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Harry Potter and the Book of Days	By : Stoeffl Category: Harry Potter > General > General Views: 2171 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 7
- 8
Disclaimer: Harry and all the other Characters from the books are not mine, they are JK Rowling's.
Faust and the other characters of the play belong to Johann Wolfgang Goethe. The English version was translated by David Luke (Oxford World's Classics)
Warning: Although not all the time there will definy bey be slash (m/m) in this story, so if somebody doesn't like two men get up close and personal please don't read it.
Pairings: The only one that will be of any interest to you is SS/HP, which is the one rated R.

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Chapter Eight

FAUST AND MISTLETOE

Dedication

Uncertainty shapes visitors from the past
At whom I darkly gazed so long ago,
My heart's mad fleeting visions —now at last
Shall I embrace you, must I let you go?
Again you haunt me: come then, hold me fast!
Out of the mist and murk you rise, who so
Besiege me, and with magic breath restore,
Stirring my soul, lost youth to me once more.

You bring back memories of happier days
And many a well-loved ghost again I great;
As when some old half-faded legend plays
About our ears, lamenting strains repeat
My journey through life's labyrinthine maze,
Old grieves revive, old friends, old loves I meet,
Those dear companions, by their fate's unkind
Decree cut short, who left me here behind.

And I am seized by long unwonted yearning
For that still, solemn spirit realm which then
Was mine; these hovering lisping tones returning
Sigh as from some Aeolian harp, as when
I sang them first; I trembled, and my burning
Tears flow, my stern heart melts to love again.
All that I now possess seems far away
And vanished worlds are real to me today.

Harry stared listlessly at the picture in the book. The man's white-powdered wig and his pompous clothes looked quite ridiculous. He sighed and glanced to his left where Ron was busy staring out of the window. The redhead watched a group of ducks, who were swimming in the pond outside. Mother duck and her little ducklings crossed the pond and exited it on the opposite shore. Another sigh, and Harry glanced back to the teacher and the ‘interesting' topic of today's history lesson.

"This caused the citizens to assemble in the ball house and declare themselves as a nation. You will remember from the lessons last year that Louis XIV said about himself, ‘L'état c'est moi.' This tells us clearly that only the interests of the king were to be heeded. With the end of Absolutism and the beginning of the peasantry's self-awareness, it became impossible to continue the former political course, and reforms had to be made. Unfortunately for Louis XVI, Louis XIV's grandson, the French monarch was not fast enough with starting to make changes and did not realise how profound they had to be. When the people became impatient and displeased with the slow progress, they decided to discuss their further actions at an assembly. At this meeting they realised that not the king but they themselves embodied the French state. Determined, they marched to the Bastille, the Paris prison, about two days later and raided it, freeing all the prisoners." Professor Wallenstein stopped his explanations to switch on the overhead projector. He showed them a transparency of an old painting. A big building was being stormed by a horde of men, who were attacking the guardians with various kinds of weapons. There was fire and smoke from the firing canons.

"Here we have a picture of the storming of the Bastille. The soldiers guarding the prison were overtaken, and the peasants won the first battle of the revolution. Another famous painting of that time is this one." He put up another transparency, this one a picture of a woman leading a group of men over a battlefield. She carried the ‘Tricolour,' the French flag. The men in the picture were armed with weapons of all kinds. "Lady France leads the common folk to war, to revolution, and frees them from oppression. The goal of the revolution was to end the aristocrats' reign and establish a new governmental system, which would ensure that the lower class was treated correctly. Many noblemen and noblewomen were arrested and sentenced to death. Because of the large number of death-sentences, the French sought after a faster, less painful way to behead the condemned persons. A French doctor, Joseph-Ignace Guillotine, suggested using an apparatus, which was later named after him, the Guillotine."

Wallenstein switched off the overhead projector. He put the transparencies away and looked grimly at the students. "But to assume that the displeasing reign was the sole reason for the revolution is naïve and wrong. Any attempt to simplify the complexity of history has to be condemned. There were other reasons for this 'sudden' rising. Harvest failures, starvation, unemployment and the National bankruptcy did their fair share to discontent the people. The tension had been increasing steadily until it erupted in 1791." Wallenstein looked up and halted with his explanations when the bell rang, signalling the end of the lesson. "Read the next two chapters about the course and the outcome of the French revolution, what kind of impact this new concept of the peasantry's self-awareness had on later revolutions and wars, and prepare them for the next lesson. Class dismissed."

Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fëanor, Vincent, and Val jumped up from their seats and dashed out of the classroom. They ran to the dining hall, where lunch was already waiting for them. Sitting down at the Berkeley, table they started eating hurriedly.

"I asked Professor Base, and she said that we can go to the town library. She thinks we're researching this week's task," Val said around a piece of roasted chicken.

Fëanor thought about the information they had been able to collect during the last two weeks. After overhearing the teacher's conversation on Hallow's Eve, they had been in shock for a couple of days but slipped out of it once they had decided what to do with this surprising and disturbing knowledge. Ever since, the six of them had spent every spare minute searching for clues to this puzzle.

The first problem had been that they were not able to find the library in the deserted abbey. They knew that it had been rather big, but unfortunately, none of the texts they had read so far mentioned the location of the library. Unable to search for the book itself, they had to limit their investigations to locating the mysterious library.

"I say we take a look at the old town and abbey chronicles. Maybe we'll find some clues there," Hermione suggested as she wolfed down the last bit of the mashed potatoes on her plate. Downing her glass of orange juice, she looked up to see that the others had finished eating their lunch, too. "Let's meet in half an hour at the entrance."

The group rose from the table and headed for their dorms to prepare themselves for the afternoon's investigations.

The Ecco Town Archive was housed on the second floor of the town library. The building was, like most of the houses in Ecco, red brick. Its colourful exterior was mismatched with the grey and white interior. The building had been a small elementary school once, but when the Gui elementary school had been built thirty years ago, it had been decided that the smaller school wasn't needed anymore. For the next ten years the building had not been used, but when Professor Wallenstein had started working at Umberford twenty years ago, the young man suggested that a library be established in the neglected house.

During the restorations and the set up of the first real town library, the mayor and Doctor Feinstein had approached Wallenstein with the plea to house the town archive in the library, and the professor had accepted happily. It was only in the last summer, when archiving the old abbey chronicles that had been found in the cellar of Umberford, that Wallenstein had read for the first time about a supposed library in the oldest part of the abbey. Surprised because nobody had ever heard about anything like that, he continued his research, but the only other thing he found was the mentioning of a book called The Book of Days. When looking for any further comments on the book or the library, he read about The Book of Days in a book called Magic and Magical Writings. Realising the direction his research was taking him, he searched for help with the Magic topic. He was quite surprised when, one day, an old man with a long beard and colourful robes showed up at the school and offered the help he had been looking for. Now he had the assistance of real witches and wizards.

The teenage detectives knew nothing about all of this or the real reason for the exchange program, which was a cover for the search for The Book of Days, as they walked to the town library. Eager and determined, they dug through old books all afternoon, looking for some clue or information about the ominous abbey library.

Harry yawned tiredly and rubbed his aching eyes. They had spent the last five hours reading texts about the his of of Ecco and the abbey, and the group was just now returning to the school. Their investigations had been slowed down considerably by the simple fact that the texts were written in Latin, which meant that valuable time was wasted on translation.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" Malfoy glared at Harry but rushed past him without any further comments.

Turning and staring after the blond Slytherin disappearing around a corner, Harry realised that their arch-enemy had become strangely quiet and peaceful. Maybe the rumours were true and the arrogant 'Pureblood' had really fallen in love with the equally arrogant Muggle girl from Aristotle. Smiling, Harry made his way to the dorm and thought about what they had found out that afternoon.

The abbey had been built at the end of the 7th century by the Benedictines, the same order that had built the one at Glastonbury. They had been the first Christian establishments in Great Britain, and many mythological and mysterious stories had been recorded about them, especially Glastonbury Abbey. Interesting enough, the first Christian abbey had been built close to the former location of Avalon. When the school was liquidated in the 5th century, the monks living in Glastonbury forbid the townsfolk and the farmers to enter the unholy grounds of Avalon before it had been cleansed by the holy Christ. During this 'cleansing,' all of the books and scrolls, which had been written an collected over centuries and contained the knowledge of many famous witches and wizards, had been burnt and parts of the school building torn down. After the nearby townspeople and country-dwellers raided it, the only remnant of the formerly great and proud school of witchcraft and wizardry was the Glastonbury Tor. The whole history of this vengeful attempt of erasing all trace of magic from the world had been recorded and documented in both Glastonbury and Ecco.

Unfortunately, there had been no mention of a monk who came from Glastonbury to Ecco, but they had found The Book of Days on a list of archived books. The big question for the teachers and the students alike was where the book was now and where to find the library.

Harry felt a slight headache and decided to continue trying to solve the mysteries tomorrow. Tiredly, he arrived at the dorm and headed for his bed without preparing for it. He was asleep faster than you can say Quidditch.

His tiredness didn't prevent him from dreaming, though.

It was chilly and misty, and he heard coughing breaths. He listened closely and squinted as he made out a lone figure moving through the mist. The person was hooded and wearing a dark brown robe. Harry sneaked closer and recognised the man as a travelling monk. The man coughed again and sped up. He clutched a large, leather-encased book and a stone slab closer to his chest. After passing Harry, the monk disappeared in the mist again.

"Very good, Doctor Feinstein, but I want you to be aggressive in a more subtle way. Take charge of the situation without making it too obvious." Hermione sat down again and watched the two teachers repeat the scene.

The stage resembled a dark study lined with bookshelves loaded with heavy books and stuffed animals. The skeleton of a shark dangled from the ceiling. A huge desk covered with books, charts and scrolls was placed in the middle of the ‘room,' and Severus stood behind it. A black poodle cowered in the far corner behind a stove, eyeing the man curiously.

Severus glared at the animal and commanded loudly,

"First to defeat this beast,
I need the spell of the Four, at least.
Salamander, burn!
Water-nymph, twist and turn!
Sylph of the air, dissolve!
Goblin, dig and delve!
When the elements are known,
Each in its own
Qualities and powers,
The mastery is ours
Over all and each,
By this knowledge and speech."

He stepped back and raised himself to an intimidating height.

"Salamander, in flame
Vanish as you came!
Murmur and mingle,
Nymph of the sea-dingle!
Blaze like a meteor,
Sylph-creature!
Serve in the house for us,
INCUBUS, INCUBUS!
Come out of him, show yourself thus or thus!"

The poodle started to waggle tai tail, and it looked at Severus lovingly. Severus watched it with anticipation but was stunned when nothing happened. He frowned and searched for something on his messy desk. Glaring at the animal, he held up a crucifix he had found under several layers of books and parchments.

"Wait! I can sing
A more powerful spell!
Are you from hell,
You fugitive thing?
Then behold this sign
Which they fear and know,
The black hosts below!"

The poodle growled and pressed himself back against the wall. He started to swell and transform into mist. When Severus saw this, he shouted,

"The whole room is filled by this devil-dog.
He wants to dissolve into a fog.
Do not rise to the ceiling, I forbid you!
Lie down at your master's feet, I bid you!"

The fog thickened and collected, became compact. The smoky form was revealed as Feinstein dressed like a medieval wandering student. He bowed and smiled mockingly.

"Why all this fuss? How can I serve you sir?"

Severus blinked astonished and stepped closer to the desk again. He shook his head in disbelief.

"So that was the quintessence of the cur!
A student-tramp! How very comical."

"Sir, I salute your learning and your wit!
You made me sweat, I must admit!"

Severus suspiciously watched his ‘visitor's' every move.

"What is your name?"

Feinstein chuckled, amused, and his eyes twinkled impishly.

"The question is absurd,
Surely, in one who seeks to know
The inmost essence, not the outward show,
And has such deep contempt for the word."

Severus's elegant eyebrow rose, and he crossed his hands over his chest.

"Ah, with such gentlemen as you
The name often conveys the essence too,
Clearly enough; we say ‘Lord of the Flies',
Destroyer, Liar —each most fittingly applies.
Well then, who are you?"

Feinstein stepped out of the corner and brushed the dust from his clothes. He looked up at Severus and smirked, amused. Bowing once more, he answered,

"Part of the Power which would,
Do evil constantly, and constantly does good."

Severus frowned, confused now. He tried to find any trace of logic to this statement.

"This riddle has, no doubt, some explanation."

"I'm the spirit of perpetual negation;
And rightly so, for all things that exist
Deserve to perish, and would not be mine
Much better it would be if nothing were
Brought into being. Thus, what you men cal
Destruction, sin, evil in short, is all
My sphere, the element I most prefer."

Severus snorted.

"You seem complete and whole, yet you say you are a part?"

Feinstein was still smirking. He eyed the man mischievously.

"I speak the truth, I use no art.
Let foolish little human souls
Delude themselves that they are wholes.
I am a part of that part which once, when all began,
Was all there was; part of the Darkness before man
Whence light was born, proud light, which now makes futile war
To wrest from Night, its mother, what before
Was hers, her ancient place and space. For light depends
On the corporal worlds —matter that sends
Visible light out, stops light in its stride
And by reflected light is beautified.
So, light will not last long, I fear;
Matter shall be destroyed, and light shall disappear."

"Good, I think you've got it." Hermione clapped her hands to get everybody's attention. "Okay, I want you to try the scene where they make the pact. Professors, please take your positions and begin."

Severus sat behind the desk and sent his opponent a challenging look. Leaning back in the chair, he crossed his arms over his chest.

"If by your false cajolery
You lull me into self-sufficiency,
If any pleasure you can give
Deludes me, let me cease to live!
I offer you this wager!"

Feinstein grinned self-confidently and offered his hand to Severus.

"Done!"

"And done again!"

Severus grabbed the extended hand and sealed the pact.

"If ever to the moment I shall say,
Beautiful moment, do not pass away
Then you may forge your chains to bind me,
Then I will put my life behind me,
Then let them hear my death-knell toll,
Then from your labours you'll be free,
The clock may stop, the clock-hands fall,
And time come to an end for me!"

Feinstein pretended to feel uncomfortable about the whole affair and frowned thoughtfully. He looked Snape in the eyes and nodded resolutely.

"One small request —I am sure you'll understand;
It's just in case "—I'd like a line or two in your own hand."

"Our lives. Well, devil, which is it to be:
Bronze, marble, parchment, paper? Answer me:
What pen, what tool, what chisel shall I use?
The medium is yours to choose!"

Snape smirked, sitting back in the chair and watching Feinstein squirm under his stare.

Feinstein pretended to be offended and took a step back, a hurt look in his eyes.

"Come, come, sir, this excited flood
Of rhetoric's quite out of place.
The merest scrap of paper meets the case.
And for your signature, a drop of blood"

"If that is all you want, I'll willingly go through
With such a farce to humour you."

"Blood is a juice with curious properties."

Feinstein's eyes sparkled dangerously.

"Terrific!" Hermione exclaimed when the professors finished. She handed the screenplay to Professor McGonagall and approached the stage. "This scene was perfect!" Turning to the group of actors and actresses, sitting at the edge of the stage, she told them, "Rehearsals for today are over. Don't forget to prepare your scenes for tomorrow."

The crowd got up and made their way out of the theatre to their dorms, common rooms, or private quarters, chatting loudly.

Outside the school theatre, Harry, Ron, Fëanor, and Val waited for Hermione to join them. When she exited the theatre, they headed off to meet with Vincent and Sarah in the school library to discuss the progress of their research.

"Snape and Feinstein are really good. They embody their roles absolutely," Ron mused.

"Yes, you're right. Fortunately, all our actors and actresses are well-matched for their roles." Hermione grinned impishly at Harry. "I hope you make sure that Professor Snape is rehearing his role in private, Harry."

The blushing Gryffindor nodded. "Of course, Herm."

Having reached the school library, the friends quickly scanned the room for their companions. Val pointed at a desk at the back of the library. "There they are!"

Silently they tiptoed to the desk, which was loaded with heavy books and sheets of paper, scribbles and computer prints. Sarah was reading a print, highlighting various paragraphs in neon pink.

Vincent was the first to notice the others, and he waved them over excitedly. He gave them a thumbs-up and patted Sarah lightly on her shoulder to get her attention.

"We found a hint!" she whispered agitatedly. She shoved the printed pages to the middle of the table and pointed at a large chunk of pink-highlighted text. "Read!"

"Typical for this epoch is the so-called High-tower. It is a massive tower usually located in the centre of a complex, which was used as a bell tower but often also as a storage room of sorts. In Saint Entreposage, for example, the lower etageres of the tower were used for corn storage and the upper etageres were used for storing other goods. These towers were close to the kitchen and the necessary addition to the damp storage cellars.

There are, however, a few exceptions where the tower was not used for storage. In the Glastonbury Abbey the tower housed the abbey's library. The etageres divided the library into different sections. It is said that it was the biggest abbey library in all of Europe. As for further uses for the High-tower, it should be mentioned that in Sante Prignione the tower was the local prison. During the witch hunts in the 16th century, the abbey was a headquarter for the inquiaition.

The last use which should be mentioned here was as a science laboratory. These 'devil kitchens,' as some people referred to them, were extremly rare and often destroyed or closed by the authorities because of people's superstitions. Such a 'devil kitchen' was found in the Arbesbacher Abbey."

They stared at the text, the words 'library' and 'tower' repeating in their heads. Hermione was the first to regain control over herself, and she started to dig through the texts and books on the table.

"Here it is!" She opened one of the older school chronicles and leaved through it, searching for a specific page. "Ha!" She slapped it open and presented to her friends a map of the school premises. Opposite the school was the deserted abbey. "See, this is the tower. If the text is right, the library should be there."

"But it only says that the tower of the Glastonbury Abbey was a library. It doesn't even mention Ecco." Harry frowned, unsure. They didn't even know where to start searching.

Hermione nodded enthusiastically. "You're right. The text doesn't mention Ecco, but the abbeys in Glastonbury and in Ecco were built about the same time, which means that if there was a library in Ecco, it should have been in the tower, too. And there is no 'if' since we already know from another source that there was a library in Ecco."

The whole group fell silent and studied the map in front of them intensely. They were excited about finding the first real hint about the mysterious library's location, but at the same time they were unsure of how to proceed. Should they tell the teachers of it, or should they keep the information all to themselves?

"Why don't we go to the abbey tonight and look for the library?" Fëanor sent them a questioning glance. "We could roam through the tower and search for the entrance, and if we find it, start looking for the book."

After considering their options, Harry agreed with Fëanor. "Right, I'd say we meet at half past ten at the entrance of the abbey. We shouldn't go there in one group, though, because two or three together would be harder to catch than all of us."

Everybody agreed with him, and it was decided that they would split into three different groups consisting of Harry and Ron, Fëanor and Vincent, and Hermione and Val. Sarah and Nicholas would stay behind and try to gather more information and try to cover for them should a teacher get suspicious.

"Don't forget to be careful at the abbey. It's possible that we'll meet a teacher there."

They packed away the printed sheets and carried the books back to the proper shelves. Leaving the library, they headed for their common rooms to make their assignments.

It was pitch black in the corridor, and Harry and Ron silently sneaked to the stairs. It was difficult to see one's own feet, and the two boys spent the better part of their slow approach to the staircase trying to avoid tripping over each. Ron bumped into Harry, who stopped in his track when he heard noises from the lower floor. Waiting for several seconds, only to realise that the noises they had heard were Fëanor and Vincent sneaking out, they continued to move to the stairs and started their descent. After reaching the next floor without falling down the stairs, Harry and Ron watched the other two boys disappear around a corner and downstairs to the gym hall.

Harry nodded to Ron and motioned him to follow him downstairs. Nearly silently, they reached the bottom of the stairs and headed for the staircase of the side exit. It had been agreed on, that each group would use a different escape route to avoid raising suspicion. Casting a last glance to the dark and empty corridor behind them, Harry and Ron finally were on the last stage of their sneaking out.

Outside, the silvery moon was hidden behind clouds, and the few stars that could be seen didn't provide enough light for Harry and Ron to see their surroundings. Carefully, they crept from the door behind them to the shore of the little pond. Anxiously watching the dark building behind them and listening for any sounds, the two boys approached the black pool of water. From there they walked around it and headed for the abbey looming on the hill in front of them.

The old building looked forbidding, but somehow it also invited nosy students like themselves to roam it and search for adventures and mysteries. The clouds thinned, and soft moonlight started to filter through them. The silvery light illuminated the tower of the abbey and helped Harry and Ron to find their way more easily.

Having finally reached their final destination, the two boys sat down in the grass next to the building, watching the entrance for any movements. They would have to be very careful not to meet a Hogwarts teacher. Because of the grown ups' investigations about the Book of Days, there was a steady coming and going to and from Umberford.

"Psst!"

Harry turned to the right and saw two figures approaching them. He strained to see who they were, but the little moonlight was not enough to see by properly.

"Hey, is that you, Harry?" The whispering voice drew nearer, and soon the two figures were revealed as Hermione and Val. The two girls nodded their greetings and sat down beside their two friends.

They had to wait for another five minutes before two shapes appeared on the left side of the entrance and winked at them conspiratorily. Harry winked back and nodded to the three friends next to him to follow him to the entrance. Cautious and silent, all six of them sneaked inside the building and headed for the main staircase. There they stopped dead in their tracks when they heard footsteps and soft voices. Quickly, they climbed the stairs and hid around a corner to see who was making the noises.

Two dark figures climbed the stiars from the cellars and headed for the entrance door. From their hiding place in the first floor corridor the students saw Professors Snape and McGonagall. The two exited the abbey and headed for Umberford.

"Phew, that was close." Ron leaned wearily against the wall and watched the two adults disappear from sight.

"Come on, let's go. The tower is over there."

The group obeyed Hermione's command and followed her to the entrance of the high-tower. The deserted old corridors were kind of spooky, and more than once they flinched back from some strange sound or the cobwebs that adorned the walls everywhere. Twenty minutes later, they stood in front of the small wooden door to the tower staircase. Its tarnished surface was cool and moist to the touch. It hung warped on its hinges. Apparently, the long years of decay had taken their toll on the door.

"I hope it's not stuck or else we'll have to break it in." Vincent stepped closer to it and opened the squeaking door with no small amount of tearing and shoving. After being opened halfway, the door fell out of the frame and clattered to the floor.

The shocked teenagers had been able to jump to the side in time not to be hurt. Nervously, six pairs of eyes stared into the darkness that was now revealed to them.

"Okay, here we go." Harry was the first to enter the dark staircase. He tugged his wand out from his cloak pocket. "Lumos!" The sudden light illuminated chipped stone stairs covered with dust and cobwebs.

"Oh no, not spiders again." Ron was stark white, and his eyes glinted softly. He eyed the soft white webs with fear and a certain amount of disgust. "Why does it always have to be spiders? I hate spiders."

Val snickered softly. "You sound like Indiana Jones, only he hated snakes." She smirked and followed Vincent and Fëanor after Harry.

Hermione patted Ron on the shoulder and took his hand. "Come on, you can do this!" Together the two Gryffindors stepped inside the tower and took out their wands. "Lumos!" they said in unison.

Harry smiled encouragingly at Ron, and off they went. The search for the library had officially begun.

An hour and a half later, they had sat down on the stairs. Nothing, not one single hint of where to find the library. It had been so discouraging to spend all this time here without the slightest success.

"Man, we've searched the whole bloody tower, and there's no library anywhere." Ron rubbed his head with his hands and curled up in a comfortable position.

"Maybe it wasn't in the tower," suggested Harry, which earned him an angry glare from Hermione. "Well, we've spent the last hour and a half searching and weren't able to find this damned library. Lots and lots of empty, dirty rooms, but no library."

Hermione hated it, but she had to agree with Harry. All the rooms had been used as storage rooms, which was also clearly shown by the labels on each doorway. Grain and Spices & Herbs were only two of the different labels they had seen, but not the smallest inkling of a storage room for books, much less a library. "All right, I say we quit for tonight. Maybe after taking a closer look at the construction plans of the abbey, we'll find some more hints of the library's location."

The others nodded and got up wearily. Their clothes were dirty from the cobwebs and the dust in the deserted rooms. Tiredly, they descended the stairs and left the tower. Shuffling the dark corridors back to the main staircase, they whispered about their unsuccessful search.

Completely oblivious to their surrounding and totally engrossed in their conversation, they jumped in surprise when suddenly a figure loomed in the middle of the corridor in front of them. The person switched on a torchlight and held it up to take a closer look at the six youngsters. "What do we have here? Students out of bed, sneaking around in deserted old buildings."

Harry, Ron, Fëanor, Vincent, Hermione, and Val approached the man, and Harry eyed him anxiously. He was tall, with golden skin, dark brown eyes with golden speckles, and curly raven hair. He seemed to be friendly, although he stared at them sternly. Harry guessed that he was in his mid-thirties.

"Mr Stubaki," muttered Fëanor in a small voice. He stared at the floor at his feet. "We ....."

"You, what?" A black eyebrow was raised in question. "Thought it was a good idea to sneak around on the school premises at night?"

The three Umberford students squirmed under the man's heavy stare. Fëanor mumbled softly, "It was foolish of us to come here at night."

"Yes, it definitely was." Mr Stubaki took a good look at the two wizards and the witch, who did not know what to think or expect of the grown up. After studying the group of nervous teenagers, his stern expression softened, and he smiled at them kindly. "Well, promise you won't do that again, and I'll forget this incident, hmm?"

Six heads shot up and stared at him in a mixture of disbelief, happiness, and surprise. Fëanor nodded eagerly. "We promise. Thank you, Mr Stubaki."

"Now, now, go back to school and tuck yourselves back into bed." The man smiled and accompanied them back to the entrance of the school building. Fortunately, they didn't meet any teachers this time, and soon they were back in the corridor to Fëanor's and Vincent's dormitory.

"Who was that guy?" asked Ron curiously.

"Iason Stubaki. Caretaker and keeper of grounds of Umberford. He is really nice, but he already caught us last year before the summer holidays when we were smuggling alcohol into the school for a secret end of year party." Fëanor tugged at his coat in embarrassment. "We promised him not to do anything like that again."

"I hate it, when we have to lie to him," Val said with a sigh. She yawned tiredly and looked at her watch. "Dear me, it's a quarter past midnight. We'd better go to bed, or else we'll be sleeping during lessons tomorrow."

"As if I do anything else." Ron rolled his eyes in exasperation.

The others laughed, and they felt all the anxiousness of their little adventure leave their tense bodies.

"Okay, see you in the morning. Good night!" Vincent and Fëanor took their leave and went to bed.

Hermione and Val said their goodnights, too, and headed to the girls' tract.

That left only Harry and Ron standing in the corridor. Silently, the two boys climbed the stairs. At the top of the staircase, Harry stopped Ron. "I'll be up in a moment. I have to go to the bathroom first."

Ron yawned and nodded, turning to his warm, cosy bed.

Turning round the corner, Harry bumped into another person.

"Ow! What kind of an idiot can't watch where he's going?" snarled a cold voice.

Harry rubbed his head and looked up to see Draco Malfoy glaring at him.

"Potter, sneaking around again?" The Slytherin glowered at the black haired boy sitting on the floor. He snorted as he took in Harry's dirty clothes. "Looks like you were enjoying yourself, Potter."

"Shut up, Malfoy. I don't think that you're supposed to be wandering through the school, either." He glared angrily at the pale boy.

"I will send you the paragraph about the abbey come morning. There is mention of the Book of Days and of the library." Professor McGonagall's voice echoed up the stairs from the entrance hall.

"Please, that would only be too kind, Minerva," Professor Wallenstein replied.

"Good night, Wolfgang."

"Good night."

Harry blanched and glanced at Malfoy, who seemed lost in thought.

"Am I right in presuming that you and your bunch of brainless friends are looking for the book, too?" the Slytherin suddenly asked.

Harry thought about denying it but decided not to. "Yes, you are. And they're not brainless."

Malfoy snorted but refrained from arguing. He turned and headed in the direction of his dorm. Several steps from Harry, he stopped in his tracks. "If I were you, Potter, I'd hurry up with the search. The Dark Lord is looking for it, too, and he is determined to be the first to find it." The boy turned to Harry. "Ever thought about taking a look at the construction plans of the Glastonbury abbey?" With this, he left a stunned and surprised Harry Potter standing in the corridor.

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« Très bien. Hein, Lisez le texte numéro cinq et écrirez une résumé. Vit, vit. »

The whole class groaned and leafed through their textbooks. After everybody had found the text, silence fell over the classroom. The only sound that could be heard was Madame Nouvesseure writing on the blackboard.

The rest of the lesson was spent reading and writing on a text about a little boy who bought two candy bars and couldn't decide which one of the two to give to his sister. In the end, he gave her neither because he always thought that the one he would give the girl was in some way better than the one he kept for himself.

When the bell rang, the whole class jumped up and rushed out of the classroom.

"And Malfoy told you to take a look at the construction plans of the Glastonbury abbey?" Hermione asked again in disbelief. Ever since Harry had told the others about his strange encounter of the Malfoy kind, they had tried to figure out the Slytherin's motives.

"Yes. He also told me that Voldemort knows about the book and that he desperately wants to find it before Dumbledore."

The teenagers fell silent and thought uncomfortably about this new revelation.

One week later they still had not figured out 1) why Draco Malfoy had helped them and 2) where the library was located. They studied every construction plan of the Glastonbury abbey they found, but somehow they could not find any hint of the library's location.

"Argh! This is really starting to get on my nerves!" Ron shoved a book about early Romanesque architecture away from him and leaned back in the chair. He crossed his arms over his chest and glared venomously at the books, maps, construction plans, and folders lying on the table. "I hate this, this .......argh!"

Five heads rose, and ten eyes stared at Ron in surprise. When the short-tempered red-head started to sulk and kick at the table, Harry blinked sheepishly and returned to reading the paragraph in the book he had found about medieval writing schools.

The others returned to their tasks, too. The silence that had returned now was only disturbed by the opening and closing of the library door.

"Hey, Ron!" Val appeared behind a row of bookshelves to the right. She motioned him to come over to her.

Reluctantly, the boy got up and walked over to her. He saw that she held a small pamphlet and a heavy book.

"I found a lexicon of first names. Want to look up Ronald?" She handed the heavy book over to Ron.

With this new task at hand, the Gryffindor walked back to the silent table to look up names, leaving Val to her search for more information about the abbey.

He dug through the lexicon with renewed enthusiasm. He copied the most important information he found. "Hey, Harry, did you know that your name means Leader of the Army? It derives from the German name Harald, consisting of the two words harja for Army and wald for lead or govern. Cool, hmm?"

Harry looked at Ron, puzzled by the sudden cheerfulness.

"Hey, my name's cool, too. It's also German. Reinhold or Ragnwald, to be more precise. Ragin for Advice and wald like in your name. This makes Ragnwald, and it means wise Advisor. See, you better listen to my advice."

Hermione snorted in amusement. "Yeah, you better listen to your wise advisor, oh mighty leader of the army."

Ron stuck his tongue out at her and continued looking up all the names of his family and friends.

With Ron having found a less frustrating occupation, the others were able to continue with the research.

Everybody was agitated but nervous, and Hermione bustled around, giving last minute advice and orders. The students craned their heads, trying to spot their families and friends in the audience.

"Harry!" Val frantically looked for her tousle-haired friend. "Fuck! Stupid skirt is far too long to be practical," she muttered angrily. The seam of her skirt had gotten caught in a heap of props. Frustrated and impatient, she tore at it. "Bloody costume is getting on my nerves!"

"May I help you?" someone asked from her right, snickering. A mischievously grinning Harry Potter in an 18th century costume stepped up to her. He tried hard not to laugh at the cursing girl.

"Yes, you may. Now get going. Your help is needed in the dressing room of a certain actor."

Harry searched for his wand and freed the poor damsel in distress. The two teenagers headed for a small room in the backstage area of the school theatre. Loud shouting and snarling could be heard from behind the closed door.

Harry's hand shied away from the door handle when the volume suddenly increased inside the dressing room. Val's soft touch on his shoulder gave him the necessary strength and calm to enter and face the commotion inside.

"I will not wear this!" Severus bellowed at a pouting Professor McGonagall. He growled threateningly and glared at the offending garment.

Harry fought hard to remain calm. Somebody had thought it to be a good idea to choose a dark red costume with golden stitching. When seeing the big Gryffindor-like lion emblazoned on the waistcoat's back, he could not suppress his amusement any longer, and Harry chuckled aloud. This earned him an annoyed glare from his lover.

"Oh my, now who did that to you?" Harry cooed, putting on his most innocent expression. "Let me help you." He batted his eyelashes sensually and stroked Severus's head lovingly.

The two spectators had a hard time keeping quiet. Val had turned to the closed door and bitten down on the insides of her cheeks to keep from bursting out laughing, and Professor McGonagall fought hard to keep her composure. She glanced at her fuming colleague and pressed her lips together to stop herself from laughing out loud.

Severus's gleaming eyes seared Harry, and he felt an arousing warmth spreading in his body. He drank in the intoxicating look from his lover, and his head felt light from the sudden hormone rush. Harry stroked Severus's ears determinedly and licked his lips in anticipation.

Severus's breath caught when he stared into Harry's desire-filled eyes. The boy opened his lips a little bit, and his red soft tongue flicked out to wet his lips. Severus felt his blood rush to his groin. He closed his eyes to block the enticing sight of an aroused and obviously ready Harry.

McGonagall cleared her throat loudly to rouse the two love birds from their dreamy state and moved to the exit. Val opened the door and left without a further look back at the two men. Professor McGonagall followed her and sent Severus a warning glare before she closed the door.

"You'll pay for that," Severus growled dangerously, and he stepped closer to the boy, who breathed heavily. He grabbed Harry's waistcoat and pressed the smaller frame closer to his own body. Because of the closeness, he could feel the heaving of the other's chest.

Harry slowly started to unbutton Severus's robe and slid his hands under the garment. He felt the clenching and unclenching of his lover's abdominal muscles beneath the soft, warm skin.

Getting bolder with encouragement from Severus's reactions to his gentle ministrations, Harry finished opening the robe and brushed it off the broad shoulders. The black cloth slid down and pooled at the floor around Severus's feet. Dangerously slow, Harry traced a path from his lover's chest to the waistband of the black trousers.

He opened one button after another and let the trousers drop to reveal beautifully shaped, strong thighs, and black silk boxers that tented promisingly. Swallowing hard, Harry brushed lightly over the top of the tent and moaned when he heard Severus's tortured hiss.

Boldly, he started to stroke the silk-clad erection while unbuttoning the last bit of clothing. The white shirt was open in no time at all, and soon Harry was licking the erect nipples, biting down on them occasionally.

The rigid member in his hand grew harder and harder with every stroke, and Severus's breathing became laboured. Harry bit down on his lower lip and watched his love's face flush and his mouth hang open.

Carefully, he led the man backwards to the chair in front of the mirror and pushed him down on it. Climbing onto Severus's lap, he felt his own arousal press demandingly against his far-too-tight trousers.

He let go of the rock hard erection and grabbed a fistful of silky black strands, pulling the soft, inviting lips closer. He devoured them with delight and began to rub their erections together, creating a delicious friction. He felt Severus frantically opening his trousers and freeing the imprisoned shaft.

His bigger lover grabbed him with the other hand and pressed him closer while thrusting steadily against the freed erection. Harry panted and locked his arms around Severus's neck, kissing the man for all he was worth. He plunged his tongue into the invitingly opened mouth and kissed him deeply. Their tongues battled against each other, and the lack of oxygen made them even more light-headed.

Breaking for air, Severus held Harry tight and sped up the thrusts. Their climax built up steadily, and after a couple more strong thrusts, the world around him blurred as he climaxed against his lover's stomach.

He huffed and panted for air. Most of Severus's come, and some of his own, was now sticking to Harry's costume, and Harry searched for his wand to do a cleaning spell. After restoring the former neatness of his clothes, Harry kissed Severus again and brushed his hair back. "Do you think you'll be able to wear the offending clothes?"

Severus tried to growl intimidatingly at his lover, but basking in the aftermath, he was only able to purr in content.

"Great. Now, come on and get dressed. The play starts soon." Harry slid down from Severus's lap and tossed the costume at him. Kissing him on the tip of his nose, Harry went to the door and winked at his lover sensually. "I have to go. I'm in the first scene, but I'll be back, I promise."

The door closed behind Harry and left a pouting Potions Master behind.

"Now hear and see!
From one make ten,
Take two, and then
At once take three,
And you are rich!
Four doesn't score.
But, says the witch,
From five and six
Make seven and eight;
That outs it straight.
And nine is one,
And ten is none.
The witch's twice-table's done."

The glasses and pots inside the magic circle hummed and rang, making some strange kind of music. Severus watched, confused, as the witch reads out from a heavy tome.

"She's obviously raving mad."

Feinstein nods in agreement.

"Oh, she has still much more to say!
I it it well, the whole book reads that way.
It's cost me more time than I had.
A complete paradox, you see,
Fills fools and wise men with a sense of mystery.
My friend, the art's both new and old:
Let error, not the truth be told "
Make one of three and three of one;
Thus to their heart's content they dogmatize,
Plague take the silly chattering crew!
Men hear mere words, yet commonly surmise
Words must have intellectual content too.

Oblivious to the two wondering men, Base continued reading from the book.

"The lofty might
Of wisdom's light,
Hid from vulgar throng:
It costs no thought,
It's freely taught,
We know it all along!"

Severus shook his head and watched the strange goings-on suspiciously. When the witch fetched a potion from a cupboard, he stepped back from the Magic circle, eyeing the proceedings critically.

" What rubbish is the crone repeating?
My head's half split by this entire
Performance; it's like some massed choir
O fifty thousand idiots bleating."

"Enough, enough, excellent sibyl! Bring
Your cocktail, pour it, fill the cup
Right to the brim, quick, fill it up!
This drink won't harm my friend, he knows a thing
Or two already; many a strong potation
He's swallowed during his initiation!"

Base uncorked the potion vial and poured some of the content into a cup. Carefully, she handed it to Severus, who had to step closer to the whole spectacle again. She watched closely as he raised the cup to his lips and drank it down after the small flames on it had disappeared. She took the cup from him and stared at him, scrutinising. Waiting.

"Come down with it! Don't dither so!
Soon it will warm the cockles of your heart.
You're practically the Devil's bedfellow
And fire still makes you flinch and start!"

Suddenly, soft light started to shimmer around Severus, and his body and features slowly changed and molded into the face of a younger Severus Snape. He looked like a young man in his twenties, and he wore stylish dark red clothes.

Feinstein smirked and led him away, out from the witch's kitchen. The two of them strolled down a road, the evening approaching fast.

Severus walked slower than Feinstein and devoured his surroundings with his eyes. Everything looked so different and new. Looking for his friend, Severus noticed a young woman strolling up the street, obviously returning home from church. Her golden blonde hair and her fragile, petite frame stirred something inside Severus, and careful not to frighten her, he approached her.

"My sweet lady, if I may
I will escort you on your way."

The girl, who was none other than Val playing the role of Margarete, answered,

"I'm not a lady and I'm not sweet,
I can get home on my own two feet."

She freed herself from Severus's grasp and hurried up the street to reach the safety of her home.

"By God, but that's a lovely girl!
More lovely than I've ever met.
So virtuous, so decent, yet
A touch of sauciness as well!
Her cheeks so red, her eyes so bright -
All my life I'll not forget that sight.
It stirred my very heart to see
Her eyes cast down so modestly,
And how she put me into place,
With so much charm and so much grace!"

He saw Feinstein at the corner of the street and headed over to him. He already knew what he would ask the devil for.

"Come on, Harry. We have to return to Hogwarts in forty minutes!" Hermione dragged her friend away from the display window of Arsine and Laudanum, the biggest apothecary in all of Hogsmeade. He had spent the last two hours searching for the perfect Christmas present for Severus, but it was very difficult to find something that was original and that the man would like.

"But Hermione, I still haven't found the right present for him," Harry whined shamelessly when the bushy haired girl dragged him away from the shops and towards The Three Broomsticks where the rest of the group waited for them.

"Why don't you dress up nicely and be the present yourself? I think he wouldn't mind about a Harry for a Christmas surprise."

"Ugh, Hermione, please!" Ron grimaced at the mental picture of Snape ravishing his Christmas present. "It's one thing to support Harry but another to see them together like that."

"I think they look great.!" The girl grinned at Harry, who in turn blushed. She glanced at Val who sniggered amused.

"I also had the pleasure to see them together and believe me it's quite inspiring."

Harry blushed an even deeper shade of red if that was possible and stepped uncomfortably from one foot to the other.

"Now, come on. Leave the poor guy alone." Feanor tugged Harry under his arm and left with him for Hogwarts. When passing the outskirts of the wizard village, Harry noticed a group of wizards coming and going from a house. They carried and levitated furniture, pictures and trunks out of it.

"Wait a minute Feanor. I'll be right back." He jogged over to the lively group of adults and approached the nearest wizard. "Excuse me, sir. What's going on here, sir?"

The bald man turned to the disturbing source of noise and glared at the teenager angrily. He was beefy and tall and looked like he was going to bite of Harry's head for asking. "Nothing of your business, boy. Go get going." He was about to shove Harry in the direction he had be coming from and where his friends watched the whole scene from the distance, when an angry voice stopped him.

"Mr Turncoat, would you please refrain from harassing innocent bystanders and friendly children!" An old witch stomped over to Harry and Mr Turncoat, fuming about the man's most unfriendly behaviour. She glared warningly at the wizard, who turned away and walked back into the house, and smiled at Harry friendly as soon as the both of them were alone. "Now, my dear boy, how can I help you?"

Harry swallowed hard and glanced from the entrance door to the witch. "I was just curios about what was going on."

The woman patted the boy's head lovingly and led him to the backside of the house, where lots of old furniture stood in the garden, waiting to be taken away. "My husband died two months ago and since I'm not the youngest person anymore and I sometimes have problems with my health I decided to move to my daughter and live with her family. All the things here are brought to an antiques store where the are going to be sold."

Harry looked at the many things in astonishment. "They are very beautiful, madam."

"You think so? Why, you are a very nice boy. If you want you can take something with you." She smiled warmly at Harry who gapped at her open-mouthed.

"But, I can't take something without paying, madam. That would not be right."

The old witch laughed happily and patted his head again. "Go on, darling and take a look at the things and then tell me what you have found."

Harry nodded and moved through the rows of furniture and trunks filled with books. He wandered around stunned by all the beautiful things.

Ten minutes later he returned to the old witch who had watched him pick trough the piles of antiques. He carried a dark leather encased book, a silver bracelet and a piece of cloth. "I would like to buy these things please, madam."

"Well, let's see what you have found." She took the book from Harry and took a glance at the old and smudged cover. "Ah, an excellent choice. Crossroad of Potion Making- Why did the Muggle Way of Potion Making take a different Direction from the Magical Way. My husband was very interested in potions. He bought it a long time ago when he discovered muggle science. He was quite fascinated with the subject." She inspected the silver bracelet and smiled. "This one is very special and only meant to be given to somebody you love with all your heart. Is there somebody you could give it too?"

Harry blushed decently and nodded. He looked at the fragile silver band that shimmered in the deep afternoon sun. On the inside of the bracelet was an engraving which said," Thou holdest my Heart in thy Hands. My Love and Soul shall be Thy. Eternally."

"Now, it's good to know that a nice boy like you has found someone dear to his heart. Let's take a look at the last thing you have found." She took the cloth. It turned out to be a dark purple silk robe. It's soft material felt cool and smooth on the skin. The seams were adorned with dark silver trimming and the buttons were of the same dark silver. The symbol of a dragon was stitched on the front of the right shoulder. "Dear me, I didn't even now I still had that one. It once belonged to my great-grandfather. He wore at his wedding. It is very, very old." She handed all three items back to Harry who smiled happily at the small treasures he had found.

"How much do they cost, madam?"

"Nothing, sweet heart. I can't expect you to pay for these old things." She went to the nearest pile and searched through it. When she found what she had been looking for, she returned to Harry and gave it to him. It was an old portrait of an old wizard. His long an silver hair and the long bushy beard made him look Dumbledore.

Harry took a close look at the picture and read the name of the wizard in the right corner. Taliesin Merlin. "Wow, that's a portrait of the Great Merlin. That's far too precious. I can't accept that." Harry wanted to give the picture back but the old woman refused to take it.

"No, you keep it. I have the feeling that it will proof very helpful to you ." She stroked Harry's cheek and accompanied him back to the front. There she said her Goodbye and went back into the house to supervise the moving.

Harry went back to his friends, smiling content about the sudden find of Christmas presents.

The Christmas day had gone by quite pleasantly so far. Harry had woke up to find lots of presents from his godfather, Hagrid, the Weasleys, Hermione and his new friends. The breakfast in the Great Hall and the relaxing afternoon in the Gryffindor Common room afterwards had been very nice.

Since they were still frantically searching for any new leads in the Ecco abbey and its library all of them had decided to stay at Hogwarts for the holidays. Many students had stayed in school because of the exchange project. They wanted to spend as much time as possible with their new-found muggle friends.

Harry had left the others behind in the common room and was heading for Sev's private quarters. He was anxious and couldn't wait for his love to open the packets. He had pictured Sev's reaction many times already but he wanted to see them in reality already.

Turning round the corner and entering the Slytherin area of the dungeons Harry sped his pace up. He arrived in front of the door to Sev's rooms when a voice calling out his name stopped him.

"Potter. Professor Snape isn't here." Draco Malfoy was standig at the end of the corridor and watched the Gryffindor. "The Death Eaters were summoned and he had to leave. He won't be back too soon. The dark Lord is quite busy with searching for a certain book." The blonde boy narrowed his eyes and stepped out of the drak into the light of the nearest torch. "Have you had any luck with your search, Potter?"

Harry was shocked by finding out that Sev had had to leave and got to Voldemort. Fear and worry about his lover filled him. He cluched the presents closer to his chest and took deep breaths to calm himself down. After some seconds he looked back at the Slytherin and answered his question. "No, unfortunately we hav not. Your comment was kind of vague. We looked at blueprints of the Glastonbury abbey but we weren't able to find the clue you obviously tried to give us."

Malfoy snorted amused. "Should have expected nothing else from a Gryffindor. I'm sure you only took a look at the blueprints of the Glastonbury abbey. Did you, Potter?" He shook his head in disbelieve. "Actually thought Granger was smart. You have to compare the blueprints of the Glastonbury abbey and Ecco of course, you doofus. I'm going to give you one more last hint. Both towers have a cellar." Turning he strode back to the end of the corridor. "Good luck, Potter."

The Slytherin disappeared before around the corner before the stunned Harry got the chance to thank him or ask him why he had helped them. Sad and worried about Sev's absence and confused because of Malfoy's behavior Harry made his way back the Gryffindor common room and his friends.
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Harry Potter and the Book of Days