The Dragons of Raveana

A Diary of Dragons

Daily Prophet

Outbreak of Owl Flu, page 9

A recent outbreak of the rare and deadly owl flu has been uncovered after the deaths of several owls from the famous wizarding school, Hogwarts. All owls currently upon school grounds have been placed in quarantine and will be unable to deliver messages for an unknown period of time. Headmaster Albus Dumbledore assures parents and students that another means of letter delivery will be organized as soon as possible.

For now, parents are being discouraged from sending family owls into the quarantine zone and risking the spread of the illness. Until further notice, all owl deliveries into and out of the school have been stopped. Any owl attempting to deliver mail will be turned around at the school wards. Should the wards fail, the owl will join those currently under quarantine.

- Bernice Briklewood

XxXxX

Harry was standing impatiently before the picture Raveana had first appeared in when the manor began to shake. His eyes widened as the portraits along the walls began to rattle, a fine tremble that threatened to send them crashing to the floor. Raising his hands to brace the landscape, he cried out as the painting came down suddenly, impaling itself on his upraised fingers. Grimacing, he shook the portrait off and winced as it clattered to the floor, torn edges waving with the faint wind rising through the corridor.

A dull crack had Harry slowly looking up, his emerald eyes taking in the long line creeping through the plaster of the ceiling. Small chips of white dust rained down on him, making him cough and sneeze as he stared in shocked awe at the lengthening crack. The creak and groan of weakening wood had him stumbling backwards in a vain attempt to escape the rain of mortar. With a grinding roar the first hunk of ceiling fell, crashing into the dark-wooded floor and sending a wave of white dust into the air.

"Merlin's Balls!" Harry yelped, wheeling around and dashing down the hall. He glanced over his shoulder and cried out as the white dust chased him, the cloud growing larger with every chunk of plaster that fell. The glimmer of metal had him sliding to a halt, nimble fingers yanking the door open as he lurched inside. Slamming the door closed, he stumbled backwards until he felt the firm touch of wood behind him. He slid to the floor and covered his head, shielding himself from the objects raining down from the closet's shelves. Seconds later, everything went still. Unfolding his arms, he peered into the gloom around him before drawing his wand and whispering Lumos.

The floor was covered in various objects that had slid off the narrow shelves. Allowing the tip of his wand to ghost over the mess, he stilled suddenly. He swallowed deeply as he extended a hand and closed it around the narrow piece of wood, pulling it closer for inspection. It was an arrow's shaft, the wood smooth and worn under his fingertips. The metal head was missing, replaced by a dark stain that crawled up the shaft. Rolling it slowly, he fumbled the wood when he found himself staring into the twinkling eyes of a white wolf. "Malfoy." He murmured, dropping the shaft into his lap. Shaking his head, he sent his fingers searching through the darkness, patting for anything else of interest.

The brush of soft leather had him arching an eyebrow and pulling the small book from the rubble. A single white lily had been painted upon the blue cloth, its green stem curving into a long leaf. Putting his wand between his teeth, he used both hands to pry the pages open, squinting to make out the scrawling script sliding across the parchment.

XxXxX

10th of June, 1569

It took many years and many deaths for the Dragon's Maw to finally arrive within my grasp. I shall not give the details or methods I used to acquire the instrument, only that I orchestrated a series of events worthy of the greatest dark wizard to bring it to me. If my family hadn't already distanced themselves from me, this would have been the final ingredient in the cauldron. He disapproves of course, yet at times, it was his wand that did the casting.