Title: Harry Potter and the City of Twilight
By Sarajane
Disclaimer: If you recognise it, it's more than likely that I don't own it. J.K. Rowling does. Plus all those others who also gain a prophet from Harry Potter. Poor kid. Does he get anything??? (Just kidding) This will have small references to Susan Coopers 'The Dark is Rising Sequence', and I don't own that either.
Chapter One: The Dream
"Where are you going?"
I stared blankly at the old woman who had asked the question. Her green, cat-like eyes looked deeply into my own. After a second, I averted my eyes to the ground. The ground. Dirt; I was standing on a dirt path. How did I get here? I was just at the Dursley's, and now I'm at the edge of a forest. Voldemort. This has to be Voldemort's work.
"Where are you going?" she repeated.
I looked up again at the old woman. Heavy black robes covered her frail body. Her silver hair swayed in the cool evening breeze.
"Where are you going?"
For the first time, I stopped and thought about the question she asked. Where was I going?
"I am.I'm going nowhere. In fact, I don't even know where I am," I replied.
"You were walking. You must have been going somewhere."
She had a point. Somewhere, deep in my subconscious, my mind knew where it was taking me.
"Come, come." The old woman gestured with her hands for me to follow as she started walking along the dirt path in the dark and deserted forest.
I followed her to a small hut made of mudstone. Inside was a room filled with brightly gleaming candles. A rustic table took its place in the centre of the room, with a large bookcase full with dusty spell books to its left.
"What is your name?" I ask, to break the formidable silence between us.
She smiled weakly and sat on a large oak chair near the fire. "Ceridwen is one of the names I am known to be, Harry."
"Ceridwen? Wait a minute, how did you know my name?"
"Sit down, my child," she said in a whisper. I did so without question. "If you don't know where you are going." the old woman began, "where do you want to go? What do you want to do? What is your hearts desire?"
For a long time, I sat and thought.
"I want to defeat Lord Voldemort. I want him gone so he won't torment anybody. I want this scare to stop burning. I want to be able to sleep at night without waking up from a nightmare. I want so many things. But they are all impossible. Aren't they?"
"Nothing's impossible." Silence. "She's waiting for you."
"Who?"
"The Lady. Yet again, she has many names." I stood from my chair and walked to the window. Night had fallen. I turned to see the old woman flicking through the pages of the huge leather spell book.
"Walk down the path, further into the forest and you will find your answers."
The forest was getting darker, and the trees seemed to tower over me with an eerieness that reminded me of the Dementors. This must be an ancient forest. The path narrows and I find a small clearing. The full moon is shining brightly, with its crystal glow illuminating the trees surrounding me. In the middle of the clearing is a stone alter, and upon that a silver chalice. Am I suppose to drink this? I lifted it up and looked into the water. I can see my eyes. Those emerald green eyes that have become so weary of life. I had never taken the time to look into my own eyes. I was always preoccupied looking at my 'famous' scar. The more I gazed at my eyes, the greener they became until they were gleaming brightly like lights.
"I heard you, before when you were at the old crones home."
Looking up I see a lady dressed in white, brilliant and stunning. Her face was a wonder, appearing as a maiden, mother and crone. The Goddess. She has been waiting for me?
"Can you help me?" I asked.
"Yes. And in return you can help me. Come to me, Harry. Go to the Palace of Twilight." She placed her hand upon my head, and when I looked up she was gone. The forest was gone. There were no trees, no moon, only darkness. But in the silence I hear her whisper.
"Wake up, Harry."
Knock, knock, knock!
"Wake up, boy! Do I need to come in there and pull you out by your hair?" Vernon Dursley yelled through a heavily locked door at his sleeping nephew. "Wake up and help your Aunt with breakfast. Now!"
Harry blinked a few times and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Then he remembered the dream. The Dream.
THUMP, THUMP, THUMP!
"Get up!"
"Alright, alright. I'm up," Harry said as he rolled onto the floor from his squeaky bed and landed with a thud. He took a deep breath. The air smelled like oak trees. Oak? Like in his dream. The forest had enormous oak trees. But that was just a dream, wasn't it? He had to tell someone. Sirius. He'd write and tell his godfather about his dream. Harry crawled to his desk and grabbed some parchment, dipped his quill in ink and began to write.
Dear Sirius,
Last night, I had to most weirdest dream. It felt so real. I think I dreamt about her. About the Goddess. But I'm not sure. She told me to go to her, to the Palace of Twilight. Is that really a place? Anyway, I hope you are fine. And say hello to Professor Lupin for me.
Thanks, Harry.
He folded his letter and opened Hedwigs cage.
"I need you to take this to Sirius. You know where he is. And you'll know where I'll be." And although it was broad daylight, he let Hedwig fly out his window and into the morning sky. For some reason, this felt too urgent to keep until night. He had to find the answers. The Dream was real. He just knew it.
The Dursley's were already half way through their breakfast when Harry came downstairs.
"You took your time," Aunt Petunia snapped. "Now, make your Uncle's tea before he has to leave for work."
"Yes Aunt Petunia."
Harry's cousin, Dudley, had already finished eating his breakfast, and was searching around the fridge for an after breakfast snack. Obviously, the diet he was on didn't work all too well. He was still wider than the refrigerator.
"And don't forget," grumbled his Uncle, "that your freaky friends are picking you up today at ten. You better be packed."
"I am." Harry passed the cup of tea to his Uncles, who snatched it away from him.
"You had better be."
This was how Harry was ordinarily treated at the Dursley's. Never a kind word. Never a smile. He couldn't wait until his best friend, Ron and his family came to take him away from all of this. At the Weasley's he was treated like one of the family. He got to sleep in, and his plate was always full of food. And he got to spend all of his time catching up on news of the Wizarding World. Ron and Harry would swap stories about their time apart, (though Harry's tales were always shorter than Ron's since nothing even remotely interesting ever happened at the Dursley's). Maybe he should tell Ron about his Dream. Ron would probably think he was going mad. After all, the Goddess was supposedly mythological. Or something along those lines. It was a Way of the Wizarding World that he had never really looked into. Most of the pureblooded families still honoured the Great Goddess. So Ron should know all about it. At least he hoped so. He wasn't about to ask Draco Malfoy about it, that's for sure.
Ten o'clock came and Aunt Petunia, Dudley and Harry (with his bags packed and ready to go) were standing by the electric heater. Last time the Weasley's had come to pick up Harry, they had to blow a hole in the wall because the fireplace had been blocked up to install the heater. So Harry's Aunt was already glaring at the wall, prepared to give the Weasleys a good lecture. Travelling by floo was not Harry's favourite way to get places. But the Weasley's insist that it's fast and cheap.
Ten o'clock went just as slowly as it came and there was no sign of the Weasleys. Where could they be? Perhaps there was some sort of traffic jam in the floo network? But Harry was startled when he heard a sudden knock at the front door. That was odd. That couldn't possibly be the Weasley's. But before Harry could check, his Aunt had raced to the door, opened it and gasped. It was the Weasley's alright. Ron answered the door, and he was dressed in Muggle clothing. Well, at least it would have been Muggle about fifty years ago. Ron had a huge smile on his face.
"Hello Harry. Ready to go? Dad got his hands on a new car and we drove it all the way here. Got some real funny stares from people, we did. Some man in a white car with blue flashing lights tried to knock us off the road, but Fred and George just threw a dungbomb at him. Madness!"
With that, Aunt Petunia threw Harry's bags out the doorway with a huff, and slammed the door behind her.
"Not going to say goodbye, huh?"
Harry sighed. "They never do."
"Come on. Just wait till you get to my house. The whole family is there. Even Bill and Charlie. And Fleur. Can you believe it? Oh, and Hermione is there too."
"Fleur? What is she doing there? Wasn't she going back to France?" Harry was slightly puzzled.
"Yeah, before she fell 'madly in love' with Charlie. Mum thinks it's cute." Ron rolled his eyes, and helped Harry put his trunk into the boot of the new car. "Hop in!"
As Harry climbed in, he was surprised to see that the car was bigger on the inside than it was on the outside. "Wow," was about all he could think of saying.
"Wow indeed, isn't it Harry," Mr. Weasley said, looking over his shoulder from the drivers seat. "What a magnificent creation."
"You can say that again." The new car was so roomy, that Harry could have put his trunk in the car with his and Ron and still have room for the rest of the Weasley family; Percy, Bill and Charlie and of course Ginny and their mother. As Ron climbed in the car, Harry noticed a slightly perplexed look on his face.
"Harry, where's Hedwig? Her cage is here, but she's not. Did you send her away with a letter?"
"Yes I did, but she'll find me."
Ron's eyes widened with excitement. "Who was the letter to?" He looked around then whispered, "Snuffles?"
Harry smiled. "Yes, but I'll tell you about it later."
"Harry, what's wrong? You haven't really been yourself. Is everything Ok?"
Was everything Ok? Even Harry wasn't sure. The Dream was still so baffling.
"Yeah. Everything's fine." But even Ron knew Harry was lying.
Please review.
By Sarajane
Disclaimer: If you recognise it, it's more than likely that I don't own it. J.K. Rowling does. Plus all those others who also gain a prophet from Harry Potter. Poor kid. Does he get anything??? (Just kidding) This will have small references to Susan Coopers 'The Dark is Rising Sequence', and I don't own that either.
Chapter One: The Dream
"Where are you going?"
I stared blankly at the old woman who had asked the question. Her green, cat-like eyes looked deeply into my own. After a second, I averted my eyes to the ground. The ground. Dirt; I was standing on a dirt path. How did I get here? I was just at the Dursley's, and now I'm at the edge of a forest. Voldemort. This has to be Voldemort's work.
"Where are you going?" she repeated.
I looked up again at the old woman. Heavy black robes covered her frail body. Her silver hair swayed in the cool evening breeze.
"Where are you going?"
For the first time, I stopped and thought about the question she asked. Where was I going?
"I am.I'm going nowhere. In fact, I don't even know where I am," I replied.
"You were walking. You must have been going somewhere."
She had a point. Somewhere, deep in my subconscious, my mind knew where it was taking me.
"Come, come." The old woman gestured with her hands for me to follow as she started walking along the dirt path in the dark and deserted forest.
I followed her to a small hut made of mudstone. Inside was a room filled with brightly gleaming candles. A rustic table took its place in the centre of the room, with a large bookcase full with dusty spell books to its left.
"What is your name?" I ask, to break the formidable silence between us.
She smiled weakly and sat on a large oak chair near the fire. "Ceridwen is one of the names I am known to be, Harry."
"Ceridwen? Wait a minute, how did you know my name?"
"Sit down, my child," she said in a whisper. I did so without question. "If you don't know where you are going." the old woman began, "where do you want to go? What do you want to do? What is your hearts desire?"
For a long time, I sat and thought.
"I want to defeat Lord Voldemort. I want him gone so he won't torment anybody. I want this scare to stop burning. I want to be able to sleep at night without waking up from a nightmare. I want so many things. But they are all impossible. Aren't they?"
"Nothing's impossible." Silence. "She's waiting for you."
"Who?"
"The Lady. Yet again, she has many names." I stood from my chair and walked to the window. Night had fallen. I turned to see the old woman flicking through the pages of the huge leather spell book.
"Walk down the path, further into the forest and you will find your answers."
The forest was getting darker, and the trees seemed to tower over me with an eerieness that reminded me of the Dementors. This must be an ancient forest. The path narrows and I find a small clearing. The full moon is shining brightly, with its crystal glow illuminating the trees surrounding me. In the middle of the clearing is a stone alter, and upon that a silver chalice. Am I suppose to drink this? I lifted it up and looked into the water. I can see my eyes. Those emerald green eyes that have become so weary of life. I had never taken the time to look into my own eyes. I was always preoccupied looking at my 'famous' scar. The more I gazed at my eyes, the greener they became until they were gleaming brightly like lights.
"I heard you, before when you were at the old crones home."
Looking up I see a lady dressed in white, brilliant and stunning. Her face was a wonder, appearing as a maiden, mother and crone. The Goddess. She has been waiting for me?
"Can you help me?" I asked.
"Yes. And in return you can help me. Come to me, Harry. Go to the Palace of Twilight." She placed her hand upon my head, and when I looked up she was gone. The forest was gone. There were no trees, no moon, only darkness. But in the silence I hear her whisper.
"Wake up, Harry."
Knock, knock, knock!
"Wake up, boy! Do I need to come in there and pull you out by your hair?" Vernon Dursley yelled through a heavily locked door at his sleeping nephew. "Wake up and help your Aunt with breakfast. Now!"
Harry blinked a few times and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Then he remembered the dream. The Dream.
THUMP, THUMP, THUMP!
"Get up!"
"Alright, alright. I'm up," Harry said as he rolled onto the floor from his squeaky bed and landed with a thud. He took a deep breath. The air smelled like oak trees. Oak? Like in his dream. The forest had enormous oak trees. But that was just a dream, wasn't it? He had to tell someone. Sirius. He'd write and tell his godfather about his dream. Harry crawled to his desk and grabbed some parchment, dipped his quill in ink and began to write.
Dear Sirius,
Last night, I had to most weirdest dream. It felt so real. I think I dreamt about her. About the Goddess. But I'm not sure. She told me to go to her, to the Palace of Twilight. Is that really a place? Anyway, I hope you are fine. And say hello to Professor Lupin for me.
Thanks, Harry.
He folded his letter and opened Hedwigs cage.
"I need you to take this to Sirius. You know where he is. And you'll know where I'll be." And although it was broad daylight, he let Hedwig fly out his window and into the morning sky. For some reason, this felt too urgent to keep until night. He had to find the answers. The Dream was real. He just knew it.
The Dursley's were already half way through their breakfast when Harry came downstairs.
"You took your time," Aunt Petunia snapped. "Now, make your Uncle's tea before he has to leave for work."
"Yes Aunt Petunia."
Harry's cousin, Dudley, had already finished eating his breakfast, and was searching around the fridge for an after breakfast snack. Obviously, the diet he was on didn't work all too well. He was still wider than the refrigerator.
"And don't forget," grumbled his Uncle, "that your freaky friends are picking you up today at ten. You better be packed."
"I am." Harry passed the cup of tea to his Uncles, who snatched it away from him.
"You had better be."
This was how Harry was ordinarily treated at the Dursley's. Never a kind word. Never a smile. He couldn't wait until his best friend, Ron and his family came to take him away from all of this. At the Weasley's he was treated like one of the family. He got to sleep in, and his plate was always full of food. And he got to spend all of his time catching up on news of the Wizarding World. Ron and Harry would swap stories about their time apart, (though Harry's tales were always shorter than Ron's since nothing even remotely interesting ever happened at the Dursley's). Maybe he should tell Ron about his Dream. Ron would probably think he was going mad. After all, the Goddess was supposedly mythological. Or something along those lines. It was a Way of the Wizarding World that he had never really looked into. Most of the pureblooded families still honoured the Great Goddess. So Ron should know all about it. At least he hoped so. He wasn't about to ask Draco Malfoy about it, that's for sure.
Ten o'clock came and Aunt Petunia, Dudley and Harry (with his bags packed and ready to go) were standing by the electric heater. Last time the Weasley's had come to pick up Harry, they had to blow a hole in the wall because the fireplace had been blocked up to install the heater. So Harry's Aunt was already glaring at the wall, prepared to give the Weasleys a good lecture. Travelling by floo was not Harry's favourite way to get places. But the Weasley's insist that it's fast and cheap.
Ten o'clock went just as slowly as it came and there was no sign of the Weasleys. Where could they be? Perhaps there was some sort of traffic jam in the floo network? But Harry was startled when he heard a sudden knock at the front door. That was odd. That couldn't possibly be the Weasley's. But before Harry could check, his Aunt had raced to the door, opened it and gasped. It was the Weasley's alright. Ron answered the door, and he was dressed in Muggle clothing. Well, at least it would have been Muggle about fifty years ago. Ron had a huge smile on his face.
"Hello Harry. Ready to go? Dad got his hands on a new car and we drove it all the way here. Got some real funny stares from people, we did. Some man in a white car with blue flashing lights tried to knock us off the road, but Fred and George just threw a dungbomb at him. Madness!"
With that, Aunt Petunia threw Harry's bags out the doorway with a huff, and slammed the door behind her.
"Not going to say goodbye, huh?"
Harry sighed. "They never do."
"Come on. Just wait till you get to my house. The whole family is there. Even Bill and Charlie. And Fleur. Can you believe it? Oh, and Hermione is there too."
"Fleur? What is she doing there? Wasn't she going back to France?" Harry was slightly puzzled.
"Yeah, before she fell 'madly in love' with Charlie. Mum thinks it's cute." Ron rolled his eyes, and helped Harry put his trunk into the boot of the new car. "Hop in!"
As Harry climbed in, he was surprised to see that the car was bigger on the inside than it was on the outside. "Wow," was about all he could think of saying.
"Wow indeed, isn't it Harry," Mr. Weasley said, looking over his shoulder from the drivers seat. "What a magnificent creation."
"You can say that again." The new car was so roomy, that Harry could have put his trunk in the car with his and Ron and still have room for the rest of the Weasley family; Percy, Bill and Charlie and of course Ginny and their mother. As Ron climbed in the car, Harry noticed a slightly perplexed look on his face.
"Harry, where's Hedwig? Her cage is here, but she's not. Did you send her away with a letter?"
"Yes I did, but she'll find me."
Ron's eyes widened with excitement. "Who was the letter to?" He looked around then whispered, "Snuffles?"
Harry smiled. "Yes, but I'll tell you about it later."
"Harry, what's wrong? You haven't really been yourself. Is everything Ok?"
Was everything Ok? Even Harry wasn't sure. The Dream was still so baffling.
"Yeah. Everything's fine." But even Ron knew Harry was lying.
Please review.