As I walked down the empty concrete pathway leading away from the manor and towards the large black gates, there was a burst of air, my clothes flapping in the wind. Draco Malfoy appeared, and I smacked right into his hard chest. Pain exploded into my face as I grabbed my nose, stepping back and mumbling a string of curses.

"You're a blooming idiot, Steele."

"You broke my nose!" I yelled.

"It's not broken!"

"It probably looks all crooked and ugly," I whined.

"Well, that's nothing new," he smirked, and I gathered all my strength to punch him in the arm. "Oi, no need to get violent!"

I sneered at him. "What are you going to do about it?"

"Maybe I'll hit you back."

"You wouldn't dare hit a helpless little girl," I said, batting my eyelashes innocently.

"You didn't seem so helpless in there," he said, pointing towards the manor. "You've got yourself a death wish. This is a suicide mission. You—"

"I'm good friends with Harry Potter. I've got this under control."

"Do you know where he is?" Malfoy asked me, crossing his arms over his chest.

I hesitated. ". . . No."

"Do you know how to find him?"

"No! But that's besides the point. I will find him."

"God, Steele, you have to think these things through!" he said, grabbing my shoulders and giving me a shake. "You can't wing stuff like this. There are no second chances."

I shrugged of his hands. "I know what I'm doing, Malfoy."

"Really? 'Cause to me, it looks like you have no idea what you're playing at."

"Okay," I conceded. "Then help me."

He paused, as if surprised by my request.

"What with?"

"When I find them, how do I call him?"

He blew out through his lips, eyes flicking behind me, checking our surroundings. "Okay. Not here."

He placed one hand on my shoulder, and then we were warping through space.

⚡️⚡️⚡️

We landed in the middle of a forest, leaves crunching under our shoes.

"So, the Dark Mark is under something similar to the Protean Charm."

"Right down to business, eh?" I snickered, and he shot me a look. "Sorry. The Protean Charm—so it's the one Hermione used in our fifth year on the Galleons to tell us where Dumbledore's Army was meeting? You know, the one you tried so hard to bust?"

He rolled his eyes.

"Yes, similar to it. A sister spell, if you may. All you have to do it touch your wand to the mark and say the incantation, and it'll send your location to everyone."

"What's the incantation?"

"Signum Tenebris," he muttered under his breath, as if afraid he'd accidentally call the one person he was most afraid of. "Use it only when you are sure that you've backed Potter in a corner. He's as slippery as an eel; he'll find a way out of any situation."

"Got it."

"You have my ring?" he asked.

I slid my hand into my pocket, feeling the cool, silver metal brush against my hand. I nodded.

"Okay." He bit the inside of his lip. "You're a pain."

"Aw, aren't you darling," I crooned, patting his cheek. Suddenly, he reached up, grabbing my wrist. My hand froze in midair.

"Stop fooling around," he chided. "Now, think. Do you have any idea where Potter and his cronies might be headed?"

I felt my face turn warm, and I yanked my hand back, rubbing my wrist, trying to play off my embarrassment as annoyance.

"They may be trying to find a certain sword." He cocked an eyebrow. "The Sword of Gryffindor," I clarified.

"Impossible. They can't get their hands on that," he shook his head.

"Why not?"

"Because Bellatrix has it locked up in a vault in Gringotts. It is literally impossible to break in there—no one has done it before. Granger's smart, she'll know they have no chance, and they would've figured it out by now. So, on to the next clue."

I racked my brains for a hint, a memory, anything.

I let out an exasperated breath.

"Nothing. I have nothing."

"Where did you last meet them?"

"Some campsite in the middle of nowhere. According to Yaxley, they were last spotted at Godric's Hollow."

"Great. Let's go there," he said, holding out an arm.

This took me by surprise. "You're coming with me?" I asked.

He rolled his eyes. "Don't let this get to your head, sweetheart. I need to find Potter, and if you're my only chance to find him and destroy him, putting an end to this war, so be it."

I mumbled something under my breath, hooking my arm into his. We disapparated towards the birthplace of Harry Potter, and the place of Voldemort's initial demise.

We apparated onto the empty streets of the small town, and immediately, an icy chill ran up my spine.

"I have a bad feeling about this place," I said quietly.

"We just got here Steele. It hasn't even been a whole second."

I squeezed his arm, holding tight when he tried to pull away. "It's eerie."

He sighed. "Alright, Steele. Keep moving."

We made our way through the silent town, looking for someone, anyone to talk to. We walked past houses and stores, but all were closed and locked shut, no one to be seen.

Walking past a graveyard, I tugged on Malfoy's arm.

"Look." Pointing to the headstones, I read aloud the names.

"James and Lily Potter. Harry's parents, buried here."

Malfoy was quiet. His eye had caught something, and he slipped out of my grasp, making his way towards it. I followed him.

Malfoy stopped at a tombstone.

"Look," he pointed. "It's been touched recently."

Sure enough, a thin layer of snow and dust had been pushed off the top, leaving clean, carved stone behind.

"Whose grave is this?" I asked.

"Ignotus Peverell's. Do you recall anything associated with that name?"

I shook my head.

"Look. The symbol. What is that?" It was a triangle with a line and a circle in the center. "It looks so familiar."

I furrowed my eyebrows, looking up at Malfoy, who also seemed to be thinking.

"I can't quite put my finger on it . . ." And then, his silver eyes widened, as if something had clicked in his brain. My eyes widened too and I gasped. As soon as he said the words, I said them at the same time.

"The Tales of Beedle the Bard!"

"The Tale of the Three Brothers," Malfoy said, snapping his fingers as memories of his childhood came back to him.

"The Deathly Hallows."

"The invisibility cloak."

"The resurrection stone!"

"The Elder Wand," he completed. "This is good. Are we getting somewhere?"

"I don't know. What does this have to do with anything?"

"Doesn't your meathead friend have an invisibility cloak?" Malfoy asked.

"Harry? Yes." I felt a small twinge or panic. "Are you saying the stories of the brothers are true?"

"At this point, Id believe anything," he shrugged.

"Whoa. I need to sit down. This is all moving too quickly for me." I sat on the top of a gravestone, and Malfoy nudged me.

"That's bad luck, you know."

"My luck can't get any worse right now, Draco," I said, and he let out a laugh.

"I can't disagree."

We sat there in a stunned silence, processing what we had just discovered.

"This is swell and all," I finally said, "but how does this information help us in any way?"

"Potter was the only visitor here in ages, and now we find this weird symbol from a storybook. I think these two matters are related. Now, does the name Peverell help you recall anything?"

I groaned. "No. But we must be on the right track, because when Dumbledore died he left Hermione a copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard."

"Really? It must be slightly important than. Did they ever talk about it or know why he left it behind?"

I shook my head. "Can't remember."

"Do you have anything in that hollow skull of yours?" he asked, reaching up to knock on my head. I swatted his hand away.

"Well, I'm sorry that I don't have any stories from children's books stored up in there, Malfoy. Can you just," I said, waving my arms at him, "give me a moment to think?"

He rolled his eyes at me. "You look like you're batting away . . . What does that Lovegood girl call it? Garbles?"

"Nargles?" I offered, and he nodded.

"Great. At least you remember that," he scoffed.

And then, it hit me like a bludger to the chest. I jumped off the tombstone, grabbing his shoulders in a sudden surge of excitement.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Lovegood. Bill and Fleur's wedding."

"We don't have time to attend a wedding—"

"No, no," I said, shaking my head, "Xenophilius Lovegood—Luna's father. He was wearing a necklace with that symbol on it," I said, pointing to Ignotus Peverell's tombstone. "At Bill and Fleur's wedding."

"Do you think they remember that?"

"Well, there's only one way to find out." I stretched out my hand. "We go to visit the Lovegoods."

⚡️⚡️⚡️

It took a lot of searching, but when we found it, I immediately knew it was the one. First of all, the house looked like like a great black cylinder against the sky in the middle of nowhere. Seeing it, I grinned looking over my shoulder to see Malfoy trudging towards with the expression of annoyance on his face.

"Luna!" I said, excitedly.

"Stop," he grumbled. I knew Malfoy have never liked Luna's personality, but The was the one person who never doubted me. She understood me, and never let me feel alone.

As I walked up the steps, I notice a sign tacked to a door studded with nails: "THE QUIBBLER. EDITOR: X. LOVEGOOD." I rapped on the door threetimes.

"Keep off the dirigible plums," I heard Malfoy whisper. I turned, giving him an odd look. He pointed to a sign that said: "KEEP OFF THE DIRIGIBLE PLUMS." Just then, the door swung open and Xenophilius Lovegood appeared, barefoot, wearing a soiled nightshirt.

"Who are you?" he asked as if in a sort of panic. His eyes flicked to Malfoy. "What do you want?" Upon seeing Malfoy, his face seemed to pale a little. Malfoy scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

"It's alright," I said, holding up my hands, "we're friends of Harry Potter's."

Malfoy scoffed, and I elbowed him in the stomach.

Lovegood's face seemed to pale slightly more.

"Is Luna home?" I asked after a stretch of awkward silence.

"She . . . she's getting the tea ready. Come in."

As we walked inside, I knew this is was a Lovegood house would look like. Great tottering towers of Quibbler back-issues rose to the ceiling while an old-fashioned wooden printing press chugged away in the center of the room, spitting out new ones. As Lovegood stepped to the wheezing press, I saw Malfoy glance at Quibblers laying about: MUGGLE MURDERS RISE, DOZENS DIE AS DEATH EATERS ATTACK, HARRY IN HIDING, WHERE IS THE CHOSEN ONE? YOU-KNOW-WHO CLAIMS ANOTHER VICTIM:QUIDDITCH WORLD CUP CANCELLED AMID DEATH THREATS. Abruptly, the press went silent and Lovegood turned.

"So. What brings you here, Ms. . . ."

"Steele," I said. "Let me get right to the point. Harry Potter, has he been here?"

The man shook his head nervously. "Helping Harry Potter is a dangerous thing these days."

I raised an eyebrow. "Your articles have been claiming different, Sir."

"That was in the past," he said.

"Alright. Then, might you tell us a little bit about the symbol you were wearing around your neck the night of Bill and Fleur's wedding?"

"You mean this?" Lovegood reached into his nightshirt and pulled out the chain with the triangular eye.

I nodded. "What is it?"

"What is it? Well, it's the sign of the Deathly Hallows, of course. I assume you're familiar with 'The Tale of the Three Brothers?'" Draco and I nodded.

I could almost hear the story being read to me in my mum's voice.

"There were once three brothers were traveling along a lonely, winding road at twilight," she'd begin.  "In time, the brothers reached ariver too treacherous to pass. But being learned in the magical arts, the three brothers simply waved their wands and made a bridge. They were halfway across it when they found their path blocked by a hooded figure. It was Death and he felt cheated, for travelers usually drowned in the river. But Death was cunning. He granted each brother a wish for their cleverness.

"The oldest, who was a combative man, asked for a wand more powerful than any inexistence. So Death fashioned one from an elder tree on the banks of the river. The second brother, who was an arrogant man, asked for the power to recall others from Death. So Death plucked a stone from the river. Finally Death turned tothe third brother. A humble man, he asked for something that would make him disappear. And so it was that Death handed over his own Cloak of Invisibility. Death then stepped aside and the brothers went their separate ways.

"The first brother traveled to a distant village where, with Elder Wand in hand, he killed a wizard With whom he had once quarreled. Proceeding to an Inn, he bragged of his invincibility. But that very night another wizard crept upon him as he lay sleeping. He took the Elder Wand, and slit the brother's throat for good measure. And so Death took the first brother for his own. Meanwhile, the second brother journeyed to his home, where he took out the stone and turned it thrice in hand. To his delight, the girl he had once hoped to marry before her untimely death appeared before him. Yet soon she turned sad and cold, for she did not belong in the mortal world. Driven mad with hopeless longing, the second brother killed himself so as to join her. And so Death took the second brother. As for the third brother, Death searched for many years but was never able to find him. Only when he had attained a great age did the youngest brother shed the Cloak of Invisibility and give it to his son. He then greeted Death as an old friend and went with him gladly, departing this life as equals."

Lovegood turned, and, taking quill and parchment, drew a straight vertical line. "The Elder Wand." He then added a circle on top of the line. "The Resurrection Stone." Then enclosed both in a triangle. "The Cloak of Invisibility. Together they make the Deathly Hallows. Together, they make one master of Death."

"Mr. Lovegood, does the Peverell family have anything to do with the Deathly Hallows?" I asked, remembering the tombstone. Malfoy gave me a look of approval. "That was the name on the grave with the mark on it in Godric's Hollow. Ignotus Peverell."

"Ignotus and his brothers Cadmus and Antioch are thought to be the original owners of the Hallows and therefore the inspiration for the story."

"Ignotus was . . ."

"The one who had the invisibility cloak."

"Would you like some tea?" he asked, and I shook my head.

"No, but—"

Suddenly, there was a hard knock at the door.

"You have to go," he said, his eyes widening. "Please!"

"Where?" I asked, moving to one end of the room, away from the door. "I still have more questions—"

He walked behind us towards a small closet, pulling it open. Another knock came, and I heard voices.

Familiar voices.

I spun around. "It's Harry. We can't go."

"Then what do you propose we do, Steele?" Malfoy asked through clenched teeth.

"Hide?"

Malfoy glanced around the room, looking for a place to hide, when suddenly, his eyes fell on the small closet Xenophilius was pulling out a few pans from. As the man moved away and in one quick movement, Malfoy grabbed my waist, nearly stuffing me in between the coats. He stepped in and we both stumbled on some shoes, grabbing each other for support.

"Excuse me!" Lovegood said, aghast, and Malfoy pulled up his sleeve, baring the Dark Mark. Xenophilius choked back a gasp, covering his mouth with his hands.

"You say a word to them about us being here, and I will call him." Malfoy's steely eyes flashed with malice.

"Please, no!"

Malfoy reached out, shutting the door with a slam.

The closet had limited space, leaving us wriggling to figure out where to put our limbs. We struggled a little as Xenophilius unlocked his door.

"You have to stop moving so much," he said as I accidentally elbowed him in the chest. He groaned, bending over, his forehead bumping into my shoulder.

"Double whammy," I whispered, trying not to giggle.

Finally, he started to straighten himself out, leaning over me.

"I need space!" I hissed.

"I can't move back," I said, nearly pushed against him.

Now I could smell him. Black licorice and a hint of aftershave. I was pressed against his chest and I felt my face begin to turn a deep shade of red. I pushed myself back against the clothes, only to have the hangers creak.

"What was that?" Harry's voice came through the shutters.

I held my breath. They were already inside.

I stopped moving completely and looked up to find Malfoy staring down at me, lips pursed. Slivers of light from the shutters fell on him, one thin strip spreading right across his silvery eyes.

He held one finger to his lips, eyes flicking to the shutters. I wanted to look through them and see what was going on, but if I made a sound and was caught, I'd lose their trust forever.

"We won't take up too much of your time," Hermione said. "We just have a few questions."

"Is Luna here?"

Was that Ron? Had he come back?

"She's in the garden," Lovegood answered anxiously.

"I'm beginning to think Luna's not home," I whispered under my breath. Malfoy seemed to wince, and I raised an eyebrow.

The temperature was rising in the closet, and I tried not to fidget uncomfortably. They began asking questions about the Deathly Hallows and Xenophilius explained the story to them as he did to us.

"We were right," I whispered under my breath.

He nodded, holding a finger up to his lips.

When he was done, he said, "Ah, your tea's grown cold. Excuse me, I'll be right back."

"He never gave us tea, did he?" I scowled.

"I'm more of a coffee kind of guy," Draco shrugged, and the wood under our feet creaked again.

"Let's get out of here once he's back. I'm not touching this stuff, hot or cold," I heard a voice say.

Was that Ron? Did he come back? I leaned closer to the door, straining to hear.

"Which one would you choose if you could? Of the Deathly Hallows?" Harry asked them.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Hermione said.

The three of them spoke at once.

"The wand," Ron said.

"The cloak," Hermione said.

"The stone," Harry said.

I glanced at Draco, who looked amused.

"On the count of three, say which one you'd choose," I said. "One, two, three. Wand," he and I whispered at the same time. He grinned.

"You're supposed to say cloak, but who wants to spend all day being invisible. Dead boring if you ask me. But an unbeatable wand!" Ron said with excitement.

"Its owner grew drunk with power and was murdered," Hermione quipped. "Why would you want that?"

"Yeah," Ron agreed, "but imagine what a short wicked life you'd lead with that in your possession. Also, Harry, since your wand is broken, I'm sure you'd find it useful."

I held back a gasp. How had he managed to do that?

Hermione cleared her throat, and I could tell she was irritated.

"Why the Stone, Harry?"

"Well, you could bring people back, couldn't you? Mad-Eye. Dumbledore. Sirius. Anybody."

Malfoy rolled his eyes, frowning disapprovingly.

"But according to the story they don't want to come back. It's all rubbish anyway. There's no such thing as the Deathly Hallows."

"But I have one. The Invisibility Cloak my father left me."

"There have always been Cloaks—"

"Not like Harry's. I've seen a fair few. Dad used to bring home the ones the Ministry confiscated from petty thieves and the like. They always got holes or tears. Harry's is different. It's perfect."

"And I think I've actually held theResurrection Stone in my hands, that night in Dumbledore's office when he showed me the ring he'd destroyed, the Horcrux. It had a symbol on it. Now I think it was the mark of the Hallows."

I looked towards Malfoy excitedly. They were real, which meant the wand was real, which meant . . .

I silently groaned.

It couldn't fall into Voldemort's possession.

Malfoy grabbed my shoulders just as Xenophilius's footsteps returned.

"You have to call him now," he said under his breath.

"What? Not yet," I replied, shaking my head. "He's not cornered enough."

"Didn't you hear the Weasel? Potter's wand is broken. They're tired, and they trust Lovegood. Now's the perfect time!"

"Not yet!" I hissed. Something was off, I could feel it from the way Lovegood was acting.

"Thank you, sir," Hermione's voice came, "but we really should get going now."

"You forgot water," Ron said.

Malfoy pulled me towards him, trying to get a grasp on my wand. Sliding it out of my pocket, he grabbed my arm, pulling up my sleeve. The tattoo of the skull and snake sat there, staring up at me eerily.

"You have to do it."

I took the wand from him.

"Not now."

I tried to pull away but he pulled me closer, one arm gripping my shoulders and the other holding my hand tightly around the wand.

I could also feel his frantic heartbeat on my hands, smushed against his chest. A furious blush was rising up my cheeks.

He worked his jaw, and I focused on the steady inhale and exhale of his breath.

"Then I'm opening the closet." He reached towards the door but I grabbed his arm.

"You can't! They can't see me here, no matter what," I begged.

"Steele," he pleaded, "you don't understand. You have to do this now."

"The water?" Xenophilius asked, dazed. "What water?"

"For the tea . . ." Ron trailed off, suspicion in his voice.

"No matter, sir. We really ought to go."

"No, you mustn't."

There was a long silence. ". . .Sir?"

"You're my only hope. They were angry, you see, about what I'd been writing, so they took her. They took my Luna . . . But it's really you they want."

I could feel my pulse quickening. With wide eyes, I asked Malfoy, "Does he have Luna?"

Malfoy avoided my gaze. My heart dropped. He knew about this?

"Who took her, sir?" I heard the creak of the chair as Harry stood up.

"Him. Surely you call him You-Know-Who. But his real name of course is . . . Voldemort."

Ron shouted, "No!"

Lovegood has used his name, which meant now the Death Eaters and Voldemort himself knew they're location. Any second, they would burst in through the front door.

Seconds passed, and nothing happened.

Malfoy grabbed my hand which I, subconsciously, was gripping the wand with. He pressed it to the Mark on my forearm.

"Say it!"

"Signum Tenebris!"

The words hadn't even left my lips when suddenly, they crashed through the windows. The house shook and I fell to the floor, shielding my head from the dust and debris falling from the old wood above us. I pushed the door open slightly, peeking out in horror.

This had all been a test. My face paled as I tried to wrap my head around the situation.

Voldemort was testing my loyalty. Luna had been taken and Voldemort knew Potter would go there for information on the Deathly Hallows which Lovegood was such a strong believer in. He had been warned not to let Harry Potter leave. When Xenophilius has said Voldemort's name, the Death Eaters should have shown up immediately.

But they didn't, because they'd been ordered to wait for me.

And I had called them way too late.