Shadow Council 131A

Chapter 131

Xander groaned as he stretched out the kinks in his neck. They’d dropped Harry back at Ottery St Catchpole, letting him make his way to the Weasley’s with Andromeda and Tonks while Narcissa took Draco for what Xander assumed would be a more intensive debriefing of what he’d seen that evening.

Xander, for himself, had pulled his bike out of storage and headed for the Granger’s home where Wednesday and Hermione were awaiting news.

“Well?” Hermione held her hands up, “What happened?”

“A boring party happened,” Xander rolled his eyes, “No assassination attempts, no giant snakes, no trolls. Just a boring political event. Seriously, Hermione, what did you expect?”

“With you and Harry in the same room?” She asked him, eyebrow arced accusingly.

Xander held up a finger, mouth open to refute that, but then just shrugged.

“You know what, fair cop,” He said easily. “But other than a lot of handshakes and quiet words with strangers, all Harry did of note was have a small conversation with the Queen before we left. I’m sure that it was important in some way, but honestly I don’t have any idea how right now.”

“That fails to surprise me,” Wednesday said softly from where she was sitting, only the vaguest hint of amusement in her voice, and even then Xander was certain that no one other than a close friend would have a hope in hell of recognizing it.

He shot her an amused roll of his eyes before going on.

“I was just there as arm candy anyway,” He winked salaciously in Wednesday direction.

Her eyes flickered down briefly before she rallied and settled on her usual glare in his direction while Hermione just sighed and shook her head.

“Must you two?” Hermione asked, exasperated. “This is important.”

“Is it?” Wednesday asked, sounding honestly curious.

“Yes!”

“What’s all the yelling in here?” Emma Granger asked as she and Daniel entered the room, looking at the trio with some trepidation.

“Oh Hermione is just all het up about something or another,” Xander shrugged, faking confusion. “Something about the Queen chatting Harry up I think.”

“Xander!”

Emma snorted, “I find that oddly possible, and it disturbs me.”

“She is a very forward lady,” Xander admitted, before winking at Wednesday again, “Not that there’s anything wrong with that.”

This time the daggers she shot him from her eyes were most certainly threatening grave bodily harm, though Xander once again just casually brushed it off. He’d likely pay for it, but she’d make him pay for something anyway, so he might as well get his money’s worth he figured.

“Really, Hermione,” He went on, “Nothing happened of importance as best I could tell. I wasn’t there for the chat with the Queen, and I’m sure that some of the people Harry chatted with were important folk and all but I didn’t recognize any of them, so there’s nothing for me to tell you. Harry’s good, evening went fine, relax.”

“Not bad advice,” Daniel Granger said with an easy smile as he took a seat in the living room couch, gesturing to the tray of drinks he’d just set on the coffee table. “Help yourselves.”

“I’m fine, thank you,” Wednesday said in her disturbingly calm manner.

“I’m good for a coke,” Xander said, reaching over to grab one of the bottles, “thanks.”

“Well, school will be back in session soon,” Emma said, a little awkwardly, “I don’t know if I want to ask this, but how…”

She took a breath, calming herself, “How dangerous do you think it will be, this year?”

The three young people in the room were quiet for a moment before Hermione hesitantly spoke up.

“Honestly? I wish I could answer. I don’t know,” She admitted. “With Vol… Voldemort back, it could be bad. The school should be safe, but outside it?”

“I’m still having trouble wrapping my head around that,” Daniel admitted. “How does one just… come back from the dead?”

“It’s easier than you might think,” Wednesday answered dryly.

Xander snorted, grinning at her for a moment, “Not helping, Wens.”

“Was I supposed to be?”

He just shook his head, before looking back to Daniel, “You ever play D&D?”

The older man looked surprised before he nodded, “In college, mostly, a little after but not for long.”

“Ok, then this will be easy,” Xander answered, “Voldy’s a Lich.”

“Shit.”

Hermione and Wednesday both turned to look at him.

“What?” Hermione asked, confused. “What’s a Lich?”

“Explain your statement.”

Xander sighed, rubbing his brow, “Seriously? OK, points for the Geeks I guess. A lich is a wizard who achieved a form of immortality by hiding their soul in what’s called a Phylactery. You can toast the body all you like, the soul will keep rebuilding it.”

“I know what one is,” Wednesday said simply. “I am, however, uncertain as to your reasoning about Riddle’s status as one.”

“Really? I mean, the Diary was clearly a phylactery, right?” Xander said, confused by her question. “I’m not the only one who sees that, I hope?”

Wednesday stared.

Finally she just shook her head.

“It’s Koschei the Deathless again, then,” She mumbled thinking on it before nodding and looking back to Xander, “You are correct, I apologize for doubting you.”

“But the Diary was destroyed,” Hermione said. “Wouldn’t that mean that Vol… Vold… Riddle is mortal now? How did he come back?”

Xander shrugged, “No idea there, I have to admit.”

“You cannot remove the soul entirely from the body and remain functional,” Wednesday said, dark eyes flicking about as she thought through the problem. “The Diary had one piece of his soul, but not the only piece. He has created others.”

“Now that’s just broken,” Daniel grumbled.

“How many?” Hermione asked, ignoring her father’s complaint.

“That… I do not know,” Wednesday admitted. “I would expect… at least three?”

“Magically powerful number, makes sense,” Xander nodded. “At most?”

“I do not know.”

Hermione blinked, thinking, “Seven.”

They looked at her, no one speaking as they waited for Hermione to expound on her thinking. She flushed at the attention, but went one quickly in a rush of words.

“I did some reading about soul magic in the restricted section,” She admitted with an embarrassed flush. “When the soul is split, something that usually happens by accident during certain advanced rites, it’s always a clean bisection. Two equal parts.”

Wednesday nodded, “Of course. The seventh section would be just under one percent of the total soul then. Splitting it more would be… unviable.”

Hermione nodded, “The only reason he might have been able to do that much is the power of the numerology involved.”

“Agreed. So, seven parts then, we’ll assume that he went for the most he could achieve. One destroyed,” Wednesday said simply. “Six remaining… five plus Riddle himself. This… may be a problem.”

Daniel Granger snorted, “Finding one phylactery is a pain the a… ahem… backside. Five? I hope the authorities have a plan.”

The three teens exchanged looks that comforted exactly no one.

*****