Life at the Burrow was full of warmth and hustle.
Every morning, Harry and Rove were woken by the screams of gnomes in the garden—though, ever since Rove demonstrated his "Art of Gnome Bondage," those little creatures gave him a wide berth.
Harry was having a great time here; it was arguably the happiest he had been since he was old enough to remember.
Except for Ron's sister, Ginny, who was a bit strange.
Every time Ginny saw Harry, she would knock things over like a startled deer, then run away with a face as red as a tomato.
"What's wrong with her?" Rove watched Ginny's retreating back as she panicked and ran upstairs, asking thoughtfully, "Looks like she's under some kind of... Silence Curse?"
"No, she's just shy," Ron mumbled through a mouthful of grilled sausage. "She's been talking about Harry since last year."
"Oh, an admirer." Rove nodded, silently tagging Ginny in his mind: [Potential Fellowship Cheerleader].
Then, one morning, the owls brought the Hogwarts acceptance letters.
"It says term starts on September 1st; we still have a week." Ron waved the letter excitedly. "Awesome! We can go to Diagon Alley! We need to buy new books! Heard the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor this year is a big celebrity; the book list is a mile long with just his books!"
"Hope he isn't some bard who only knows how to write books but not swing a sword," Rove muttered.
"Hurry up and eat, children!" Mrs. Weasley urged. "We must get everything today, especially for Ginny; it's her first year."
---
After breakfast, everyone gathered in front of the fireplace. Mrs. Weasley brought out a flowerpot filled with glittering powder.
"We'll go by Floo Powder," Mrs. Weasley explained. "It's very fast."
"Honestly, I'd rather fly on a Great Eagle than crawl into this fireplace."
Rove stood before the Burrow's fireplace, looking at the pot of shimmering Floo Powder with resistance written all over his face.
> [Spatial Teleportation Node Detected]
> [Type: Dark Rift]
> [Survival Rate Judgment: 85% (As long as you don't mispronounce the spell)]
"Don't be silly, Rove." Mrs. Weasley held the flowerpot out to him. "It's very safe. Just speak clearly. Look, Harry goes first."
Harry was clearly nervous too. He grabbed a pinch of powder, stepped into the fireplace, and took a deep breath.
"Diagon Alley!"
Perhaps choking on the ash, his pronunciation slurred, sounding like "Diagonally..." Then a burst of green flame swallowed him.
"He said it wrong!" Rove's pupils constricted sharply. "He's veered off course!"
> [Warning: Ring-bearer lost in the Void!]
> [Tracking Location... Coordinates: Unknown Dark Realm]
"Damn it!"
Rove didn't hesitate. He grabbed a handful of Floo Powder. As a member of the Fellowship, he couldn't let the Ring-bearer fall into darkness alone.
"I'm going too!"
He jumped into the fireplace. Before the dizzying spin hit him, he stared in the direction Harry had vanished and roared:
"Follow him!"
Green flames shot up. Rove felt like he was stuffed into a washing machine on spin cycle, countless fireplace openings flashing past his eyes like a slide show.
Then, a violent sensation of falling.
Thump!
Rove slammed heavily onto a stone floor.
He quickly rolled to his feet, back against the wall, assuming a defensive stance.
The surroundings were dim; he couldn't see clearly.
> [Current Area: Depths of Moria / Knockturn Alley]
> [Environmental Debuff: Darkness Suppression (Vision Range -50%)]
> [Threat Level: Orange]
"Harry?" Rove called out in a low voice.
No answer. But his keen hearing caught a faint, rapid breathing sound.
It was coming from inside a large black cabinet to his front left.
Rove immediately stealth-walked along the wall and tapped gently on the cabinet door.
"Harry?"
The cabinet door jerked open a crack, revealing Harry's terrified eyes and dust-streaked face.
"Rove!" Harry whispered, looking ready to cry. "This place isn't right... look outside..."
Rove carefully examined the surroundings. It was a sinister, creepy shop. Glass cases displayed shrunken heads, mounted black spiders, and various glowing bones.
"Borgin and Burkes..." Rove recognized the place.
"Shh!" Harry suddenly grabbed Rove's arm, pulled him inside, and shut the cabinet door.
"Someone's coming!"
The chime above the door rang.
A man with pale blond hair and a cold face walked in. He wore a black velvet cloak and carried a snake-headed cane.
> [Elite Unit Encounter!]
> [True Name: Lucius Malfoy]
> [Danger Level: High]
Rove's pupils contracted. In the narrow cabinet, the two were squeezed together, having to breathe with extreme caution.
"Don't make a sound," Rove whispered in Harry's ear. "That's Lucius Malfoy. Saruman's high-ranking general."
Through the crack, they saw Lucius trading some contraband with the hunched shop owner, Borgin. Draco Malfoy was there too, touching things randomly around the shop.
"Touch nothing, Draco," Lucius said coldly. "These artifacts are dangerous."
Rove gripped his wand tightly, his whole body tense.
Fortunately, the Malfoys and the shop owner didn't notice anything amiss in the cabinet. After the transaction was complete, they left.
Only when the door chime rang again, confirming they were far gone, did Rove carefully push open the cabinet door.
"Move, Harry." Rove pulled Harry up. "This is Knockturn Alley, the lawless zone of Middle-earth. We have to break out before the Orcs surround us."
Harry clutched Rove's arm. "This place is terrifying!"
"Don't panic, Ring-bearer." Rove put away his wand, scanning the area. "We are crossing enemy-occupied territory. Keep quiet."
They stealthily speed-walked out of the shop and onto the street of Knockturn Alley.
It was even worse out here than inside. Ragged witches whispered in the shadows.
"Want some fingernails, dearie?" An old hag suddenly leaned in.
Harry shrank back in fear.
"Back off, Ghoul!" Rove suddenly stepped forward, raising his frying pan high. "Or I'll use your skull as a bowl!"
The old hag paused, evidently never having seen such an aggressive young wizard, and retreated into the shadows muttering curses.
"Good job, Rove," Harry panted.
Suddenly, a massive shadow fell over them.
"Harry? Rove? What are you doin' down here?"
Rove jerked his head up.
> [Powerful Ally Encountered!]
> [True Name: Rubeus Hagrid]
> [Race: Half-Giant / Skin-changer (Beorn)]
> [Status: Guardian of Nature]
Hagrid's massive frame looked like a moving mountain in the narrow street of Knockturn Alley.
"Hagrid!" Harry cried in surprise. "We got lost... Floo Powder..."
"You shouldn't be here, Harry." Hagrid frowned, pulling Harry out of the shadows. "This place is full of Dark Magic and..."
"Full of the stench of Orcs," Rove interrupted him, nodding at Hagrid. "You've arrived just in time, Lord Beorn. We need an escort."
"Oh, Rove, you're calling me that again." Hagrid scratched his bushy beard. Though he muttered, his cheeks flushed slightly under the messy hair; clearly, he was used to and enjoyed Rove's persistence over the past year. "Alright, though I'm not as great as you say, as long as I'm here, no one can touch you."
"Humility is the virtue of the strong," Rove said solemnly. "In this place filled with the scent of corruption, only your strength can disperse the gloom."
Hagrid smiled sheepishly and patted Rove's shoulder with a hand the size of a dustbin lid. Rove braced himself—what strength!
"Right, you two better come with me, quick," Hagrid shielded them behind him like chicks. "This is no place for students."
Under Hagrid's escort, the prying gazes in the shadows retreated one by one.
Rove and Harry followed closely behind Hagrid.
> [Achievement Acquired: Crossing Moria]
> [Reward: Darkvision Lv1 (Vision +10% in dark environments)]
When sunlight hit their faces again and they saw the snow-white marble of Gringotts, Harry let out a long breath.
"We're back."
"Yes." Rove narrowed his eyes, looking at the bustling Diagon Alley. "We walked out of the Dark Rift alive."
"Harry! Rove!"
In the distance, Mrs. Weasley was running anxiously toward them.
"Oh, thank heavens! Where did you go? We were worried sick!" She hugged Harry, then checked Rove to make sure they hadn't lost any limbs.
"It's fine, Ma'am." Rove dusted off his robes. "Just went on a little reconnaissance mission."
"Oh, look, Ron and Hermione are there too!" Harry pointed to the white steps of Gringotts.
Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley were standing there. Seeing them safe and sound, Ron immediately rushed over.
"I told them we should go look for you!" Ron panted, looking disgruntled. "But Mum made me and Hermione stay here and not move! She said we'd get separated in the crowd!"
"Goodness, what happened to you two?" Hermione ran over too, covering her mouth in surprise at their disheveled state. "And Rove, why are your clothes so dirty?"
"Ran into a little trouble, but it's all handled."
"Alright, since everyone is here," Mrs. Weasley wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, regaining her energy. "We must hurry. There are still many things on your book list to buy, especially Gilderoy Lockhart's new books."
"Flourish and Blotts is just ahead," Ron pointed to the crowded throng. "Heard Lockhart himself is signing books there today!"
Rove looked in that direction, his gaze sharpening slightly.
> [Mission Update: To the Hall of Knowledge (Flourish and Blotts)]
> [Warning: High-Energy Charm Field Detected (Lockhart)]
"Let's go," Rove took a deep breath. "Let's go meet this Bard."