Chapter VIII

Harry rushed out of the ministry and apparated right outside its wards. He didn't even look around to make sure there aren't any muggles nearby. He arrived at Grimauld place not a second later and almost kicked the door open, causing the portrait of the accursed Mrs. Black to start screaming her usual insults. Ron and Hermione rushed to him, looking worried and frightened by the sudden outburst of screams and the banging of the door knob against the wall.

"Harry! What Happened?" Yelled Hermione over the screams of Mrs. Black.

Mudbloods! Filth! Stains on the house of my ancestors!"

"What's going on?" Shouted Ron as he came to Harry's help in closing the curtains on Mrs. Black.

"Help me shut this hag! I'm OK! Grab the other side!" Shouted Harry in reply. It was with great effort that they finally managed to shut the curtains and end the screeching of Mrs. Black ended.

"What on earth are you doing Harry?" Asked Ron through short gasping breaths.

"I will tell you, I'd rather tell it once!" He said as he walked past Ron and Hermione and headed downstairs to the basement.

"Harry!" Said Hermione in a tone that was a mixture of surprise and protesting, as if it was unbecoming of him to just walk past his best friends without explaining what happened in the court.

"Hey! Hang on! What happened to the-"

"Will you come along for merlin's sake! Hurry!" Harry cut him off and beckoned them to follow him to the basement.

"What are you rushing downstairs for?" Asked Hermione as she too, followed Harry and Ron downstairs.

"Just come with me!" He said as he opened the door to the basement and walked towards the portrait of Phineas Nigellus.

"Phineas! Phineas! Wake up!" Harry called out urgently and when Phineas kept pretending to be asleep he Shouted "Phineas Nigellus Black! Wake up!".

Phineas stretched and yawned dramatically before opening his eyes and looking at Harry with a bored expression. "What is it now, Potter?" He asked in a tone that was a mixture of annoyance and boredom.

"I need to tell you something, and I need your full attention! It is important, and I'm affraid I'll forget the details or even the whole thing if I don't tell it now!" Harry said in a tone of stern urgency.

"Okay..." drawled Phineas, "I'm listening."

"You two listen too! And don't interrupt me, because I feel like the memory is fading away as I speak!" Harry said as he looked at Ron and Hermione.

"Harry-" Hermione started to say, but Harry cut her off.

"LISTEN!" He said in a tone that was a mixture of urgency and frustration. "PLEASE!" He added in a softer tone.

"OK Harry we'll listen, whatever you have to say, won't we Ron?" Asked Hermione as she grabbed Ron's arm.

"Yea of course we will, bloody hell, of course we will mate!" Said Ron as he looked at Harry with a worried expression.

"Thank you." Said Harry as he took a deep breath and started to recount the events that took place in the court. It took him a full 20 minutes to tell them everything that happened, from the moment he met Percy, to what he said about the court, the nature of the trial, the exchanges between him and Sheraldov, and finally the moment that the courtroom came to life and spoke to him and to Lucius Malfoy. He told the story in such a speed that if there was a tournament for telling fast stories, he would have won it.

"-And then the courtroom showed this rune on thee ground and Sheraldov said that the court has decided that the Malfoys are to pay the price in gold, not blood, and that the case will be sent down to a lower court, and he left the room. He was really displeased too, like he wanted them to pay in blood, or in soul, or in whatever other horror the court could take from the Malfoys! He even shouted at the ceiling! And then everyone looked like they just woke up from a dream. Only me and Lucius and Sheraldov seemed unaffected by the whole thing! Lucius sort of collapsed to the ground and I took one look at him and the people in the courtroom and left to tell you guys!" Harry finished his story and took a deep breath. He felt lighter now that he had told his story and he felt like he could finally relax."

"Harry, that's... That's... That's..." Hermione was at a loss for words and Ron only managed to get a "Bloody hell!" out of his mouth.

"Interesting, very interesting!" Said Phineas as he played with his beard. "I must confess that I might like this Sheraldov fellow, he seems to know the fool extent of the might of the ministry and its secrets. He knows the ways of the old and you boy! You should be very, very careful with him. He is not to be trifled with or tested. If you recounted your dialogues with him accurately, then I have to say that he was extremely polite and patient with you, and that is not a good sign." Said Phineas abruptly.

"Wait, so the Malfoys are going to get away with paying gold? Again?" Asked Ron in a heated tone.

"Well never mind that now Ron!" Said Hermione. "Don't you see-" She started to say but was cut off by Phineas.

"How old is he?" Asked Phineas abruptly. "Sheraldov of course!" He added impatiently when he saw the puzzled look on Harry's face.

"I don't know, he looks like he is 50 or something, but he's built like a tank, and he has these weird silvery eyes that look like they are made of mercury or something." Harry replied.

"I can find out his age through dad" Said Ron "and his lineage too, probably!" He finished somewhat less certainly.

"You do that Weasley and do it fast! In fact, do it now!" Said Phineas as he looked at Ron with a stern expression.

"I... I can send dad a patronus-" Said Ron.

"Whatever you have to do, the sooner we know, the better!" Said Phineas.

"OK, I'll do it right now!" Said Ron as he walked upstairs to the living room.

"Ron be careful! Don't give out too much information in the message, just call him here!" Shouted Hermione after him.

"Hermione I'm not an idiot!" Ron shouted back as he walked up the stairs.

There was a moment of silence as Harry sat down on his chair, feeling light in the head and tired in the body.

"Mr. Black, what did you mean by the _full might of the ministry_ and _ways of the old_?" Asked Hermione.

Phineas made a bored expression as he straightened the collar of his robes and muttered something like _do they teach you anything in that school_ before answering Hermione.

"The courtroom in question has not been used since centuries ago. No one should know about it, it was decided! Except for those who remember it. Potter says the man has silver eyes, he could be much older than he seems, and that, that, is frightening!" Said Phineas "A wizard with that knowledge, of that circle, or descended from one of its members, Merlin knows what else he got up his sleeve, and with his age, its possible, very possible, and he was unaffected? And he dared to challenge the Wyrd? Very dangerous indeed! Even I wouldn't have! Nope! Not in my life nor in my death!" Phineas said as he shook his head. He seemed to be having a conversation with himself, more than with them.

"A what?" Asked Harry, Hermione and Ron who had just appeared behind them, in unison.

"A Wyrd! Wyrds are beyond good and evil, they aren't controlled by any force or means known to man or wizard! They are self-sustaining and as far as we know, the thing in that court, is a Wyrd. However, it was usually referred to as simply, the þing, since it never confirmed that it was a Wyrd or not and Wyrds themselves are from the myths of man, not wizard kind." Phineas explained.

"Hang on! What do you mean by _as far as we know_?" Asked Ron.

"What did you mean by the _circle_?" Asked Harry.

"Do you think that Sheraldov is immortal through the elixir of life?" Asked Hermione.

Phineas's eyes darted between them as they bombarded him with their questions. He finally settled on Hermione. "Sharp! Very sharp indeed. Yes I suspect it Ms, Granger. Isn't it curious that the þing kept referring to a potion maker?" He asked.

"But I thought that's Lucius." Said Harry.

"Well you thought wrong!" Said Phineas as he rolled his eyes. "Lucius is a potion maker, all sons of Armand are potion makers, but I would never refer to them as the potion maker, no! The þing was calling someone much more powerful and much more adept in the art of potion making." Finished Phineas thoughtfully.

"You know about this þing, don't you Phineas?" Asked Harry as he stood to face the portrait. "You know something about it for sure. You were muttering about a circle and a decision just a moment ago. Tell me what you know!" Harry demanded. "Please!" He added in a polite tone, knowing that Phineas was a stern and stubborn man, even in paint.

"I can only tell you as much as I am sure about. There is a reason why the ministry is located, where it is located and that is the þing. They built the ministry on top of it. They thought that they can control it, or harvest its raw power, or even use it to their advantage. They were wrong! The þing or the Wyrd, cannot be controlled! It laughed at all the efforts of the great witches and wizards who tried to control it. Then they tried to bind and imprison it. But the Wyrd laughed at them and told them that it is bound to the land and that the wizard with the power to unleash it is yet to come. So they shut the doors and left. Many decades were passed before anyone spoke to the þing again. It seemed immensely interested and invested in the stories of the wizards and their origins. It turns out that a janitor who had lost his wife and two sons in a witch trial, feeling lonely and desperate, kept sneaking into the Wyrd's chamber and talked to it. Feeding it information and gossip and in return the Wyrd granted him dreams about his family. So the Wyrd became something like an adviser to high ranking wizards, or the minister. It provided insight and solutions and eventually a courtroom was built around his cave-"

"A cave?" Harry cut him off, not being able to control himself.

"-oh yes it was a cave, I forgot to tell, thought it was obvious of course! In fact the whole ministry is built on top of an ancient cave system that stretches beneath London. Anyway at that time a circle was formed. A dark and secret circle of very powerful wizards who sought to unleash the Wyrd. They believed that the Wyrd was the source of Merlin's magic and that releasing it, would cause Merlin's return to fulfil the prophecies that claim, 'Merlin will return when Britain needs him most' and they would all be his disciples and learn to become immortal like him. It was a short while after a group of more radical wizards broke from the original circle. Their intention was much more sinister and much more dangerous. They wanted to release the Wyrd, but only to kill it and consume its power! They were rumoured to have found smaller Wyrds to which they had done what they claimed was possible, but I never saw any proof whatsoever!" Finished Phineas.

"Mr. Black with all due respect, there is nothing of this sort written in any of the history books that I've read!" Said Hermione.

"Of course not silly girl! Would you have written these sorts of things down if it was up to you? You'd be a fool if you did!" Retorted Phineas.

"I've heard legends about the tunnels under the ministry, they were supposedly built by goblins, the same goblin who carved Gringotts into the grounds of London." Said Ron excitedly.

"I doubt that they were the same goblins, perhaps from the same tribe of goblins, but if goblins found the Wyrd, they would not keep it quiet! They would try to use it like we did!"

"Were you a member of these circles?" Asked Harry abruptly.

"No!" Said Phineas stiffly "They were centuries before my time, rumour said that they were still active, in secret, but I never pursued them." Finished Phineas without blinking.

It was at that moment that the door upstairs cricked open and the closed. Mr. Weasley had arrived.

"I'll go get him!" Said Ron as he ran upstairs. A moment later he emerged with Mr. Weasley behind him.

"Hello guys! What's going on? What happened in the court?" Asked Mr. Weasley as he surveyed Harry and the room and his eyes found the portrait of Phineas Nigellus Black. "Oh! Hello there good sir! You must be Phineas Nigellus Black! I've heard a lot about you!" He said as he walked towards the portrait and stood right in front of it.

"Hello to you sir indeed! Someone remembers proper English manners!" Said Phineas as he bowed his head slightly.

"I never thought you cared about _proper English manners_ Phineas!" Said Harry in protest.

"I don't, but it's a necessity!!" Retorted Phineas as he rolled his eyes.

"The children are very impressed by you and your knowledge Mr. Black! They seem to take your word for everything!" Said Mr. Weasley politely. "Thank you for guiding them in their quest." Added Mr. Weasley.

"I do what I can Mr. Weasley." He said, inclining his head slightly. "Why don't you _children_ fill him in?" He added with a smirk to Harry, Hermione and Ron.

Harry would tolerate being addressed as a child by Mr. Weasley, but he wouldn't take that from Phineas. But he thought that it was best to let it slide for now. He took a deep breath for the third time since they entered the basement and started to recount the event of the day for the second time.

Mr. Weasley listened to Harry's story carefully, giving a nod every once in a while to hide his surprise and worry. He didn't react when Harry told him about the court, or the Wyrd and the rune. He only nodded quietly and listened. When Harry finished, Mr. Weasley didn't say anything. It was as if he was waiting for them to start asking questions, perhaps because he didn't want to reveal too much of ministry's secrets, or how much he knew about them, or perhaps he didn't want to increase their sense of curiosity.

"It was I who asked your son to bring you to us, I need to know Sheraldov's age and his lineage." Said Phineas calmly.

"Age? I don't know," Started Mr. Weasley "I remember him from when I was a young intern in the ministry, but he left shortly after I officially joined the ministry as an employee, and he was never heard of. People said that he went to some south-eastern country to search for an artefact of the old magus of the east, but that was just a rumour, you know how people are in the ministry, they love to gossip. As for his lineage, I don't know much about it, I can guess from the sound of his surname that he must have some eastern European roots, but I can find out for sure." He finished.

"Please do!" Said Phineas as he looked at Mr. Weasley with a stern expression. "It is of utmost importance given the nature of the events that are to take place soon." He ended with a searching look over at Harry's direction. It took Harry a second to realize that he was referring to the trinity ritual that they were about to perform once they got all the ingredients.

"He knows about the ritual, if that what you meant." Said Harry as he looked at Phineas.

"Very well, then there are no secrets among us. Please find out about Sheraldov's lineage as quickly and secretly as possible." Said Phineas looking at Mr. Weasley. "In the meanwhile, I have some homework for these three, but before that, I must ask you a question." He said as he turned to Mr. Weasley again.

"Anything!" Said Mr. Weasley.

"You were not surprised by the events that took place in the court, were you?" Asked Phineas. "You knew about the þing, didn't you?" He finished.

"That is correct. I knew about the þing and Sheraldov's desire to awaken it for the trials. Of course, I didn't know which trial, but I am more surprised by the þing's ruling. It isn't like it. It is known to be cruel and impartial."

"Then you know about the circles as well?" Asked Phineas.

There was a pause during which Mr. Weasley and Phineas Nigellus looked at each other and Harry, Ron and Hermione exchanged glances. It seemed like Mr. Weasley was deciding whether to answer the question or not, but his mere silence was an answer in itself. It was clear that he knew about them. After a few long, stretched out moments, he finally spoke.

"My great-grandfather was a chief member, but he left the circle before he married my great-grandmother. He never told anyone about it, but he left a note for my grandfather, who left a note for my father, who left a note for me." Said Mr. Weasley.

"Interesting. Then you know why I am concerned?"

"I can imagine." Said Mr. Weasley. "Sheraldov is not an evil man, but he is one hell of an enemy if anyone makes one of him for themselves. His first decision as minister was to open the doors to the cave of the Wyrd, and that is not a good sign! Being an ex unspeakable senior, he knows the secrets of the ministry to such depths that few can claim to know. So far, his goals are to destroy the remaining death eaters and to bring peace to the wizarding world, and for that, he has the support of the people and the ministry. But if what Harry narrated is true, then he is not affraid of getting his hands dirty." Said Mr. Weasley.

"Dad how come we didn't know about this great-grandfather?" Asked Ron.

"Ron, we may not be wealthy, we certainly don't have a manor and we most definitely don't pride ourselves on our blood status, but we are an ancient pure blood family, and we have many, many secrets that we keep to ourselves. This is one of them." Said Mr. Weasley.

"But Mr. Weasley why didn't you tell us about this before? About where the trial was being held. If Harry knew, he would at least go in ready! And he would have known to control his temper!" Said Hermione politely but with accusation etched in her every word.

"Hermione dear I didn't know that it was this trial! I knew the chamber was to be used, but I thought it would be used for the trial of the Nott family, not the Malfoys! The Malfoys are deeply rooted in the ministry. Even with Sheraldov, I didn't dream that he would challenge them so early in his administration!" Explained Mr. Weasley.

"They were to be tried for the same crime, weren't they?" Asked Hermione, pressing on.

"Well yes but-" Mr. Weasley began, but Harry cut him off.

"This doesn't help us! Clearly no one expected the trial to be held in the chamber of the Wyrd. Percy looked like a ghost when he led me to it, and they even shut down the ministry for the occasion. I don't think that anyone could have warned me about it, and even if they did, what would it change? Hermione I'm terrible at keeping my temper in check! Besides, at least now that Sheraldov has showed his colours, we know what we are dealing with!" Said Harry.

"Yea we didn't fight Voldemort to end up replacing him with a weird cultist!" Said Ron.

"Mr. Weasley I wasn't accusing... I just thought that this was a really close call... What if the thing decided to punish Harry?" Said Hermione with a slight tremor in her voice.

"Harry was the witness!" Protested Ron.

"I know Hermione dear, and I'm just letting you all know that if I knew for sure, I would have mentioned it." Said Mr. Weasley calmly,

"Very well then, our missions are clear." Said Phineas before they could continue the argument and turned to Harry, Ron and Hermione. "Now you three sit down and start reading. Ms. Granger, write down the names of these books, you should find them here but in case you don't, there are other places that might have a copy" Phineas said with the air of a professor who was giving out weekend homework.

"I'll head back to the ministry if you guys don't need me, I'll see what I can dig on Sheraldov." Said Mr. Weasley.

"Yea thanks for coming Mr. Weasley." Said Harry "Won't you stay for lunch?" He added.

"No, thank you, Harry, I better get going, I have a lot of work to do." Said Mr. Weasley as he walked towards the door.

They all said goodbye to Mr. Weasley and Ron accompanied him to the door. Phineas started to dictate the names of the books that he wanted them to read and Hermione was writing them down quickly. Harry sat down on his chair again and looked at Phineas Nigellus. He seemed eager to help them in this time. He had even spoken to Mr. Weasley and Hermione respectfully. Harry was suspicious of this, but in the meanwhile they needed his knowledge and couldn't afford to turn him down. Perhaps it was out of sheer boredom that he was helping them like this, but Harry felt like it was something else. He was interested in this case, and he knew much more than he was willing to share.

Ron came back a few moments later and immediately rounded on Hermione.

"Why did you attack him like that for?" He asked heatedly.

"I didn't attack him Ron! But I think that we should know these sorts of things. He could have warned us, sure or not!" Spat Hermione angrily.

"Yea but he didn't! And he wasn't sure! Do you expect him to tell us everything that goes on in the ministry?"

"No I don't! But I expect to know when one of us is about to walk into a trap!"

"Come off it Hermione! Harry was fine! He's Harry Potter! It's not like they would allow anything to happen to him!" Said Ron.

"We don't know that for sure! If the þing is uncontrollable, what grantee do we have that it wouldn't have attacked Harry?" Asked Hermione.

Ron opened and closed his mouth soundlessly and finally muttered something like _he's the boy who lived_ before he turned to look at Harry for support. Harry used Ron's momentary speechlessness to intervene. "Guys! Please don't argue! I don't blame anyone and nothing bad has happened! Let's just have lunch and start reading these books!" He said in a tone that was a mixture of pleading and commanding.

"Good!" Said Phineas approvingly. "Give that list to the elf and start reading, and don't bother me with every little question you have, I hated teaching in life and I still hate it in death! Write down your questions and ask them in one session! I'd rather suffer it once!" He said as he turned his back to them and started to look at the wall.

"Why did you do that for?" Asked Ron.

"Do what?" Asked Phineas.

"Turning your back on us! What happened to proper English manners?"

"I'm a portrait Weasley! I can't be bothered with manners! I cannot visit my peers since you've cursed me to this frame! So get lost and let me be!" Said Phineas who was still looking at the wall behind him.

Ron seemed like he would've liked t argue, but Harry shook his head and beckoned them to leave the basement. They all walked upstairs and found Kreacher waiting for them with a tray of sandwiches and a pot of tea. They all sat down and started to eat in silence. Harry was the first to break it.

"Do you guys also feel like Phineas is a bit too eager to help?"

"Yea, he was never this helpful when we were on the run!" Said Ron. "Old git!" He added grumpily.

"I thought so as well, He didn't even call me mudblood!"

"He wouldn't dare! Not in my house!" Said Harry with a satisfied smirk.

"But why is he so into this whole business with the Wyrd and the circles?" Asked Hermione, slamming down her sandwich and causing Ron to start coughing in shock.

"I-" Harry began, punctuating each word with a smack on Ron's back "don't know!" He finished as Ron finally stopped coughing. "But he knows a lot! He knows about soul magic, and Merlin knows how many more dark subjects! He is a wealth of information, it's just that it's not usually this easy to get it out of him."

"You think he was in on it?" Asked Ron.

"Maybe." Said Harry.

"Or maybe he wanted in but was denied?" Added Hermione thoughtfully.

"I would have denied him to join any group that I'm in! He's insufferable!" Said Ron.

"Harry could he..." Begun Hermione "Could he care about you?" She finished in a whisper, leaning in towards Harry.

It was Harry's turn to cough. "Whaaaaat?" He managed to say after a few moments of coughing.

"Hermione that's ridiculous!" Said Ron.

"Think about it! Harry is the heir of the black family! Sirius knew what he was doing! He would've never been able to inherit this house and Kreacher if he wasn't! And Phineas is a Black! He must know that Harry is the heir and I bet he knows why and how!" Said Hermione sternly.

"What do you mean why and how?" Asked Ron.

"I mean that there is definitely more into it than just Sirius choosing him as heir and that's it! There must be some ancient magic at work!"

"I've actually thought about that!" Said Harry.

"So you think he likes you mate?" Asked Ron incredulously.

"Pff no! I've been thinking about how Sirius could have given this house to me. I'm almost certain that if I could not inherit it, the house would rebel against me and I would be forced to leave." Said Harry.

"Well?" Asked Hermione impatiently.

"Well I know as much as you two know!"

"Which is nothing!" Said Ron with a laugh and earned a frowned from Hermione. "Well it's not important, is it? He is being helpful, Harry got the house and the elf, and we are all OK!"

"Yea I guess you are right Ron." Said Harry as he finished his sandwich and poured himself a cup of tea. "Lets investigate one mystery at a time!" He added as he sat back on his chair and leaned back.

"Well OK, But I will research this!" She said "eventually!" She added.

They all drank their tea in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. After a couple of minutes Hermione declared that she was going downstairs to find the books and bring them up. She told them that she will decide which books they read first and in which order, and that she will assign the books to them herself. Harry and Ron being full of food, were altogether too happy to let her take charge. It was better this way anyway, Hermione was the academic one, and she was the most organized of them too. They laid back into the comfy armchairs of the living room and listened to the radio while they waited for Hermione to come back.

Hermione appeared 30 minutes later with a pile of books hovering behind her. She had an excited look on her face as she slammed the books in front of them.

"There! That all of them minus one! That one is a muggle book which I'll get from the city in the morning!" She said as she sat down on the couch.

Harry reached out for the books and started to read the titles. They were all about the history of the ministry, the authority in wizarding England, political movements and the history of the magical circles.

"Wands and Whispers: The Secret Council That Governeth All!" Harry read aloud.

"The False Fall of the Dark Lord: A Deception Most Grand" Ron read another title. "The Keepers of Lost Memory: How the Obliviators Shape the Past" He read another.

"Check this one out!" Said Harry as he picked up another book from the pile. "Prophecy and Pretence: The Crafting of Destinies False and True" He read aloud and Ron made a long whistle.

"Hermione these are all conspiracy books!" Said Ron with a chuckle "He really wants us to learn from these?"

"These are the books that he wants us to read! If the real history is distorted or hidden, then this is the best we got! Remember that your own dad confirmed his words, so there must be some truth in them!" Said Hermione.

"What's the missing book?" Asked Harry.

"This one," She started as she pulled the note from her robes. "Of Enchantresses and Electors: How Beings Beyond Men Steer the Vote" She read aloud. "This one is a muggle conspiracy book, about us!"

"What?" Asked Ron incredulously "You mean they figured out about our world?"

"Seems so! How much the author figured out, I don't know, but it isn't too important since the muggles are just going to think he is a nutcase!" Said Hermione.

"Well, Hermione, You're in charge!" Said Harry as he leaned back on his chair and closed his eyes. "Tell us what to do."

"Can't we have Kreacher read them and summarize them for us?" Asked Ron. "I mean what good is having an elf if we must do so much manual labour ourselves?"

"No we can't Ron! And We don't have an elf, this house has a house elf who belongs to this place as much as we do!" Hermione spat heatedly. "Perhaps even more than us!" She finished as she threw a book into Ron's chest.

"Ouch! OK! Bloody hell!" Said Ron as he rubbed his chest and picked up the book. "I'll read it! I'll read it! Just don't hurt me" He said as he opened the book and pretended to hide behind it. Harry laughed aloud and earned himself a book in the chest as well.

"Ridicules boys!" Hermione muttered with half a smile as she too picked up a book and leaned back on the couch to read it.