Return of the Heirs

Harry Potter and the Return of the Heirs - Chapter 15

Harry Potter and the Return of the Heirs
By J.C. Vascardi

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Disclaimer: All characters and places featured in this story that relate to Harry Potter are the property of J.K. Rowling, various publishers, and Warner Brothers. No money is being made on this story and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. The only things about this story that I own are the storylines, places and characters that are not featured in the books.

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Chapter Fifteen

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The next day in the Gryffindor common room, Hermione was sitting in a corner of the room studying, while Ron was playing Exploding Snap with Seamus and Dean. After a few minutes, the game ended and Ron walked over to Hermione, as Seamus and Dean left the room.

"Still studying?"

"Yes, Ronald," Hermione said. "You should do more of it."

"Why should I waste time studying when there are so many other things I'd rather be doing?"

"Studying is never a waste of time."

"You have to admit though there are a lot of much more fun things."

"I don't have to admit anything," Hermione said. "Studying is fun."

Ron shook his head before pushing Hermione's hair out of the way and leaning down to kiss her neck. It wasn't long though before he found himself falling backwards after Hermione pushed him away. Standing back up, Ron asked, "Why in Merlin's name did you do that?"

"I'm trying to study."

"So? You've never pushed me away before when I've tried to show you affection during your study sessions."

"I have an important test coming up in Arithmancy that I need to be ready for."

"Fine, I'll leave you to your studying in a minute, but can we just talk about the ball for a minute?"

"What about the ball?"

"Well, I was hoping that you'd help me in Hogsmeade on Saturday."

"What do you need my help with?"

"Picking out dress robes for the ball," Ron said. "I'm certainly not about to wear those frilly old things mum sent me for the Yule Ball in fourth year. Bill and I had a chat yesterday, too, and he suggested that I get you to help me pick out my robes to ensure that they looked good with the dress you're wearing."

"Why does it matter if your robes match my dress?"

"Well, Bill said that since you and I are going together, it would look better if we coordinated the colors. Of course, what do you expect? He is gay after all, but then again I must admit that he's always had great fashion sense."

"What makes you so sure we're going together?"

"What?" Ron asked. "Hermione, of course we're going to the ball together. You're my girlfriend!"

Deciding that now was the best time to drop her bombshell, Hermione closed her textbook, stood up, and said, "Ronald, I'm sorry, but I will not be attending the Halloween Ball with you."

"What do you mean you're not going to the ball with me?"

"I'm sorry, Ron, but until you stop acting like a jerk, I refuse to go anywhere with you."

"I'm acting like a jerk? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Yes, Ron, the way you've been treating Harry lately is reprehensible."

"Harry befriended Malfoy!"

"So? Is that really a good reason to give up on over five years of friendship?"

"It's Malfoy!"

"I don't care, Ronald! In case you haven't noticed, Draco is not the same person he was last year."

"Bloody hell, Hermione, don't tell me you're under the bloody ferret's spell too."

"I'm not under a spell, Ronald, but I've seen a different side of Draco this year and I like what I see. I also trust my very good friend Harry's judgment. If he believes that Draco deserves a chance, then I think that as Harry's friends, it's the least we can do."

"Bloody hell, Hermione," Ron repeated angrily. "This is the bloody ferret we're talking about. The sick, twisted, evil to the core Death Eater in training! He's made our lives a living hell for the last five years and for you to stand there saying that he deserves a chance is completely crazy!"

"I'm sorry you feel that way, Ronald," Hermione said, hoping that she would be able to make him see reason without going as far as she was prepared to go. Of course, this was Ronald Weasley and she knew that he was a blockhead at the best of times. So be it. "Until you are willing to put your anger aside and trust Harry's judgment, I'm afraid I can't be with you anymore."

"You're breaking up with me?"

"Yes, Ronald, I'm breaking up with you."

"Fine!" Ron shouted as he stomped up the stairs to the boys' dormitories. Slamming the door behind him, Ron balled up his fists and thought, "This is all the slimy Slytherin git Malfoy's fault. I swear I'll get back at him for breaking Hermione and I up. I don't know how, but I'm going to make him wish he'd never been born."

* * *

Harry was sitting quietly under a tree by the lake. It was Thursday, classes were over for the day, and Harry didn't have to report to the Room of Requirement for Defense Arts for another three hours. The Halloween Ball was in two weeks and Harry had no date and zero confidence in his dancing ability.

Over the summer, Bill had helped him with many things, such as helping him shop for a brand new wardrobe so that he wasn't wearing Dudley's hand me downs anymore. Another thing that Bill had attempted to help Harry with was his dancing skills, but Harry still wasn't very good.

Harry was probably better then he had been at the Yule Ball, but he was sure that he was still bad enough that he'd look like an idiot at the ball without help.

`I wish there was a spell for learning how to dance,' Harry thought. `Just point my wand at myself, say an incantation and become a master dancer in less then two seconds.'

Unfortunately for Harry, there was no such spell. At least, there wasn't according to Rowena's portrait and Hermione, and Harry was confident that there was more then enough spell knowledge between the two of them that if there was a spell to learn how to dance, they'd know about it.

Harry closed his eyes and leaned his head against the trunk of the tree as he sighed and thought, `Maybe I'll just skip the ball and save myself the humiliation. I can't dance and even if I could, I don't have a date.'

The sudden noise of someone clearing their throat jarred Harry from his thoughts and he looked up to see Hermione standing there with a smile on her face.

"Hi Hermione," Harry said weakly.

"What's wrong, Harry?"

"Nothing is wrong."

"Now, Harry, you should know that you can't fool me. I've known you long enough to know when you're upset about something, so spill it already."

Harry sighed as he turned his gaze to the lake and said, "Well, if you must know, I'm upset about the ball. I can't dance and even if I could, I don't have a date."

"Well, I think I can help you with both problems."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked as he looked up at Hermione again.

"I'll teach you how to dance."

"Hermione, I appreciate the offer," Harry said. "I'm beyond hope though when it comes to dancing. Bill tried to teach me without much success."

"Well, Harry, I'm confident I can help you," Hermione said. "Many people don't know this about me, but I've actually taken ballroom dance lessons and I was the best student in the class."

Harry looked at Hermione for a second, before muttering, "Why am I not surprised?"

Hermione ignored Harry's comment and said, "So do you want my help?"

"I don't think it's a good idea, Hermione," Harry said. "When Bill was trying to teach me I can't even remember how many times he had to stop and cast a pain-relieving charm on his feet after I stepped on them too many times."

"You don't have to worry about that, Harry," Hermione said with a smile. "After you asked Rowena and me about a spell to learn how to dance, we put our heads together and we did come up with something that should prove useful."

"What's that?"

"Rowena taught me a spell to make my shoes as hard as iron but as light as a feather. So, Harry, you could repeatedly drop a brick on my feet and I wouldn't be in any pain."

"Well, then, I guess I don't have much room to argue anymore."

"No, you don't. So, will you allow me to teach you how to dance?"

"Sure, why not? Not like it's going to matter anyway, though. I don't have a date."

"Yes, well, as you may recall, I said that I could help you with both of your problems."

"You're suddenly a matchmaker as well as a dance instructor?"

"No, but, I thought I could teach you how to dance and then you could escort me to the ball; just as friends, of course."

"Escort you to the ball? What about Ron?"

"Ron and I aren't together anymore."

"What? Since when?"

"Since I broke up with him this morning," Hermione answered.

"Why in Merlin's name did you do that, Hermione? I know you love Ron."

"You're right, Harry, I do," Hermione said. "He's just being a total jerk right now and he pushed me to breaking up with him. He'll come around eventually I'm sure and then we can perhaps pick up where we left off, but for now, we're not an item."

"Even so, I can't go to the dance with you, Hermione. Ron is mad enough at me as it is for befriending Draco. If I go out with you, he's going to blow his top."

"Harry, he knows you're gay. Even Ron isn't stupid enough to think that a gay guy is trying to steal me away from him."

Harry really wasn't sure if that was true, because it was classic Ron to get so angry that he didn't think before acting. So, it was entirely possible that Ron would see Hermione and him together and get so angry that he'd react before stopping to think long enough to remember that Harry was gay.

Looking at Hermione, however, Harry could see the determined look in her eye and he knew better then to think that he could talk her out of anything once she got that look.

So, standing up, Harry hugged Hermione and said, "Thanks for the help. You're a good friend."

"No problem, Harry," Hermione said as she returned the hug. "Why don't we go to the Room of Requirement? Defense Arts doesn't start for another two-and-a-half hours."

Harry nodded and followed Hermione back to the castle.

* * *

"Oh my Gods," Nick said as he entered Rowena's quarters. "You were telling the truth."

"Why is it that whenever I tell anyone lately they don't believe me?"

"Well, Ryan, it's rather unbelievable," answered Bill. "Everyone in the school knows what the Sorting Hat said about each founder having an heir, but one just doesn't really expect them to be someone they know."

"You know, that doesn't make any sense," Ryan said. "I mean, the Sorting Hat didn't say who the heirs were, just that they were students at this school. Which means, obviously, someone is going to know them."

"Of course, you're right, Ry," Nick said, "but then again whoever said that life had to always make sense?"

"Good point," Ryan said. "I'd introduce you to Rowena, but I haven't seen her all day. I've checked every room and she's not in any of her portraits."

"Perhaps she went out visiting other portraits?"

"No, Bill, I don't think so," Ryan replied. "She said that after all these years the only portraits in the castle who would even know she was around would be the portraits of the other founders."

"Well, maybe she went to visit one of the founders then."

"She can't, Nick. She said that the magic that hid her quarters prevented her from being able to leave them and visit other portraits. The only way that she could have gone to visit one of the other founder's portraits is if their heir has found their quarters and thus lifted the protective magic."

Bill and Nick nodded to Ryan, as the three of them sat down in the large, overstuffed blue armchairs near the common room fireplace; Ryan sitting in one, with Bill sitting in the other and Nick on his lap.

"I take it you two finally got together?" Ryan asked as he looked at the two of them with a smile.

"What do you mean, `finally'?" Bill asked.

"I'm just surprised is all," Ryan said. "It took you two over a month of running around the lake to finally admit that you liked each other. I mean, I've known that Nick liked you since before school started."

"Well, Ryan, you know why we didn't get together before now," Nick said. "Once school started and Bill was revealed as our Potions professor, I figured I couldn't date him."

"Well, it is against the rules," Bill said. "Though I really do wish I knew who added the clause saying that it was okay if the student was seventeen or older. I'd love to thank them, of course, then again, they're probably long dead and I won't be able to."

"Yes and no," a male voice that nobody recognized said.

Looking up towards the direction of the voice, Ryan noticed a young man who looked like he couldn't possibly be more then nineteen wearing what looked like ninth century clothes in Rowena's frame.

"What do you mean, yes and no?" Ryan asked.

"The person who added the clause is long dead, but you can thank them. You see, it was Rowena Ravenclaw who added the clause in question and as you well know, Ryan, Rowena can be spoken to through her various portraits."

"Who are you and how do you know my name?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, where are my manners?" the young man asked. "Please allow me to introduce myself. Brendan Connor Carnes-Ravenclaw at your service."

"Brendan Ravenclaw?" Ryan asked. "Are you Rowena's son?"

The young man laughed at that. "No, Ryan, I am not Rowena's son. You'll notice that I said my name was Brendan Connor Carnes-Ravenclaw. Connor is my middle name, but Carnes is my maiden name. I just hyphenated when I married."

"So, you're Rowena's son-in-law?" Ryan asked.

"Are you sure you're Rowena's heir?" Brendan asked with a lopsided grin.

"Yes, I'm sure," answered Ryan, a look of confusion gracing his features, nonetheless.

"Well, Ryan," Brendan said, "I am not one of Rowena's in-laws, nor am I her father, uncle, brother, cousin, nephew, child, or grandchild."

A look of realization spread across Ryan's face, as he asked, "You mean?"

"Yes, Ryan," Brendan confirmed. "I am Rowena's husband and your twenty-third-great-grandfather."

"And you took Rowena's last name?" Bill asked.

"Yes, well, she was an only child and the Ravenclaw family needed an heir to carry on the family name," Brendan answered. "I had two older brothers, so I didn't really need to worry about carrying on the Carnes name, so I agreed to take Rowena's name, so that our children would be named Ravenclaw."

"You're so young," Nick commented.

"Why thank you," Brendan said. "Of course, you're right, I am only nineteen. Or, at least, I was when my portrait was painted. I could have had it updated over the years, but I rather liked the idea of eternal youth, so I decided to keep it the way it was."

"So you and Rowena Ravenclaw were married?" Bill asked.

"Yes, we were," answered Brendan. "We fell in love while I was still a student at Hogwarts. When the school was founded, the rule about no student and teacher relationships was written, but after Rowena and I fell in love, she asked the other founders if she could add the clause stating that it was okay for students and teachers to date if the student was over seventeen. They knew that Rowena and I loved each other, so they agreed to the clause. I'm glad they did, because if they hadn't, I would have had to wait until after I graduated to be with Rowena. I was so deeply in love with her that I don't think I could have handled trying to have a completely platonic relationship for three years."

"Three years?" Nick asked. "You mean you were seventeen as a fourth year student?"

"Yes, I was," revealed Brendan. "You see before Hogwarts, there was no school of magic, so when the founders started the school, they accepted every student who was between 11 and 17 by the first of September. It took several years before the majority of the eleven year olds were first years, twelve year olds were second years, et cetera."

"Hello," Rowena said as she appeared in the portrait with Brendan. "I see you've met Brendan."

"Yes, we have," said Ryan. "I feel kind of strange saying it considering who he is, but damn, Rowena, you sure have extremely good taste."

"Thank you, Ryan," Rowena said as she wrapped her arms around Brendan, who was beaming at Ryan for the compliment. "He is quite handsome isn't he?"

"You're quite beautiful yourself, Lena."

"Lena?" Bill asked.

"Brendan's pet name for me," answered Rowena. "He wanted to shorten my name but he thought Ro sounded too masculine and Wena sounded too weird, so he just started calling me Lena. By the way, Ryan, who are your friends? I don't think we've been properly introduced."

"Oh, Brendan, Rowena, this is my good friend Nick Delaney and his boyfriend, Bill Weasley, also our Potions professor. Nick is a sixth year like me, but he's seventeen because his birthday is September 10th."

"Ah, so I see the clause I created for Brendan and me is still proving useful after all these years."

"Extremely," Nick said. "I can't thank you enough because Bill is the best thing that ever happened to me."

"I know that feeling all to well," Rowena said as she squeezed Brendan and kissed him on the cheek. "Brendan is the best thing that ever happened to me. I always figured I'd die an old maid, but then I found Brendan and he changed all of that. We fell madly in love, got married, had four children and had a hundred and forty-nine fabulous years together."

"Oh, Lena, dear, please," Brendan said with a grimace. "I agree they were fabulous, but, please don't remind me how long we were married; it makes me feel so incredibly old."

Rowena laughed and said, "Well, Brendan dear you were a hundred and sixty-seven when you died, you were old. Of course, I still loved you then as much as I did when you were eighteen and we got married."

"I know, Lena, dear. I still loved you as much as I always did too, but I just wish that my experiments on eternal youth would have worked."

Rowena laughed again and said, "You'll have to forgive my husband. He was always a bit vain and obsessed with staying young. Right up until the day he died, he cast glamour charms on himself to make himself look younger."

"Lena, you're embarrassing me," Brendan said. "Of course, I'm not the only one who could be a bit vain when they wanted to be, now am I? I remember when you got your first gray hair, the way you were carrying on it's as if the world was going to blow up any second."

"Yes, well, what can I say?" Rowena asked. "Just because I'm an intellectual doesn't mean that I am not a woman. I still love to look my best and the presence of gray hair on my head was just not something I was ready to face at that point in time."

"Well, Lena, you were seventy at the time," Brendan said. "You had to know it was coming."

"Yes, I knew, that doesn't mean it made it any easier to accept. Not to mention the fact that with you so obsessed with youth, I was afraid you'd see the gray hair and go find someone younger. Being twenty years older then you I always did worry that you'd find someone your own age and leave me."

"Lena, dear, I hope you realize just how silly that worry was. I never wanted to leave you, I loved you more then life itself, but even if I had wanted to, you know I couldn't. We were bonded, in case you forgot, which made going our separate ways impossible."

"Yes, that's true," said Rowena. "I know I worried about stuff that didn't need to be worried about, but that's my mother's fault. She taught me from a very young age that it was unnatural not to have anything to worry about and that you should worry if you can't find anything to worry about."

"No offense, Lena, but I never liked your mother."

"Well, that makes two of us," Rowena said. "She was quite annoying when she wanted to be, which was, admittedly, all the time. She told me that I'd understand her better once I had children, but to be honest, I still didn't understand why she acted the way she did."

As interesting as it was listening to his ancestors talking to one another, when by all rights he shouldn't be able to, Ryan did have a question that was burning in his mind.

"Rowena how is it that Brendan is here? I mean, I've never seen his portrait before today and you said that you were alone here in your quarters since you died."

"You're right, I did say that and it's true. When I died, the protective magic of my quarters kicked in immediately and unfortunately, the portrait version of me was here in my quarters at the time. So, the magic effectively trapped me here and prevented Brendan or anyone else from coming to visit me."

"When you found Lena's quarters, Ryan, the protective magic began to lift, but it wasn't until today that it had lifted enough to allow me to get in to see Rowena."

"So where is your portrait, Brendan?" Bill asked.

"At Raven Hill," answered Brendan.

"Where is Raven Hill?" Nick asked.

"Raven Hill is my ancestral home," Rowena said. "My great-grandfather built the mansion on a hill so he decided that since our name was Ravenclaw, that he'd call his new house Raven Hill. As the only child of my generation, I inherited the house after my father died and that's where Brendan and I lived with our children when school wasn't in session."

"So as your heir, does that mean that Ryan owns Raven Hill?" Nick asked.

"Well, I haven't been there in a thousand years, so I have no idea."

"It's still standing," Brendan said. "It hasn't been lived in on a regular basis though since 1623 when our eleventh-great-grandson, Kayne Ravenclaw, died. He was Fiona's older brother, but they never got along with each other and when Fiona married Edmund Cromnvell she moved to his estate and she never came back."

"What about Kayne? Did he have an heir to pass ownership of the house too?" Bill asked.

"Yes, he did have one son, Connor, but he never really liked Raven Hill. Always said it reminded him of a mausoleum, which I never understood to be honest. He moved away when he turned seventeen and only very rarely came back to visit with his father. Connor did inherit the house when Kayne died, but he never came back after that. Nobody else did either. It's only the portraits and the house-elves now."

"Hmm, Ryan, have you checked the `Tome of the Founders' recently?" Rowena asked. "If ownership of Raven Hill has come into your branch of the family, then your uncle is probably the owner without even knowing it. I doubt the book will be fully readable yet, but you might be able to glean some information at least that will tell you if your family owns Raven Hill. You might even get a clue or two to the identities of the other heirs."

"No, I haven't, but it's a good idea," Ryan said as he got up and went over to the large double doors that led into Rowena's library. Curious, Nick and Bill followed him and Brendan and Rowena disappeared from the common room frame as they moved to the library.

"Wow," Bill and Nick said as they entered the library for the first time.

"Yes, it's very impressive, isn't it?" Ryan asked, as Bill and Nick nodded their heads in agreement. "Library, I require information on who now owns the Ravenclaw ancestral home of Raven Hill."

The bright blue orb immediately appeared over the central table, but this time, instead of darting around the room, it went down into the `Tome of the Founders' and the pages quickly began turning of their own accord. Ryan walked over to the central table and looked down at the large dragon hide bound book to find that he could now read some of the names on the page.

"So, Ryan what's the verdict?" Nick asked, after Ryan had been flipping and skimming page after page of bright blue ink for close to twenty minutes.

"Well, it seems that Rowena and Brendan had four children: Connor, born in 720, Brendan and Brandon, born in 725, and Fiona, born in 730."

"Yes, that is correct," confirmed Rowena.

"Fiona never married nor had children, Connor's line died out in 1292 and Brendan's line died out in 1398. So, Kayne and Fiona Ravenclaw, born 1470 and 1475, are descended from Brandon Ravenclaw. Up until that point, it looks like the births of Kayne and Fiona was the first time that Brandon's line ever produced more than one heir in a single generation. Kayne's son Connor's only child, a son named Ross, died when he was 10 and the only other Ravenclaw heirs listed after Fiona are all Cromwells, so I guess that means my family owns Raven Hill."

"Cool," Nick said. "Are you in the book, Ryan?"

"Well, of course I'm in the book, Nick, I'm an heir. Of course, it's possible my name isn't visible yet."

Turning to the appropriate page, Ryan skimmed down the list of blue names and then said, "No, my name isn't visible yet. After my grandfather's name it gets very hard to read anything else. I can just barely make out my uncle's name and my mother's name."

"Why don't you look at some of the other listings?" Brendan asked. "See if you can find clues on whom the other heirs are."

Looking at the list on the next page, written in bright green ink, Ryan knew that it must be the listing for Salazar Slytherin's heirs.

"Hmm, it cuts off right after the birth date of Tom Marvolo Riddle, otherwise known as Voldemort."

"Must you say his name?" Bill asked.

"Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself," said Ryan.

"Now you're sounding like Hermione," said Nick.

Ryan rolled his eyes and said, "Well, just above his name there's a listing for an Ariana Merope Riddle, born June 26, 1925. It doesn't list a death date and goes on to list her age as 71, so I guess whoever this Ariana is, she's still alive."

"My grandmother was born in 1925," Nick commented. "Of course, her birthday is July 18th and she's an only child. I guess that means that I'm not Slytherin's heir."

"That's probably a good thing, Nick," Bill said as he wrapped his arms around his boyfriend and rested his chin on Nick's shoulder. "Certain members of my family are going to be angry enough when they find out I'm dating a Slytherin. They'd be beyond furious if I was dating the heir of Slytherin."

"Well, you now have the name of one of Salazar's living heirs," Rowena commented. "Perhaps if you do a little research on Ariana you'll be able to figure out who the student heir is. At any rate, what about Hufflepuff and Gryffindor, any clues?"

Ryan turned a few more pages and came across the pages with the names written in black ink, signifying the heirs of Helga Hufflepuff. Skimming down the list, Ryan said, "I can make out several first and middle names, but I can't make out many of the surnames or the dates. Let's see here, Barnabas Ephraim, Hepzibah Esther, Ephraim Zebulon, Zebulon Jeremiah, Jeremiah Isaiah, Isaiah, I can't make out his middle name, Hannah Elspeth," Ryan paused for a moment and then said, "Hmm, this next entry I can read part of the surname; it says Cedric Jeremiah Dig."

"Did you say Cedric Jeremiah Dig?" Bill asked.

"You know him, Bill?" Nick asked.

"If it's the person I'm thinking of, yes I knew him, in passing at least."

"Knew?" Ryan prompted, noticing Bill's use of the past tense.

"It could be Cedric Diggory," Bill elaborated. "He was a Hufflepuff, but he was killed near the end of the Tri-Wizard Tournament two years ago."

"Was he the Hogwarts champion?" Rowena asked, before Brendan asked, "Did one of the tasks kill him?"

"Yes, he was the champion," replied Bill. "Harry Potter was also the Hogwarts champion though, because one of You-Know-Who's Death Eaters was masquerading as a Hogwarts professor that year and placed a powerful enough Confundus charm on the Goblet of Fire to make it draw two names from Hogwarts, picking Cedric and Harry. At any rate, it wasn't the task that killed him, it was on You-Know-Who's orders that he was killed by the Killing curse, after Harry and him were Portkeyed off Hogwarts grounds by the Tri-Wizard Cup."

"The cup was a portkey?" Nick asked.

"Yeah, I assume the Death Eater masquerading as a professor turned it into one. That was the night that You-Know-Who regained his body and Harry had to duel with him. Harry probably would have died that night, but he was lucky enough to buy a wand that had the tail feather of the same phoenix that You-Know-Who's wand core came from, so that it forced the Priori Incantatem effect and Harry was able to escape, bringing Cedric's lifeless body back to Hogwarts with him."

"It sounds like Harry is one very remarkable young man," Brendan commented.

"Yes, he is," said Bill as his mind flashed back to some of the times that he'd been with Harry, which caused his cheeks to flush.

Nick knew that Bill was probably remembering some of the times that he'd slept with Harry, but Nick knew that it was over between the two of them. Nick was also not the jealous type, so, he wasn't about to get mad that Bill was blushing over some of his more intimate memories of Harry.

"Can you read anything after the entry for Cedric?" Rowena asked.

"Um, no, not really," answered Ryan. "Well, it looks like a `Z' and then what could be either an `A' or an `E', I can't really be sure."

Flipping a few more pages, Ryan then said, "As for Gryffindor, the most recent entry I can read is for a Nicholas Alaric Gryffindor, so that doesn't help because I know there isn't anyone in this school named Gryffindor."

"Well, I'd say tonight has still been interesting," Rowena commented. "You now have some clues to work with at least. Maybe you'll even manage to figure it out before the book is fully restored."

"Yeah, maybe," Ryan said.

* * *

To be continued...

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