the right person yes, but no one else could use this wand well, unless they also had a double affinity like Harriet. But more importantly the augmented core makes it very durable for extended use. It isn't necessarily more powerful than a regular wand, but you can use it at its maximum power for a very long time without worrying about damaging it."

"And the pommel?" asked Harriet.

"A long time ago people used spell focuses on their wands," said Ollivander, "It isn't necessary with modern wands, or even well crafted old wands, but this is the image of the wand that came to me. I think it will make more sense in time."

"But the most interesting thing is the phoenix feather. A phoenix feather is flexible you see. But this one, well the phoenix who gave this feather gave one other feather. Just one. And…" Ollivander glanced at Sirius and Harriet.

"It was in the same wand that gave you that scar," said Ollivander as he pointed at Harriet's forehead.

Hermione gasped, and her parents suddenly looked very worried. Sirius didn't blink.

"I take it that this doesn't surprise you?" said Harriet to her godfather.

He shook his head. "I didn't expect it, but it doesn't surprise me in the slightest."

She turned to Ollivander warily. He was a creepy old man, but he had been helpful. "Thank you," she said politely.

"Miss Potter, in all likelihood, this wand will be my greatest legacy. Please, use it well," Ollivander pleaded.

She nodded. Dammit, what wasn't Sirius telling her? She needed to know!

"Harriet, I know that look," said Sirius, "There is a reason we haven't told you everything yet."

"I think," Harriet said, weighing her words carefully, "that we should talk about this more later. In private. But I am not dropping it. I need you to be honest with me Sirius. I can get that maybe I didn't need to know before I got my wand. But now…"

Sirius nodded noncommittally.

This day was just full of terrible surprises.

XXXXX

When they returned to the Leaky Cauldron there was one last, horrible, encounter. Lucius and Narcissa were there, with a young blond boy who could only be Draco.

"Black," said Lucius, who was pointedly ignoring the Grangers.

"Sirius," said Narcissa, with notably less hostility.

"Lucius, Narcissa," said Sirius.

Draco seemed to notice something was up, but apparently he hadn't quite put the pieces together yet.

"I haven't met either of you yet," said Draco with what seemed to be a superior smirk. Harriet was trying so hard not to judge him based on his parents, but he was not making it easy.

"I'm Hermione Granger," said Hermione.

Draco still hadn't recognized the name Granger, which indicated that Lucius probably hadn't fully shared his humiliation of a year ago with him. "That's not a normal magical name."

"That's 'cause she's a muggleborn," said Harriet.

Draco wrinkled his nose. "You a muggleborn too?"

Harriet was actually somewhat relieved that Draco didn't know her by sight. It gave her some hope that her fame might wear off. Someday.

"No, but there's nothing wrong with it," said Harriet, "after all, my mother was a muggleborn and she defeated Voldemort."

Draco's jaw hung in shock, while both of his parents inhaled in a hiss. "You dare?" said Lucius.

Harriet rolled her eyes, "It's just a name. Anyway, if anyone gets to say it it's me. Oh and I'm Harriet Potter, unless you already figured it out Draco."

"I'm not afraid to say it either," said Hermione, "Voldemort."

Draco's eyes bulged, "How dare you sully his name you… you… you mudblood!"

Instinctually Harriet's hand formed a fist as she started to lunge for Draco. But a grip of iron grabbed her wrist instead.

"While Mr. Malfoy certainly deserves a punishment for what he just said, that certainly does not include assault," said a familiar voice. Harriet looked up to see Morgan Solaire holding her wrist.

"I think you should move along Mr. Malfoy," she said, addressing Lucius.

"Who are you to be giving my father orders!" shouted Draco.

"I didn't give any orders, I gave him advice," said Morgan, "And who I am, is your Defense against the Dark Arts instructor."

"And the advice you gave us was good," said Narcissa as she gave her husband a withering stare. She turned back to Sirius. 'Farewell cousin," she said as she began to drag her husband and son away.

"Narcissa isn't all bad I guess," said Harriet.

"What brings you to Diagon?" said Sirius, overly casually.

Morgan laughed at his obvious attempt to cover his suspicions of her. "I'm meeting a friend. But he's late."

Harriet knew Sirius still suspected Morgan of having ulterior motives, but Harriet had decided that she owed Morgan a big enough favour that she could give her the benefit of the doubt for now.

"This day has been crazy," said Harriet, "First there was an attempted break in at Gringotts."

Morgan giggled, "So did old Quirrell manage to steal something?"

"I don't know that it was Quirrell, but the vault that was broken into was empty," said Sirius.

Morgan laughed out loud, "Oh, when he gets back to his master it's going to hurt him."

Sirius grinned at that thought, though it made Harriet a bit uncomfortable. Was Quirrell serving Voldemort?

"Anyway, I'd love to catch up, but I do have a meeting," said Morgan, "But I'll see you at Hogwarts!"

And with that she was gone.

"Weird," said Hermione.

Harriet had to agree.

Sirius wasn't done though. "Harriet, you and I are going to have a talk about when it is appropriate to use violence."

Somehow Harriet knew that this was going to push her talk about Voldemort back a good long while.

XXXXX

Quirrell made his way into the hollow that Lord Voldemort had made his den.

"Did you acquire the stone?" said the Dark Lord.

"I'm sorry my Lord," said Quirrell, "The vault was empty. It did not appear to have been opened in decades."

The Dark Lord hissed at Quirrell. "So far, this has been a failure."

"There is another option!" said Quirrell desperately, "the Holy Grail is said to have all the healing powers of the Philosophers Stone."

"Do you know where it is?"asked Voldemort dangerously.

"N-n-n-n-n-no," said Quirrell nervously.

"Hogwarts!" shouted Voldemort, "It was last seen at Hogwarts! And due to your incompetence, we have no way in! The time has come for me to take more direct action." Suddenly the shadow that was Lord Voldemort lunged forward, into Quirrell's body.

Quirrell was immediately wracked by the worst pain he'd ever imagined. After several minutes it ended. Had that been it?

"Oh no," said the voice that was now in his head, "That isn't it at all."

XXXXX

Gerhard finally saw Morgan come into the private dining room he'd rented. "You're late," he said.

"I ran into Malfoy and Potter," she said, "And it took you over a month to get here."

"Karkaroff was tailing me," he said, "I needed to make sure he didn't know I was heading to Britain."

"Anyway, we have a new problem. I recently met Nicolas Flamel. And the moment I met him I knew."

She stopped. If she told him anymore Gerhard guessed he might have enough information to start guessing her secret.

She shook her head, "I have to trust you, of all people. Nicolas Flamel is a Guardian of Atlantis."

"What? How do you know?" asked Gerhard.

"He has the blessing of Avalon," said Morgan.

"What?" asked Gerhard, "I don't understand. What is that, and how do you know what it is?"

"The blessing of Avalon is a power that is bestowed upon the Guardians of Atlantis by the Avalon Atlantean Keystone," said Morgan, "And I know what it is because it was once bestowed upon me. And Flamel noticed, but he didn't recognise it, fortunately."

"Fortunately?" asked Gerhard as he realised that he was about to discover Morgan's secret.

"It happened a long time ago, and I'm sure they still tell stories about me. In fact I know they do."

Morgan smiled. "You see, I am, or rather I was, the Dark Witch of Avalon herself. I was the one you call Morgana le Fay."

And for the first time in all his years of working for Morgan, Gerhard was speechless.

End of Part 1

Coming Soon:

Part Two of Harriet Potter and the Guardians of Atlantis: Harriet Potter and the Holy Grail

Author's Note: And that is that. Part 2 is written, but I won't be posting it until I finish writing Part 3. I have two more chapters to write in Part 3. After that I will have to do some editing and fixing of Part 2. I will update my profile to show that Strange Witch is complete and I will probably list the names of parts 3-10 at that time.

Majere, I too am disappointed in Sirius for not apologizing to Snape. Unfortunately Sirius will not do that unless he is certain that Snape will accept his apology. And Snape won't. He honestly believes that Sirius tried to kill him. Sirius is just so ashamed that he will not put himself in a position where he can have his apology rejected by Snape like that. It is good that you mentioned it though, as it is a pretty important piece of Sirius' characterization.