Snape and Lily's daughter

Row 97

Everyone entered the room. It was very bright, the lights looked like diamonds. Not even a few seconds after everyone had gotten used to the brightness, Harry shouts, "This way!"

He led the way forward down the narrow space between the lines of the desks, heading, as he had done in his dream, for the source of the light, the crystal bell jar quite as tall as he was that stood on a desk and appeared to be full of a billowing, glittering wind.

"Oh look!" Ginny said, pointing at the very heart of the bell jar.

Drifting along in the sparkling current inside was a tiny, jewelbright egg.

"Keep going!" Harry said sharply, when he realized that everyone stopped to look at what Ginny had pointed out.

"You dawdled enough by that old arch!" she said crossly.

Everyone followed Harry toward the only door there.

"This is it," Harry said again. "It's through here —"

When Harry turned to his friends, he noticed that they all had their wands in their hands, looking serious and anxious. He turned to the door and opened it.

It was a huge room. The only things inside were giant shelves that contained glass orbs. The room was very cold.

Harry took a step and peeked down one of the corridors. He didn't hear or see anything.

"You said it was row ninety-seven," Hermione whispered.

"Yeah," breathed Harry.

Grace took a step to see which hallway she was in. She could see the number 53 written in silver.

"We need to go right, I think," Grace whispered, squinting to the next row. "Yes... that's fifty-four..."

"Keep your wands out," Harry said softly.

They crept forward, staring behind them as they went on down the long alleys of shelves, the farther ends of which were in near total darkness.

After a few minutes walking between the rows, Hermione finds it.

"Ninety-seven!" she whispered.

Everyone stopped together near the row. There was no one there.

"He should be near here," Harry whispered. "Anywhere here... really close..."

They started walking down the row.

"Harry?" Grace said hesitantly.

"Somewhere about... here..." he said.

Then they reached the edge of the row. There was no one there. Everything was still silent.

"He might be..." Harry whispered hoarsly. "Or maybe..."

"Harry?" Hermione called him.

"What?" he snarled.

"I... I don't think Sirius is here."

Nobody said anything else. Harry didn't look at anyone.

He ran up the space at the end of the rows, staring down them. There was no sign of Sirius.

"Harry?" Ron called.

"What?"

"Have you seen this?" Ron said.

"What?" Harry said, more eager.

They were all together near row 97, Ron was looking at one of the dusty orbs.

"It's — it's got your name on,"

Harry moved a little closer.

"My name?" Harry said blankly.

In spidery writing was written a date of some sixteen years previously, and below that:

S.P.T to A.P.W.B.D

Dark Lord

and (?) Harry Potter

"What is it?" Grace asked. "What's your name doing down here?"

Grace and Ronny ran their gaze to the other labels on the other orbs.

"We're not here," Ron said, sounding perplexed.

"None of the rest of us are here..." Grace said.

"Harry, I don't think you should touch it," Hermione said sharply, as he stretched out his hand.

"Why not?" he said. "It's something to do with me, isn't it?"

"Don't, Harry," Neville said suddenly.

"It's got my name on," Harry said.

Harry then took the orb. Everyone was nervous waiting for something to happen. He took the orb off the shelf and examined it.

And then, from right behind them, a drawling voice said, "Very good, Potter. Now turn around, nice and slowly, and give that to me."