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Shadow of the Serpent | ||||||
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Category: Post-OotP Characters:Harry/Ginny Genres: Action/Adventure Warnings: Death, Extreme Language, Violence Story is Complete Rating: PG-13 Reviews: 537 Summary: **June Dumbledore Silver Trinket Award Winner for Best Angst, and May winner for Best Author** Harry is whisked away to an ancient island to be trained in Occlumency. What he finds is another complication to add to his already complicated life. Will friendship, love, loyalty, bravery, and honor be enough to save him from the Shadow of the Serpent that haunts his life? H/G angst/action adventure. Hitcount: Story Total: 152121; Chapter Total: 5929 Awards: View Trophy Room |
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Disclaimer: The characters and situations of Harry Potter depicted in this story are the legal property of J.K. Rowling, Bloomsbury, and AOL Time Warner, and have been used without permission. No copyright infringement is intended. No profit is being made off this story. It is for entertainment purposes only. “The Serpent Strikes” Harry’s first night back in Gryffindor Tower didn’t go at all as he thought it would. After a promising start, he had happily climbed the stairs with Ron and made himself ready for bed, joking with the guys. The moon was just reaching its full apex, however, when he realised that sleep would not claim him as easily as his dorm mates. Grumpily, he punched his pillow, angry that he was the only one in the room not able to find sleep. Lying in the dark, he listened to the night noises all around him and tried to identify what, exactly, was bothering him. The feeling of unease hadn’t been present earlier, and it wasn’t until he had lain down in his bed that the feeling had first made itself known. He had a funny feeling in the pit of his stomach. Something wasn’t right… or rather, something was off — but what was it? A soft hissing sound suddenly permeated the other sounds of the night, and Harry sat bolt upright knowing exactly what was bothering him. Macoa — he was sensing Macoa. He fumbled for his wand on the bedside table and gripped it tightly, his every nerve ending on full alert. “Show yourself,” he hissed softly in Parseltongue, a harsh edge to his voice. His eyes sought to make out the once familiar form of his friend, darting to and fro over the silent room. For once, not even Ron was snoring; all of his roommates seemed to be in a deep and peaceful sleep, almost as if it was enchanted. His heart beat faster at the thought. “I will show mysself, Princce,” a familiar voice near the foot of his bed answered, “oncce you put your sstick of power away.” “Why should I?” Harry shot back angrily, trying to keep his voice low. He did not make a move to comply, but instead gripped his wand even tighter. “I’ve been told things…” he said faltering slightly. “…things that make me think you might not be trustworthy. Tell me, Macoa. Why should I trust you?” The form of the snake shimmered and then became visible, wrapped tightly around one of the bedposts. Her green eyes glowed in the dark, casting an eerie light out into the darkness. Harry realised suddenly that she had made herself invisible and wondered if she had been doing that trick all along. He had always thought it strange that Stephen, who was deathly afraid of snakes, hadn’t reacted to him carrying Macoa around his neck for the latter part of last summer. In fact, he could recall only a few times when he had seemed to acknowledge that he had seen her, even when she is in plain sight. “You should trusst me becausse I am your friend and protector, Harry Potter,” she answered. “I am your faithful sservent. Anyone who ssays different iss a liar.” “Then where have you been all year?” he asked suspiciously, still not lowering his wand. “When you where taken by the Shadow, I found mysself in a dire ssituation,” Macoa explained, uncoiling herself from the bedpost and coming closer, ignoring Harry’s wand and stiff posture. “I told you oncce that I could adapt to any environment, sso long as you were with me. When you were taken, I wass ssuddenly overcome by the cold, and I found mysself sseeking a ssafe and warm placce to ssleep through the winter. I have only jusst found mysself awake, and wass out sseeking food when I ssensed your magical vibrationss and came to find you.” “So, you were in hibernation this whole time?” Harry asked in disbelief. “If that’s true, then why did Malfoy say that you were behind the plot to get me captured?” “Who iss thiss Malfoy?” Macoa asked curiously. “Iss he a friend?” Harry lowered his wand but did not loosen his grip or attempt to put it down. “No, he’s not a friend.” “Doess this human have a reputation for sspeaking the truth?” Harry almost laughed at that, relaxing slightly. “No.” “If he iss not a friend and he iss not a truthful human, then why would you believe anything he hass to ssay?” Macoa asked reasonably. “What about your egg?” Harry asked, suddenly remembering the other reason he had suspected Macoa of betrayal. Harry tightened his grip again on his wand, determined to not let her hypnotize him and fill his head with lies. “You gave it to your Princesss, did you not?” she said calmly. Harry could sense no signs of animosity coming from the snake, but her words angered him. “I bloody well did!” he whispered fiercely. “Only now she can’t remember anything about it. It’s like it never existed.” Unexpectedly, Macoa seemed to get upset by this statement. “Tell me what happened, Princce… quickly,” she said with an almost sad tone to her imploring voice. “Wass she in danger at ssome point ssoon after I gave you the egg?” “Yes,” Harry said slowly. “It was the night I disappeared, I think. I was attacked near my home in Surrey. I was alone and I used the link to have Ginny get help, only she couldn’t get the gargoyle to move so she told me she was going to find Snape. I blacked out after that, but later they tricked me into thinking that she was dead and Snape…” His eyes widened. “…Snape was there! He was in the cave where I was being held. I don’t know why I forgot all about that, but he was there.” “Iss this Ssnape a trustworthy human?” Mocoa asked. That was a good question — one that Harry didn’t know the answer to, unfortunately. “I-I don’t know.” “Could your Princesss have been in mortal peril if she had come into contact with this Ssnape?” “Maybe,” Harry answered truthfully. “I don’t know. Dumbledore trusts him, but I never have.” “Doess your Princesss remember anything elsse?” she asked. “Ginny said she doesn’t remember much from that night. All I know is that she told me she was going to look for Snape, then later McGonagall found her almost passed out in front of the statue. She was practically hysterical for days, I’m told. She doesn’t remember anything, even though it was probably several hours and she has no memory of the egg. Tell me what you know, Macoa,” he demanded. “The egg was part of me… an extenssion of my protection,” she told him in a serious voice. “ This ssummer when I ssaw the attachment between you and your human, I knew that she wass the Key and had a great desstiny to fulfil. You were very worried about her, sso I performed a bit of complicated magic and made an offsspring — a way to extend the protection I was ssent to give you and include your Bond Mate. In doing thiss, I lesssened the protection around you, My Princce, and for that I am very ssorry. However, I ssensed that her ssafety would bring you great relief. Wass I wrong?” “Ginny’s safety is one of my top priorities,” Harry admitted. “So… if the egg was protecting her, why doesn’t she remember it? …And why doesn’t she still have it?” Harry’s eyes narrowed. “For that matter, why did I feel so funny when I had it, and why did I blab all that stuff to my friends?” “The egg wass almosst ripe when I gave it to you to give to her. I am not ccertain what ‘blab’ meanss, but the egg wass not attuned to your magic. I had made it sspecifically for your Ginny, and it was meant to be carried by her until it hatched. By carrying it, you may have gotten a bit…” “Loopy?” Harry suggested, thinking back at how drunk he had felt. “Happier than ussual,” Macoa agreed. “Like a man who hass had too much to drink. It might have loossened your tongue a bit — ssomething I should have warned you about. The only thing that could interrupt the hatching wass if your lady wass in mortal peril. In that casse, the protection sspell would override the hatching to keep her from harm. If thiss happened, she would have been marked by the magic and it could have affected her memory. Unfortunately, it would have destroyed the egg and the being inside it,” she said sadly. “What do you mean by marked?” Harry asked. “She would have the image of the hatchling embedded ssomewhere on her body, although it may not be visible,” Macoa explained. “My kind have a talent for remaining unsseen unlesss we want to be sseen. The day I gave you the egg, for insstancce, your dorm mate — the dark sskinned one — wass ssneaking around your belongingss looking for cluess that you and your human were more than friends. I made mysself appear in order to sscare him away. If the egg wass forcced to hatch early, she would have the image on her sskin, but it might not be evident to her or anyone elsse unlesss they knew what to look for.” “How can I tell if it’s there?” Harry asked. “Conccentrate on her armss and legss — the mosst obviouss placces first. If the hatchling wass sstrong it would have encircled a part of her for greater protection. You will have to tune in to the magic ssurrounding her ussing your ssensing abilitiess. If there sseemss to be a greater amount of magic coming from a ccertain area, it iss the hatchling and you will be able to ssee it. The magic will be green, like a ccircle.” “Okay,” Harry said finally, “I have one last question. Say I believe you and I come to the conclusion that you weren’t trying to harm me or Ginny. How do you explain why my magic was weaker since I came to Hogwarts. And why do I get the feeling you were hypnotizing me?” Macoa seemed surprised by this question. “You were making yoursself weaker on purposse, Princce, by binding your magic. Do you not remember?” “Binding my magic?” Harry repeated, perplexed. …However, it did seem vaguely familiar. “Why would I want to do that?” “We were doing thiss as part of your training,” Macoa explained. “At night, we were visiting the Ancient Oness and learning wayss to defeat the Dark One by binding magic. Even if Tezcatlipoca iss killed, hiss magic will not die and it will become part of the Darknesss that even now iss ssqueezing this land. By binding his magic, he can be killed… but his magic will not be accesssible to the evil forcess who would only give it to another. You were practiccing this sspell on yourself, binding your own magic a little bit at a time. Ssince you are very powerful, we reassoned that it would not harm you, and it could be reverssed once you had learned the sspell.” Harry suddenly understood, feeling like his eyes were opened wide for the first time. “I remember now,” he said excitedly. “I remember practicing that spell. It took a long time to get it right, and I was only beginning to master it when I was abducted. That’s why I wasn’t able to sense the attack. Normally, I would have felt the presence of that much Dark Magic around me long before they had a chance to ambush me. And I probably could have put up a much better fight, too.” “Yess,” Macoa agreed. “We knew we were taking a chancce by doing it that way, but there really wass no other option. You refussed to casst the sspell on me for fear that you might hurt me and insstead chosse to do it on yoursself.” “If this is true — and I’m still not entirely convinced that it is — then how did Malfoy know about you?” Harry mused out loud. “Perhapss he overheard one of your friendss or dorm matess sspeaking of me,” Macoa suggested. “I did frighten the dark sskinned one very badly, I think.” Harry nodded. “I’ll ask Ron tomorrow. Maybe he’ll know.” “In the meantime, I wish to welcome you back, Princce,” Macoa said. “I was very conccerned for your ssafety. The prophecy ssaid that you would fall prey to the Shadow, but I had hoped it could be avoided.” “Yeah,” Harry agreed, suddenly feeling sleepy. He yawned. “M-me, too.” He felt his head sink into the pillow and his wand slip from his fingers. “Macoa…” he said sleepily. “Yess, Princce?” “Don’t kill me in my sleep, okay?” “No, my Princce. I mosst ccertainly will not.” “Thanks,” he said just before he drifted off into nothingness. *** Harry was glad to find himself alive and unharmed in the morning. He supposed that added credence to Macoa’s explanation. After all, if she had wanted to harm him she could have easily done it during the night. In fact, when he woke up she was curled around his arm with her head resting on his chest. Luckily, he wasn’t one to move about in his sleep otherwise she might have been crushed. He found her presence strangely comforting; it was the first night in a week that he hadn’t woken up with Ginny next to him and it made him feel less alone — even if he wasn’t certain yet where Macoa’s loyalties lay. Vowing not to let the snake out of his sight until he had checked out her story, Harry dressed quickly in the empty dorm room then asked her if she minded if he carried her around that day. Macoa agreed without hesitation. She was too big to stay under his robes — and people might notice the lump moving anyway and question him about it anyway — but she could be carried on his neck. It turned out the she did have the ability to remain invisible unless she wanted to be seen, so this was not a problem. Besides, there was only a few more days left of the term. Everyone else had finished their exams and was just waiting for the final results to be posted. The final Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff had already been played a week and a half ago, with Gryffindor once again taking the Cup. Ron had done an excellent job of captain despite all the pressure he’d been under since Harry’s abrupt disappearance. Harry had even managed to catch a bit of the match from under his invisibility cloak until the bright sun had started to make him nauseous. That had been soon after his release from the hospital wing and everything had still been… difficult. Nevertheless, it was nice to see his House win once again — and even better to see his best friend get some well-deserved acclaim. It was one of the few things Harry had to celebrate from this year. Making his way down to the common room, he was surprised to find it empty. A quick check of his watch told him the reason — everyone must be at breakfast. Confused as to why no one had woken him up, he made his way to the Great Hall. “Hey, sleepy head,” Ginny greeted him with a kiss, startling him as he slid into the seat beside her. Thankfully, he managed to move just the right way to avoid Ginny bumping into the invisible form of Macoa. “Ron asked me if he should wake you, but I told him to let you sleep. I know you’ve had precious little of it lately.” “Thanks,” he said gratefully. He shifted nervously as Macoa slithered down his arm and into his lap. “I did have a rather unusual night last night,” he practically squeaked. Ginny gave him an odd look. “What’s wrong?” she asked curiously. Harry looked over at Ron and Hermione who were also giving him odd looks, but he couldn’t help it. The active snake was making it difficult to act normally, especially where she was currently situated. “Nothing,” he lied, jerking again. “What makes you think something is wrong?” “Dunno, mate,” Ron answered. “Maybe it’s that twitchy thing you’re doing over there. I’ve never seen you looking so…” Ron gestured with his hands as if trying to think of the appropriate word to use. “…jumpy,” Hermione finished for him impatiently. “You’re practically bouncing out of your seat, Harry. What’s wrong?” Harry made a face and casually tried to adjust Macoa, who was winding around his leg now, into less distracting position. Giving up, he finally whispered, “Stop that and behave yourself,” in Parseltongue. “I thought we agreed you’d stay on my neck.” Ginny’s eyes widened as Macoa answered back, “But I’m hungry. I never did get to hunt my dinner lasst night, you might recall. I wass hoping to sspy a nicce mousse or rat under the table, or at the very leasst a few big sspiderss.” “What is she doing here?” Ginny asked, alarmed. “I thought-” “I’m not so sure anymore,” Harry said, cutting her off. “She found me last night and we had a long chat. I don’t think she meant to harm me, but I’m still trying to get to the bottom of it.” “Umm…” Ron said, confused. “What are we talking about? And why are you doing that hissing thing you do, Harry? It’s really creepy.” “He’s speaking Parseltongue, Ron,” Ginny snapped in a hushed whisper. Harry was thankful no one else was sitting near them today. “…And he’s talking to his snake, Macoa.” Hermione’s eyes widened in terror; Harry thought she was actually debating with herself if she should stay or run. “Is it here?” “Yes,” Harry said, reaching for the bacon. “You mean here in the castle… or here at the table?” Ron said, gulping. His face had turned very pale. “Here at the table,” Harry said calmly, spooning some jam on his toast. “Actually, she’s hungry and she’s looking for food.” He eyed his bacon critically. “Do you think I could get away with transfiguring one of these into a mouse?” Ron shuddered but Hermione looked thoughtful. “I suppose it wouldn’t be that difficult since it’s basically an animal to animal type of transfiguration. Academically speaking, it is possible, but-” “Good,” Harry said, cupping a piece in one hand and waving his other hand over it. Suddenly the bacon had become a tiny, wiggling white mouse. Harry suspended it by the tail in the general direction of where he supposed Macoa’s invisible head would be under the table. He could have sworn he heard Macoa give a squeal of delight just before she swallowed it whole. Harry was just grateful she hadn’t tried to take off a finger in her enthusiasm. Ginny, who could see and hear the whole thing, wrinkled her nose. “Not much for table manners, is she?” she quipped dryly. “Tell me again what she’s doing here. From what Malfoy said, she’s been working for the other side. ‘Never trust a snake — especially the magical ones,’ remember? And why is she invisible, anyway?” “She found me last night in my dorm room,” Harry explained. “Like I said… we had a nice long chat about everything and I think there’s a good possibility that Malfoy was lying. Macoa’s been in hibernation this whole time, so she couldn’t possibly have been working for Voldemort. Besides… if she had betrayed me, don’t you think Voldemort would have taunted me with that information? When I was… his prisoner…” Harry paused because it was still difficult to talk about, even with his friends. Ginny reached for his hand, sending him strength. “When I was with him,” Harry continued, “he liked to torment me with his plans. He told me he’d sent someone to kill Dumbledore. Later I found out it was Draco who was sent to do the job. If he succeeded, Voldemort was going to get Lucius out of Azkaban. But no one expected him to succeed. It was a bit of a joke, really… payback for Lucius getting himself captured. Voldemort wanted to punish Lucius and Narcissa by giving Draco such an impossible mission. If he doesn’t get the job done by the end of the school year, then Draco will be punished as well — most likely by Voldemort’s own hand. I don’t think he plans to kill him, but it won’t be pretty, either.” “Have you warned Dumbledore about this?” Hermione fretted. “He knows,” Harry said, remembering the conversation they’d had about it a few nights ago. “In fact, he’s known about Draco all year.” “Then why has he allowed him to stay here?” Ginny gasped. Harry shrugged. “I think he’d rather keep Draco close where he can keep an eye on him. If he kicked him out, who knows what Draco would do? I also think Dumbledore is still hoping he’ll change sides, but I’m not holding my breath on that one.” “But how did Draco know about Macoa?” Ginny asked. “He sounded really convincing — he even called her by her name.” “Maybe he overheard one of us talking about her,” Hermione suggested. Her eyes lit up. “Ginny… didn’t Dean corner you earlier this year ask you about Macoa, specifically?” “Yes, now that you mention it… he did,” Ginny admitted thoughtfully. “I had forgotten about that. I was in the library trying to study — it was before you disappeared, Harry. Dean thought Macoa had tried to attack him or something.” She furrowed her brow in concentration. “I told him that Macoa was a magical snake and that Harry trusted her, and I told him he was being ridiculous if he thought that Harry was Dark. He said that he knew Harry wasn’t Dark but he found it really odd that you’d been keeping a dangerous snake in your dorm since the beginning of the year without telling anyone. I begged him to drop it and leave it be — you were under enough pressure as it was and I didn’t think Dean’s paranoia would help your stress level.” “Wait…!” Ron interjected. “A few days after you disappeared Dean pulled me aside at the end of potions and asked me what I knew about your snake. I told him that you had found her on vacation and that she was someone you trusted… someone you confided in. He questioned me about that and I brushed him off. After all, you were gone and by then she’d disappeared, too. It didn’t matter to me how you’d managed to get captured, just that we find a way to get you back. He dropped it after that and never mentioned it again.” “I bet Malfoy overheard both your conversations,” Harry deduced. “That’s how he knew about Macoa. Maybe he was just trying to wind me up the other night in the corridor.” “It certainly sounds that way,” Hermione said shrewdly. “That would be just like Malfoy.” “But what about the other things?” Ginny asked pointedly. “Macoa had reasonable explanations for those, too,” Harry said, continuing to eat his breakfast. “I’ll fill you in on everything later. We never got to have that conversation last night, so I can tell you everything at once.” He was glad the others seemed to accept this — even Ginny. Looking around he noticed that Stephen wasn’t among the teachers at the staff table. “Has anyone seen Professor Hunter?” Ron shook his head. “Not since yesterday.” “I don’t think he’s back yet,” Hermione said, failing to hide her concern. “I hope he didn’t run into trouble.” “Me, too,” Harry agreed, feeling very uneasy. “I’m sure he’s all right,” Ginny reassured. “When you were gone he’d disappear for days, but he’d always come back.” “That was different,” Harry said, meeting her eye. “He was gathering information, trying to find me. Wherever he went this time didn’t have anything to do with me. I just wish he had said something before he disappeared.” Harry didn’t want to admit it, but he was worried about Stephen. They didn’t have the opportunity to discuss it anymore because at that moment the Great Hall was filled with the morning post owls swooping in to deliver the mail. To everyone’s surprise, an unfamiliar eagle owl plopped a medium sized box on the table in from of Ginny. “What’s this?” she said curiously. “I wasn’t expecting anything.” “Maybe Mum hired an owl to send you something,” Ron suggested, taking a large bite out of an apple. “That package looks heavy — I doubt Errol could have handled it without keeling over for good,” he added though a mouthful of fruit. “Don’t talk with your mouth full,” Hermione said automatically. “Who is it from, Ginny?” Ginny looked over the box. “Funny… there isn’t a note,” she said. Shrugging, she opened the flap. “Maybe it’s inside.” Something about this just didn’t make sense to Harry. First Stephen disappears, and now Ginny gets a strange box from a strange owl with no note attached. He was about to open his mouth to voice his concerns when he froze. Ginny was pulling an object from the box… an object that looked very familiar to Harry, while at the same time totally unfamiliar. He’d never seen it before in his life, but he knew it. It was a small statue of a coiled snake, its mouth open and ready to strike. But the strange thing about it was that it looked exactly like Macoa except for a strange symbol on its head. The green paint was chipping in places, but it was the same size and shape as his friend. The hairs on the back of Harry’s neck prickled in warning. It was definitely Mesoamerican, most likely Mixtec in origin. “Ginny, wait!” Harry shouted. “What-” Ginny started to say in surprise, but she didn’t get any further. Several things happened at once. Underneath the table Macoa let off a high-pitched hiss of warning just as the serpent statue sprayed Ginny with a fine green mist. A shield seemed to envelope her almost immediately absorbing most of the magical poison, but Ginny’s eyes rolled in the back of her head anyway and she would have dropped to the floor had Harry not caught her. Around him chaos was ensuing — Ron was yelling, Hermione was panicking, and students were screaming. Ginny was out cold. Harry patted her face trying to wake her, oblivious to everything going on around him. “Ginny! Wake up… please.” As Harry tried to rouse Ginny, McGonagall and several other teachers were by his side. “Mr. Potter, what is the meaning of this?” she asked in a shrill voice. “What is that thing? What happened here?” she asked, gesturing to the menacing-looking statue sitting ominously on the table and Ginny’s unconscious form. It had stopped emitting that awful green mist, but Harry’s anger got the better of him. He raised his wand to splinter it into a thousand pieces just as Dumbledore stepped up behind him. “Stop!” Dumbledore’s voice boomed just as Harry was about to form the words of the curse. He placed a withered hand on Harry’s shoulder. “I don’t think you want to do that.” He waved his own wand and the statue vanished. “We need it intact to find out what it is, and to try to determine who sent it.” Harry stared at the empty spot where the stone snake had once stood wishing he had a release for the rage boiling in his veins. In the dark recesses of his mind he thought he heard laughter, but he quickly shut it off behind his strongest Occlumency shield. Voldemort would get his full attention once he was sure that Ginny would be all right. Everyone was now gathered around the still form cradled in Harry’s arms. “She doesn’t look like she’s breathing, Albus,” McGonagall said in her most worried voice, her hand to her chest. Harry knew that whatever had happened to Ginny, she wasn’t dead. It felt more like she was in a deep, deep sleep. Using their link, he could feel her consciousness, just barely there, lying dormant — almost like she was in a coma. “She’s not dead,” Harry snapped, gripping her tighter. “Are you sure, Harry?” Dumbledore asked him with a hint of doubt edging his voice. “Positive,” Harry said with authority. “I can still sense her, but it’s like she’s asleep and I can’t rouse her.” “We should take her to Madame Pomfrey straight away, Albus,” McGonagall said gently. “The students…” “Move out of the way, Potter,” Snape’s silky voice insisted from somewhere behind him. “The staff can handle this.” Harry hadn’t even realised the Potions professor was there among the teachers, and it caused his anger to explode given everything he had remembered the night before about the cavern. He whipped around sharply and pointed his wand at Snape, keeping his other arm around Ginny protectively. “Lay one finger on her and you’ll wish you were dead.” The teachers and students around him — all but Snape and Dumbledore — murmured a collective gasp of shock and shrank back at Harry’s words. Snape just glared at him hatefully while Dumbledore looked perplexed. “You don’t want to do that,” Dumbledore said softly. “You need to get Ginny to the hospital wing.” Harry lowered his wand slowly but didn’t take his eyes off Snape. “Get him out of my sight, first. I want him far away from me, and even farther from Ginny.” “Harry,” Dumbledore said patiently, “Professor Snape is only-” “I saw him in the cavern, Professor,” Harry said hatefully. “He was there… he watched it all happen and he did nothing to help me. He’s Voldemort’s, whether you want to believe it or not. No one stops being a Death Eater. Trust me.” “I do trust you, Harry,” Dumbledore said evenly. “But in this case you are wrong. Come now… we’ll discuss this further in private as soon as we get Miss Weasley the medical attention that she needs. We are wasting precious time.” Harry looked down at Ginny — her head was still cradled in his lap and one of his arms rested protectively around her — and relented. “All right,” he said in a low voice. “But keep him away,” he gestured towards Snape, “or I’ll follow through on my threat. I swear it. That goes for Draco Malfoy, too.” “Can you manage her then, Harry?” Dumbledore asked. “Or do you require assistance?” Harry didn’t reply but stood, half levitating Ginny using his wandless magic and half carrying her firmly in his arms, and walked out of the Great Hall all the way up to the hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey was tending to a First-Year with the sniffles when the entourage burst through the door to the Hospital Wing, led by Harry carrying a lifeless Ginny. “What is the meaning of this, Potter?” she bellowed before catching sight of the Headmaster, a band of teachers, Ron, Hermione, and the unconscious girl. “Oh my!” she exclaimed, rushing over to him. “Albus, what’s happened? How did she get like this?” “That’s exactly what we intend to find out, Poppy,” Dumbledore told her grimly. “We need you to check her over. Harry seems to think she’s alive, although…” He exchanged worried looks with McGonagall and left the rest unsaid. “Set her on the bed, Potter,” Madame Pomfrey snapped, pointing to the nearest bed. Harry couldn’t help but see the irony that it was the very same one he had been led to not long ago — the one he had hidden under when Hermione brightened the room. “Gently, now.” Harry didn’t have to be told to be gentle. This was Ginny in his arms — the other half of his soul. Already he was feeling the effects of her absence. It was like a gaping hole inside his chest, but he held on to the certainty that she was not dead… merely in a type of enchanted sleep. Her soul was still in there, he could feel it He watched silently as Madame Pomfrey ran her wand up and down the length of Ginny’s body, frowning. She seemed to take extra time around Ginny’s head, muttering to herself and shaking her own head sadly. Finally she looked up with defeated eyes. “I’m sorry,” she said with a hitch in her voice. “There’s nothing to be done. She’s gone.” Harry furrowed his brow. “No,” he said insistently. “Look again. She not dead… I can still sense her. She’s in there.” Madame Pomfrey performed the same scan, this time taking even longer to come to the same conclusion. “I’m not getting any brain activity. All of her vital organs have shut down...” Anger and rage leapt once again to the surface and the window panes began to rattle. “I don’t care what your bloody diagnostic says! Ginny is not dead. She’s in there, I tell you. We have to do something to help her!” he raged. Everyone in the room looked at him warily as he paced the length of Ginny’s bed. The First-Year, who was standing frozen nearby, squeaked at a glance from Harry and ran out of the room. “I need to talk to Stephen,” he growled. “Why is that, Harry?” Dumbledore asked in an even voice. Harry knew the old wizard was just trying to distract him — to keep him calm by talking, but he didn’t care. “That statue was from the island,” he snapped furiously. “I recognize the design. I’m hoping that Stephen will know what it was and what we need to do to help her.” Madame Pomfrey looked up, surprised. “Statue? What’s this?” “My sister was delivered a package this morning,” Ron answered heavily, like he was fighting back his grief. “It was a sort of statue of a stone snake. It sprayed her with a kind of green mist…” Harry saw the scene in his mind’s eye… Ginny opening the package, looking at the snake, and then the mist and… something else. A shield. “Wait a minute,” he exclaimed loudly, causing the others to jump. He rushed back to Ginny’s side and began searching for something, using every sensing trick he’d picked up over the summer. Using his hands, he moved them around Ginny’s arms and legs in much the same way Madame Pomfrey had when she had been doing the diagnostic spell, searching for the ring of magic Macoa had told him about. Frustrated when he didn’t find anything, he refused to give up, continuing searching. When he got to Ginny’s abdomen, his hands suddenly felt hot — as if they were on fire. Not caring that he was in a room full of adults, including Ginny’s brother, he pulled her robes open and ripped her shirt, ignoring the gasps from the females present and the sharp protest from Ron. Harry almost laughed in relief. “There!” he cried. “Do you see it?” Everyone moved closer to examine Ginny’s stomach, looking at each other perplexed. It was obvious that they couldn’t see it. “What are we looking for, Harry?” Dumbledore asked patiently. “Macoa…” Harry muttered. “I need Macoa.” “I am here, Princce,” she hissed from the doorway. “You left me behind and I had to wait until the path cleared to avoid being trampled.” “Sorry,” he hissed back, feeling both guilty and relieved to see her. “I was a bit preoccupied at the time.” “What are you doing Potter?” McGonagall whispered loudly, her eyes wide. “Albus, the boy has surely gone barking mad! First assaulting poor Miss Weasley, now he’s hissing at the walls. You need to put a stop to this nonsense.” “Not yet, Minerva,” Dumbledore answered shrewdly. “I want to see where this is going.” “Are you still invisible?” Harry asked Macoa. “If you are, I need you to reveal yourself before I get thrown in St. Mungo’s wearing nothing but a straight jacket.” “Ccertainly…but what is a sstraight jacket?” “I’ll explain later,” Harry hissed sharply. “Just do it.” Without further debate, Macoa appeared as if out of thin air causing everyone to jump. “Oh my!” McGonagall exclaimed. “That’s a s-snake!” Madame Pomfrey screeched shrilly, pointing to Macoa who was making her way towards Harry. Everyone parted as if she was Moses and they were the Red Sea, giving her a wide berth. “Honesstly,” she snapped at Harry indignantly, obviously annoyed by the reaction. “I’ll never understand the prejudicess humanss have against my kind. We’re not all bad, you know.” “Try being a human who speaks your language,” Harry said dryly. “But never mind that. I need you to look at Ginny and tell me what you see.” Harry bent down and lifted her up so that she could get a better look. “It is the hatchling,” she said with a hint of sadness mixed with pride. “I cannot believe it! The hatchling musst have been very powerful, Princce, to have circled her waisst. It is protecting her sstill… even in the facce of the Cochicoatl.” “What is the Cochicoatl?” “The Ssnake of Deadly Ssleep,” Macoa answered. “It wass once ussed as a weapon on an ancient enemy and hass been passsed down through the people, ussed as a bargaining tool.” “What kind of bargaining tool?” Harry asked. “So I’m right… she’s not dead?” “The venom of the Cochicoatl causess the victim to sleep like the dead until the antidote is given,” Macoa explained. “If it is ussed on the loved one of an enemy, the victim iss held in the grassp of the one who sent it becausse the antidote can only be administered in one place on earth, and musst be given within sseven dayss or the victim passess from this realm forever.” Harry’s eye’s lit hopefully. “Where is this place?” “The Temple of the Ancient Oness, on the island of Tlilli Tlapalla.” It couldn’t be that simple. “And what is the antidote?” he asked in a tentative voice. Macoa looked at him directly, her jewel-like eyes boring into his. “The blood of the enemy.” A chill went down Harry’s spine. “What does that mean?” “It meanss that Tezcatlipoca has issued you a challenge. He iss holding your Princesss hostage and forccing you into a place where he knowss you must go to save her. Only your blood can ssave her now.” Harry placed Macoa around his neck and resumed his pacing, unaware of the others in the room staring at him as if transfixed, silently watching this exchange in horrified fascination. Once or twice one of them had tried to interrupt the exchange, but Dumbledore had silenced them all before anyone could utter a sound. “How much blood are we talking about?” he asked Macoa calmly. “I do not know. The antidote is written in the bookss guarded by the priestss of the island. The ansswer to that is on Tlilli Tlapalla.” “I’ll worry about that later,” Harry decided. “But what of your enemy, Tezcatlipoca, my Princce?” Macoa asked, concerned. “He will follow you, I’m ccertain.” “Voldemort doesn’t know how to get to the island,” Harry reasoned. “He may not even know anything about this. Maybe he just thought it was some kind of weapon or something… some Dark Artefact that he came across.” Harry’s eyes narrowed dangerously, a thought having sprung into his head. “I bet Stephen knows something about this. … Anyway, there’s no reason to think that I might be in danger. We’ll just have to be careful, that’s all.” “I hope you are right, Princce,” Macoa said doubtfully. “Right, then,” he mused out loud in his native tongue. “We really don’t have a choice, do we?” “Regarding what, Harry?” Dumbledore asked curiously. “Please… enlighten us. You and your friend seemed to be having quite the conversation.” “This isn’t over,” Harry stated in a strong, determined voice. “She isn’t dead — she’s in an enchanted sleep, and I know where to get the antidote. We have seven days to get it before this becomes permanent.” “Do not forget about the hatchling,” Macoa advised. “We do not know what effect that has had on the poison.” “Right,” Harry answered. “I don’t have time to explain, but there are some other factors to consider. Ginny is being protected magically. There is an invisible band circling her waist here that may have shielded some of the venom from the Cochicoatl — the thing that sprayed her. I need to find Stephen as soon as possible.” “Professor Hunter has not returned,” Dumbledore said with a grimace. “I had expected him back last night, but as of yet I have had no word.” As if on cue there was a tap at the window causing them all to startle. Harry looked over to see a Snowy Owl flapping its large wings to stay aloft, a letter clutched in its beak. At first he thought it was Hedwig, but as he moved to open the window he realized it was, in fact, Zeus — Stephen’s faithful owl. “What have you got there, old boy?” Harry crooned soothingly to the bird as it hopping inside. Macoa, still around Harry’s neck, hissed and recoiled at the proximity, then promptly turned invisible and slithered away. Zeus, however, seemed to have other things on his mind. He shoved the letter towards Harry insistently. He immediately recognized the writing. “It’s from Stephen,” he told the group. “What does it say?” Hermione asked, moving closer. Now that Macoa was once again invisible, she seemed to have lost some of her fear. Send help. Zeus knows where to go. SH “He’s in trouble,” Harry said. “I have to go help him.” “Harry,” Hermione said, grabbing his arm. “You can’t go rushing off. You have no idea what you’re walking into. It could be a trap, and we only just got you back.” “Ginny needs you, mate,” Ron added. “If you say she’s not dead, then I believe you. But if that’s the case, then we need you here to help her snap out of this.” “I am trying to help her,” Harry insisted. “But I can’t do it without Stephen.” He glanced at Zeus and then at the rest of them, finally locking eyes with Dumbledore. “I have to do this,” he told them. “Take care of her for me… I’ll be back soon.” “What are you going to do?” Hermione asked, then promptly screamed as her best friend changed on the spot into a brown Barn Owl and followed Zeus out the open window, soaring on powerful wings. “Blimey,” Ron breathed. Hermione turned to the shocked adults with wide eyes. “What just happened?” Unfortunately, she was met with confused silence. [A/N: Thanks, as always to my wonderful beta, Arnel, and my pre-beta, Melindaleo, as well as to everyone who has sent me encouraging words. I am trying to finish this story but real life continues to be a distraction. With my kids home from school, summer activities, a friend in the hospital, moving to a new house, and my beta work with Checkmated there’s been plenty to keep me away from writing. I’m getting there, though. The next chapter is well on its way and I hope to have it to you by next week. I know I promised action in this one, and there was to some degree, but more is coming. Wait for it… In the meantime, have a good week and hopefully I’ll see you next Friday.] |
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