Once more fredfred deserves huge thanks for betaing. His help has improved the story a lot.
Chapter 2: Jungle Shuffle
'For a civilisation as famous as Atlantis, surprisingly little is known about the Atlanteans. We can be reasonably certain that they were the first amongst the ancient civilisations to learn magic, predating the Egyptian and Mesopotamian cultures by at least half a millennium, and that their island was located somewhere in the Atlantic - in or near the Caribbean is the most common assumption, since the few Atlantean ruins that have been discovered were all either in the New World or on the western shores of Africa and Europe. That their island was destroyed in a cataclysm in the late Bronze Age is also generally accepted among scholars, though a few dissenters claim that the entire island was hidden instead - sealed off from the world.
We know that their contemporaries, namely the Phoenicians, Greek and Egyptians, held them in very high regard and considered them to be the most powerful wizards on earth. However, given the isolated location of Atlantis in a time without sophisticated magical travel, and in light of the fact that they had clashed violently with the very cultures praising their magical prowess, it is hard to say whether those tales have any truth to them or were but attempts to portray any victories against them as even more impressive.
But even taking this into account, there are several reasons why those assessments of their contemporaries nevertheless seem reasonably well founded. Firstly, the Atlanteans were certainly a very advanced civilisation to be able to create an empire that spanned the Atlantic. They must have had the most seaworthy ships of their time and the magic necessary to navigate the oceans for weeks, if not months, out of sight of any land. Secondly, they had the martial and magical might to conquer and hold territories separated by the Atlantic Ocean. Thirdly, while they didn't leave anything but ruins devoid of any scripture or magic, myths and legends about them nevertheless span three continents.'
- Excerpt from 'Magic: A History Book I: Pre-Wand Civilisations' by Archibald Bilius Peverell, London, 1832
Amazon Rainforest, August 5th, 2001
"All of her tribe? How many are they?" Harry asked as Hermione Granger joined her friends. And the native witch.
"I don't exactly know - we never visited her village," Ron said.
Hermione scowled as she rolled her shoulders to adjust the straps of her backpack. Of course Ari wouldn't bring Ron to her village if her tribe wanted them gone! A lot of what had seemed like a cultural gap now made much more sense.
"Five times five times five wands," Ari answered.
A hundred and twenty-five wizards and witches. That was worse than Tunis and Constantinople put together. At least numerically. She glared at the witch. "The Boiúna was your attempt to scare us away, wasn't it?"
"Yes." Ari nodded as if it were nothing. "Used scent from other Boiúna. Not know Harry could talk to her." She shook her head. "Must flee! Quick!"
"How long until they are here?" Ron asked.
"Not long."
Hermione scoffed. Of course, the tribe wouldn't have clocks. It didn't matter. "Let's get out of here, check the camp if we have time, then apparate." She should have disabled the Anti-Apparition Wards inside the ruins. It would have taken a few hours longer, but they would have been able to leave immediately.
"Yes." Harry nodded. "Let's go." He didn't let Ari out of his sight, Hermione noted. Neither did Ron, though probably not for the same reasons.
She had to force herself not to rush. Over a hundred wizards descending upon them - in their homeland, where they knew the terrain and Hermione and her friends didn't - was a daunting prospect. But Ari would have told them if they were already surrounded, wouldn't she? She might not have a watch, but she certainly had a sense of time - the witch knew how to brew potions, after all, as they had found out two weeks ago, when Ron had needed an antidote to the poison of a magical frog which wasn't fully countered by a bezoar.
But if this were a trap, if Ari wanted to lure them into the open, away from cover… It would be the last thing the other witch would have done. Hermione would ensure that.
But when they reached the exit, no hail of curses met them, nor did their spells reveal anyone hiding in the underbrush surrounding the ruins.
"Alright," Harry said, "let's get to the camp. Keep your eyes open and your wand ready."
Hermione snorted - as if she had to be told that. Though that was Harry, exactly the way she loved him.
But then Ari transformed - or shifted shape. Hermione quickly aimed her wand at the big cat, though the jaguar only flared her nostrils before changing back. "No time! Must flee now! Smelt tribe."
Ah. Hermione briefly - very briefly - wondered if she could duplicate that feat with a Supersensory Charm. Then she snapped: "Alright, let's apparate to the base camp."
"I'm not leaving Ari!" Ron declared. He turned to her. "Will you come with us? I can take you with me with Side-Along-Apparition."
"Cannot."
Hermione clenched her teeth. Taking a member of an Amazon tribe to the settlement in Magical Brazil wasn't a good idea. But unless Ari's tribe were more forgiving than Hermione assumed, given everything she had read about the natives of the Amazon rainforest, they couldn't leave her here.
"You can't stay!" Ron exclaimed. "They'll punish you!"
"No, no. Cannot disappear," Ari explained.
What? Hermione's eyes widened. She quickly focused on a spot two yards to her left and tried to apparate. She failed. "They've blocked Apparition!" she announced.
"What?" Harry whirled round, his wand flashing. "There's no Anti-Apparition Jinx!"
Ron flicked his wand. "No one in range either."
Hermione gasped and cast a detection spell of her own. No jinxes. None of the usual spells to prohibit magical transportation. But… "The entire ground is covered by a spell," she whispered. A similar spell to the ones she had disarmed inside the ruins - but far more powerful. How had she missed that?
"What?" Harry turned his head. "Does it cover the ruins?"
"No." Ari shook her head. "Covers jungle. Domain of tribe. Ritual. No disappear. No fly."
A spell that blocked all forms of magical travel, including levitation? And over an area that large? Hermione knew what that meant - they couldn't flee and were about to be attacked by over a hundred wizards and witches. But she couldn't help feeling awe at such a feat - the natives of the Amazon rainforest were most certainly not a primitive magical civilisation as some explorers had claimed. This had to be Atlantean magic!
"Where are they coming from?" Harry Potter asked, scanning the treeline closest to their position.
Ari pointed towards the northern part of the ruins. "Village that way. Flankers, too."
"An area of effect that large… how could they have done it? Did it grow slowly over time? But there's no known way to achieve that," Hermione muttered.
They were about to be surrounded, and she was trying to analyse an unknown spell! There had been times when her ability to focus on Curse-Breaking in any situation had saved the three of them, but Harry didn't think this would be one of them. "We need to move now!" he snapped. "You can analyse the spell later!"
"Movement in the underbrush!" Ron yelled. "They're trying to flank us."
Or they were trying to herd them into an ambush. But to stay would mean getting surrounded. "Move!" Harry yelled, flicking his wand to conjure a thick, green smoke at the edge of the ruins to break the enemies' line of sight. "And hex any jaguars on sight!" he added, with some perfectly understandable glee.
Ron and Ari took point, followed by Hermione, with Harry bringing up the rear. If they could outrun the flanking natives until they entered the jungle, and with Ari as a guide and some - a lot - of conjured obstacles to delay pursuit… It would be close, but doable.
"Enemies ahead!" Ron yelled, dropping to the ground. A moment later, spells flew towards them, most going wide but one blowing part of the ruins they were using as cover into rubble. More rubble.
Harry cursed under his breath.
Ron rolled to the side, behind another part of a still standing wall. "We have to break through their line. If we let them stop us, we'll be encircled here. We need to get into the jungle!"
"The jungle is their home!" Harry snapped back as he made his way to Hermione, who was crouching behind a toppled old tree trunk.
"Yes. But they'll still have more trouble finding us in there than out here," Ron snapped. "And Ari can guide us."
Which meant that although entering the jungle would put them at a disadvantage, Ron was right. "You break through their lines, I'll cover us." He didn't wait for a reply but started conjuring walls randomly between them and the treelines, leaving the area in front open.
"I'll cover them in smoke!" Ron yelled.
Harry barely noticed him move as he started conjuring snakes. As many as he could. If Ari's people thought the Boiúna would have scared them away, then let them deal with hundreds of the most venomous snakes Harry knew! Bless Hermione for taking him to the reptile house in London, even if she hadn't been at all amused at Harry freeing the boa constrictor to take with them to Brazil.
More spells flew at them, from all sides now, but between the walls and the smoke Ron had cast, none of them came even close to hitting any of the group.
But that would change as they closed the distance to the jungle and the - presumably - waiting native wizards and witches, Harry knew. If Auntie were here, she would probably rake the treeline with a light machine gun. Make the natives keep their heads down until Harry and his friends had made good their escape. But none of their group was good enough with guns to manage that - between learning magic and tomb raiding, muggle skills had been a little neglected. And Auntie frowned on using automatic weapons without the necessary training, after Sirius's little incident.
Fortunately, magic offered alternatives. A series of explosions and faint screams made him glance over his shoulder. As expected, Ron and Hermione had sent Blasting Curses into the canopies of the closest trees, the explosions sending wooden splinters as well as dust, smoke and shredded foliage down on the waiting natives.
And, apparently, at least two jaguars and a wizard or witch who had been lying in ambush up in said trees. Harry winced at the sight, then clenched his teeth. Ari's people were trying to kill them; Ari had said so herself. It wasn't Harry or his friends' fault at all.
And the tribe hadn't even warned them off, first.
Harry still felt guilty - a little - when he started blowing up the walls he had conjured earlier, to make the other natives closing in on them back off. But as Auntie had taught him - by example, mostly: If someone wanted to hurt you and yours, you only worried about them after you were safe.
He dashed round another broken pillar, then weaved through some rubble, his wand flashing back and forth, adding more smoke to the area around them, until he caught up to his friends. They were huddled behind one of Hermione's conjured walls - Harry recognised her style.
"My walls and snakes won't stop them for long!" Harry yelled as he jumped into cover next to Hermione.
"Right," Ron replied. "We've caught them by surprise, but they had a second line ready - and gone to ground. If we charge in, we'll get swarmed."
"Poison too. Darts," Ari added.
"Probably from poison dart frogs. Bezoars might not work." Hermione's comment was as informative as it was unhelpful.
"We could use fire to drive them away," Hermione ventured.
"Fire no good. Easy handled." Ari shot the idea down, earning her a frown.
And Fiendfyre, which wasn't easily rendered harmless with a spell, would turn on them, Harry knew. They wouldn't be able to escape in the middle of a forest. Not with magical travel blocked.
But time was running out - there were Blasting Curses going off behind him; the tribe must have encountered his snakes. Snakes…
Harry grinned, baring his teeth. "I know what we'll do! Hermione, cast the strongest Engorgement Charm you can! Ron, you need to cast a Colour Change Charm and turn it black as soon as I'm done."
"What?" Ron blinked. Hermione, a little quicker to realise Harry's plan, cursed.
He grinned and flicked his wand. "Serpensortia!"
A moment later, a green anaconda, the biggest snake native to South America, appeared in front of him. Ari hissed and took a step back, but Ron was already casting, turning the snake's scales black.
"What?" the snake asked, confused.
"Wait," Harry told her. He nodded at Hermione, but she had anticipated him. A swish of her wand turned the snake from large to huge and made Ari whimper.
The anaconda didn't look exactly like a Boiúna, but with all the smoke filling the area, it would be impossible to tell the difference. Harry grinned as he conjured a small set of stairs and mounted the animal, using a Sticking Charm to stay on top of her. "All aboard!"
Hermione joined him at once. She wrapped her arms around him for a brief hug, squeezing his free hand. Ron took a little longer - he had to practically push the trembling Ari - but they managed.
Harry's grin grew wider as he addressed their new mount: "Charge!"
And then they were racing through the rest of the ruins into the jungle. Screams and yells rose up in front of them as the giant snake smashed through the underbrush, breaking younger, smaller trees as if they were twigs. Harry saw a dozen natives scatter in panic, only a few of them having the presence of mind to send spells at the group. He returned fire, stunning a witch who held her ground, before they were past the tribe's line and inside the jungle proper.
Just as Harry had planned.
Ron Weasley had experienced a lot in his life, despite his young age. Riding a giant snake through the jungle while being chased by a tribe of hostile wizards and witches was a new experience, though. One he could have done without, too. But as much as he'd like to blame Harry for coming up with yet another crazy plan that endangered them, he had to admit that it had gotten their small group out of a quite sticky situation.
But as Harry's plans were wont to be, it wasn't perfect. After they had recovered from the shock, the natives had given chase. And the giant snake left a matching trail - Ari's people couldn't miss it, and while the engorged anaconda was much faster than anyone unfamiliar with snakes would expect, it wasn't faster than sprinting jaguars. Especially in the jungle.
"Hold tight!" he said to a still shivering Ari in front of him - she was stuck to the snake like the rest of them, but she might dispel that - and twisted his upper body until he could look behind him. Yes, there were jaguars behind them - and gaining.
Gritting his teeth, he reached into his enchanted pocket - a birthday gift from Hermione - and pulled out a handful of caltrops. The next time their mount bucked, going over a rock, he threw the caltrops into the air, then flicked his wand, multiplying them by the dozens. He cast a Banishing Charm right afterwards but didn't manage to time it just right, catching them on the way down and sending them into the ground behind them rather than further back.
Cursing, he conjured a cloud of smoke over the area. A few more such clouds followed, without caltrops - if a native stepped on a caltrop in the first cloud, they'd be wary of the next ones. Or so he hoped - Ari's tribe might be too fanatical to care.
Best to go with the worst case. "We'll need to lose them!" he yelled. "Get off the snake and let them chase it while we sneak away!"
"We'll need decoys on the snake," Hermione replied.
Ron shook his head even though she wasn't looking at him. "We'll be invisible beforehand!" He didn't wait for an answer and cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself, then on Ari. By the time he finished casting a Human-Presence-revealing Spell, Harry and Hermione had disappeared as well, only floating markers showing their location.
With a little luck, the tribe would think they jumped off already and stop to look for their tracks. Although with dozens of them chasing after Ron and his friends, they could spare a number for that and keep up the pursuit. "We still need to escape and evade them!" he yelled.
"Not fast enough," Ari said. "No good in jungle."
He knew that. But they couldn't stay on the snake - not when a single Finite might turn it back into a normal-sized one. Sooner or later, someone would get close enough. If they had a muggle car… no, the jungle was too dense for that. Bikes would work, but they didn't have those either - an oversight they'd have to correct at the earliest opportunity. Provided they survived this.
He tried to think of a way to escape as the snake traversed another clearing. They didn't have a muggle balloon, and creating one with magic would take too long. And he couldn't think of any other muggle vehicle that might…
His eyes widened. "Hermione! Do you have the zodiac?"
"Yes!"
"Ari, is there a river nearby? A rapid one?" Ron asked. They could do this!
"Yes."
Perfect. "Tell us how to get there!" he yelled. "Then we'll jump off and use the zodiac to flee!"
With Ari's shouted directions, which Harry relayed to the snake, it took them about five minutes to reach the small river. "Get off!" Ron yelled, undoing the Sticking Charm that held him on the snake as it slid into the water. By the time he pushed off, his feet and lower legs were already underwater.
A moment later, a zodiac appeared in the middle of the river - Hermione must have jumped off rather than slid off. Ron quickly swam towards it - the current was already dragging it away, so he had to exert himself more than expected. Judging by the markers he saw, Hermione and Harry were already in it. That left him and Ari. And Ari had transformed to swim faster.
"Hurry!" Hermione yelled.
Something hit the water next to his head. Then something else, even closer. Darts, Ron realised. Poisoned darts. He redoubled his efforts. But he was still trailing behind the zodiac when Ari climbed inside - fortunately, the rubber had been reinforced so her claws didn't shred it.
Suddenly, he felt his shirt and pants drag him along - halfway out of the water. A second later, he crashed into the boat, bruising his shoulder and ribs against the wooden bench. Harry's Summoning Charms were very powerful but not as precise as they could be. Or gentle.
He groaned but got up despite the pain just as Hermione started the engine. "Can we lose them?"
"We have to," Harry told him. He turned to Ari. "Where does your tribe's territory end?"
The witch changed back. "After fall."
"Fall?" Ron had a sinking feeling in his stomach.
She nodded. "Yes. Water fall."
Ron cursed. No one had said anything about a waterfall!
"And the spell ends at the waterfall?" Hermione asked.
"Spell?" Ari asked.
"I can see it," Harry yelled. "Drop the Disillusionment Charms!"
Ron looked up, then cursed again and did so. There was the waterfall. And they were racing towards it, caught in the current.
"The spell that blocks magical travel!" Hermione yelled.
"Yes. After fall," Ari replied.
Ron looked at Harry. They could still get off. Banish a rope to the rocks at the riverbank. Stick it there, and use it to drag themselves out of the water. But Ari's tribe was still too close. He nodded.
Harry nodded back. "Everyone, hold on to the zodiac! We're gonna fly!"
"No!" Hermione yelled.
But no one was listening to her. Ron grabbed Ari and held her, one arm wound around the rope tied to the bench. And Harry was pushing Hermione down, cutting off whatever she was about to say.
Then they shot out over the waterfall.
"Wingardium Leviosa!"
And kept going.
Hermione Granger clenched her teeth as the zodiac she, her friends and Ari were riding shot out over the cliff and started to fall. She had to cast a spell, and Harry lying on top of her with all his weight - their Shield Charms having cancelled each other out - wasn't helping. Although now that they were falling, she had enough leverage to push him...
"Wingardium Leviosa!" Harry yelled.
A moment later, her breath was forced out of her chest as the zodiac stopped falling and Harry's full weight was pressed onto her again. And he didn't immediately get off once the zodiac's flight stabilised.
She rammed her elbow into his ribs, causing him to groan - and, finally, get off her - and she managed to breathe again.
"Hermione, please don't hit Harry when he's keeping us from falling to our deaths."
She glared at Ron as she sat up. "He was suffocating me."
"Sorry."
Harry didn't sound sorry. But he was focusing on steering their improvised flying device.
"Are they still chasing us?" she asked, looking back at the top of the waterfall. "Or will they give up now that we have left their territory?"
"Don't see anyone there. But if they disillusioned themselves…" Ron let out his breath.
"Chase you still," Ari said.
"Then we need to land at once, so we can apparate." Hermione bit her lower lip, then forced herself to stop - that was a bad idea while flying. Especially with Harry steering. Madam Pomfrey hadn't been amused at having to fix her lip in fourth year.
"We can apparate right now," Ron said.
"I'm not losing the zodiac," Hermione told him. "We already lost the tent." And her spare travel library with it. Granted, she had another in her backpack, but still… It was the principle of the thing.
"Alright. Hold on!"
Hermione barely had time to grab the rope wrapped around the bench after hearing Harry's words before the zodiac dived down towards the river - as fast as, or even faster than, Harry in a Wronski Feint.
Fortunately, Ari's screams drowned out Hermione's own.
They landed in the river, hard enough to throw her off the bench, and with a splash that left everyone drenched. Hermione refrained from drying herself off and checking for leeches. There were more important things to worry about right now. "We need to reach the riverbank!" she yelled, finally recasting her Shield Charm. They had to get away before the natives arrived and blocked magical travel again. She pushed Ron and Ari away and lunged for the engine, which was, fortunately, still running.
"Don't see any pursuit," Harry said. "Nothing in range."
Ari changed, then changed back. "No smell but wind wrong."
"At least there's no ambush waiting, then," Ron said.
Then they hit the riverbank, and Hermione jumped out of the zodiac. "Hurry!" she yelled, even though the others already out. She quickly shrunk the zodiac and stuffed it into her backpack. "Base camp, now!" she snapped, then focused on the destination.
A moment later, she felt the familiar sensation of being pushed through a small pipe, then she appeared in a clearing hundreds of miles away.
Popping noises announced the arrival of Harry, Ron and Ari. Hermione sighed with relief and pulled her backpack off.
She had to set up her spare tent set. And check her friends and herself for wounds and leeches.
An hour later, the camp was set, and everyone was healed, dry and free of parasites - there hadn't been leeches, but, apparently, the river had been infected with a magical variant of water fleas that liked human blood. Nothing an ointment couldn't handle, though.
After a last check with a magic mirror for anything stuck in her hair, Hermione Granger left her and Harry's room in the tent. Harry was already cooking in the tent's kitchen, and the smell of frying meat - chicken - made her realise just how hungry she was.
"Forgot to eat again, hm?" he asked with a smile.
She snorted - Harry knew her too well. "You were with me the whole day; you didn't notice either."
He laughed. "Guilty as charged!"
She stepped up to him, wrapped her arms around his chest from behind and rested her chin on his shoulder. "The discovery of a century is just too distracting," she said.
"Did you check what we found yet?"
"No. I wanted to ask Ari a few questions first." Since her tribe apparently guarded the ruins, they might know more about the group's findings. The scrolls hadn't been cursed - but they were dealing with magic lost millennia ago.
He nodded. "She's outside with Ron. I'll be done in ten minutes."
"That'll be long enough," she said, placing a kiss on his neck before stepping away.
He snorted, clearly not believing her, and she pouted - that had only happened one time! Two times, but it hadn't been her fault. Or three, at most.
Huffing, she left the tent. Ron and Ari were outside - her friend was sitting on a tree trunk, with the witch in his lap, whispering in her ear. Hermione refrained from frowning. The native witch had warned them, after all. If more than a little late. And she had conjured some clothes after losing her loincloth in her transformations earlier.
Hermione cleared her throat as she approached them. Ron turned to look at her. "Dinner time?"
"In ten," she replied, then conjured a low chair for herself and sat. "But I've got a few questions." More than a few, actually - but some could wait.
Ari looked at her. "What?"
Hermione knew that the other witch didn't speak English very well, but even taking that into account, Ari sounded a little rude. "Why was your tribe attacking us?"
"You no leave ruins."
She forced herself to smile. "I mean: Why couldn't we explore the ruins?"
"No one allowed. We guard it."
Hermione frowned. "But why is no one allowed?"
"Danger. Great danger."
Her eyes widened slightly. "Danger? Do you mean the wards?" No, that didn't make any sense - the natives had attacked them; they hadn't tried to save them.
Ari shook her head wildly, her long hair hitting Ron in the face. "No. Danger buried there. No one but masters allowed. We guard."
"The masters? The Atlanteans? Your tribe was ordered to guard the outpost by the Atlanteans?"
Ari was the one frowning now. "What Atlanteans?"
Hermione took a deep breath before she lost her patience. "Those who told you to guard the place, were they the ones who built it?"
"I not know. Masters made us."
Hermione blinked. 'Made'? Had the Atlanteans created a magical race? But how… That was… It would explain their shapeshifting talent. Unless she misunderstood Ari - there still was a language barrier, and they were discussing magical concepts and history. But…
She opened her mouth to ask a clarifying question...
...and was interrupted by Harry.
"Dinner!"
"We really need an expedition vehicle," Harry Potter said as he served dinner with a flick of his wand. "One like Auntie and Sirius have - or a better one."
"We would have lost it today," Ron replied as he picked two steaks for himself, then put two more down on Ari's plate. "No roads to use, and we couldn't fly away."
"Then we need an amphibious vehicle. One that can swim," Harry added when he saw Ron's puzzled look.
"Ah." His friend nodded. "That would work, yes." He grabbed the bowl with the mashed potatoes.
"We have more important things to talk about than cars," Hermione said, frowning at them, then looking at Ari. "We need to know what this 'danger' is that your tribe is supposedly guarding. And who your masters are or were."
Ron returned her frown, then smiled at Ari. "First, I think, we need to know what happened between you and your tribe, Ari."
The witch nodded. "Tribe wanted kill you. I didn't."
"So you rushed to warn us." Ron reached out and held her hand.
She nodded.
"And what will happen now? Will your tribe punish you?"
Harry thought the answer to that question was obvious. Judging by Hermione's expression, she shared his opinion.
"I betrayed tribe. They kill me." Ari slowly nodded.
"They won't." Ron shook his head. "We won't let them."
"You leave."
"You can come with us." Ron - belatedly, in Harry's opinion - looked at him and Hermione. Ron's expression clearly told them that they better agree with him, or else.
Harry dutifully nodded as he started to eat. Ari had warned them - and risked her own life for them. There was hardly a better test for her loyalty. "Of course."
Hermione nodded as well, though a little slower. And Harry didn't think that that was due to her eating.
"Cannot leave," Ari said, shaking her head.
"Of course you can - we already left your territory," Ron insisted.
She kept shaking her head. "Not allowed."
"Why not?" Ron asked the question Harry wanted to ask.
"Masters' orders."
"Your 'masters' are still around?" Ron blinked.
"When was the last time you saw them?" Hermione added before Ari could answer.
"They left. Long, long ago. Will return."
Hermione scoffed. "If your masters were the Atlanteans, then they won't return. Atlantis sank millennia ago."
"Masters won't drown."
Ari looked resolute, Harry thought. Almost as stubborn as Hermione, when she thought she was right. Which, he had to admit, she often was.
"Did your masters build the ruins we explored?" Ron asked.
"Yes."
"You said they 'made' you," Hermione had stopped eating. "How?"
"Magic."
Harry had to refrain from grinning at Hermione's expression. The witch scowled. "Yes, that's a given. But what did they do to 'make' you?"
Ari didn't answer right away. She was clenching her teeth and looking away, Harry noticed.
"You don't have to tell us," Ron said, squeezing her hand.
"It secret," Ari said.
"Like the ruins?" Hermione asked.
Ari glared at her, and, for a moment, Harry feared the other witch would attack Hermione. He grabbed his wand, just in case. But after a moment, Ari sighed. "Not same."
"What is more important, keeping the secret of your origin, or keeping the ruins safe?" Hermione leaned forward - she was never one to back down when she wanted to learn something. "If you were made to guard the ruins, then the ruins' secret is more important, right?"
"Danger." But Ari nodded. "More important."
"And we already explored the ruins and found the archives." Hermione's smile wasn't quite triumphant, but it came very close. "There's no point in guarding the ruins any longer."
It wasn't quite true - they hadn't searched the whole area for more rooms hidden underground. But Harry understood Hermione's plan.
Ari, though, glared at her and bared her teeth. Ron squeezed her hand again. "You don't have to answer her question. She's just very determined to know everything."
Harry reached over to squeeze Hermione's thigh before she could contradict Ron. That earned him a glare, but he merely smiled in return. Ari was, if not everyone's friend, certainly Ron's girlfriend and not a stranger.
"The Atlanteans are gone. They haven't been seen in millennia," Hermione tried again. "You do not need to keep their secrets any longer. You're free."
"I cannot leave. Danger."
"What danger is there? To you? To others?"
"To tribe."
Harry saw Hermione clench her teeth and patted her thigh. "Let's drop the subject and eat."
The others agreed, though it was a far quieter meal than usual. At least until the pudding.
Ron Weasley loved his friends, but sometimes, he could hex them. Hermione was too stubborn when it came to acquiring knowledge, and Harry tended to indulge her because Hermione often managed to find clues about lost tombs. But this time, she wasn't browbeating a greedy wizard in Constantinople trying to fleece them but Ari, who had chosen to betray her people to save Ron and his friends. The witch deserved better than that.
He finished the treacle tart Harry had made and stood. "Let's go for a walk, Ari."
After a moment's hesitation, she nodded. "Yes."
Hermione opened her mouth, but a glare from Ron shut her up. "We'll be back later."
Outside, he took a deep breath, then turned to Ari with a smile. "Sorry about that. She tends to get a little fixated on what she wants to know."
"Ah."
They walked over to the other end of the clearing, to the edge of the wards Hermione had placed around their camp. "You know, we've dealt with danger before," he said after a moment of silence.
Ari didn't say anything. She was looking up at the sky, where the first stars were appearing as the sun was setting.
Ron waited. He knew better than to push her.
She sighed and turned to look at him. He saw her eyes reflect the dimming light, like a cat's. "You no understand."
Ron nodded. And waited. She had chosen him and his friends over her tribe once already.
Ari looked away again and ran her hands over her arms. "Master chose us. Made us."
He nodded again, schooling his features.
"Chose fiercest beasts in jungle. Made us."
Ron's eyes widened. "Jaguars?"
She nodded, once more looking at him. "Masters changed us. Gave this body." She placed her hand on her chest.
"Ah." That explained it.
"We jaguars. Look human. Understand?"
"Yes. But you also act like humans. Talk like humans." Ron smiled. "Human enough for me."
"But no humans!" she hissed. "Jaguars."
He shrugged. "One of my teachers was a half-giant, another a half-goblin."
"What giant? Goblin?"
Ah. "Goblins are small people with sharp teeth and long ears." He conjured a rock, then transfigured it into a statue of a goblin. "They look like this."
She hissed. "Bad spirit!"
"Well, they are rather grumpy and greedy," Ron agreed. "And giants look like this." He transfigured the statue. Just as tall as this tree there." He pointed at a tree nearby.
She blinked. "That tall?"
"Yes."
She stared at him with her mouth open. "Know half-giant?"
"Yes." He grinned. "I didn't ask how his parents did it."
She nodded, grimacing.
"He's not the only one - the headmistress of a school is also a half-giant. And my brother's married to a half-bird." Though no one would dare call Fleur a 'half-bird' to her face.
"Half-bird?"
"She is a Veela. They can change from human to bird and back."
"Oh. Like us."
"Perhaps. No one knows." If the Veela knew then they hadn't told anyone. Although… if the Atlanteans had created Ari's people, they might have created the Veela as well.
"Your brother married bird."
"Yes." He really hoped Fleur would never find out what he'd said. "My family doesn't mind. Neither do my friends."
"Ah." She nodded, brushing a strand of her hair back behind her ear. "But birds aren't dangerous. Jaguars are."
"She can throw fireballs," Ron replied. "And she's French. She's very dangerous."
"Oh."
He pressed on. "And the best friend of Harry's father is a werewolf."
"Werewolf?"
"He changes to a wolf-monster under the full moon."
"Like us?"
"No. It's a curse."
"Ah."
"So, you see - you can come with us." He smiled at her and reached out, placing his hand on her shoulder. "You won't be alone."
He felt her tense as he took a step, putting both hands on her shoulders, facing her directly. "Your nature doesn't change anything. Not for me, not for my friends, not for my family." Well, Ginny and Luna would be as bad as Hermione about a new species. But they weren't here, and Ron could explain that later. Much later.
She drew a deep breath, then embraced him, wrapping her arms around him with enough force to make it uncomfortable. He didn't mind, though - she needed this. Needed him. She didn't cry, but he heard her sniffle as she buried her face in his chest and he ran his hands over her back.
They stood like that for some time, and he felt her slowly relax in his embrace until she raised her face at him.
"You sure Harry no half-snake?"
Amazon Rainforest, August 6th, 2001
"Transfigured jaguars…" Hermione Granger shook her head as she pushed her teacup, left over from breakfast an hour ago, a little further away, making room on her desk for more notes. "No, it can't be a simple transfiguration."
"I wouldn't call creating a new species 'simple'," Harry said from his desk, where he was writing a letter to Petunia and Sirius.
"I would, actually," Hermione replied. "By all accounts, the Quintapeds were created by a family of rather inept wizards, and they are supposedly breeding true." She sighed. "But, while they are considered a magical creature, they do not show any particularly magical talent or power. Ari's people, however, are not only able to shapeshift into jaguar forms - or into human form, if her tribe's legends are indeed correct - but can use wands. That goes far beyond what you can achieve with transfiguration."
"What we can achieve with transfiguration. The Atlanteans might have been able to do more - they are supposed to have mastered magic like no one else," Harry said.
Hermione sniffed. "That was the opinion of their contemporaries, the Egyptian wizards, and the Ancient Greeks - and we know that their knowledge of magic was rather limited compared to ours. What was impressive to them would be rather primitive today. None of them had wands, after all. And the protections on the ruins, while very powerful due to their age, were not as advanced as contemporary wards."
"And yet you don't know how to recreate Ari's species," Harry retorted with his familiar grin.
She scowled. "Crossbreeding species has been banned for good reason. And I focused my studies on Arithmancy, not on Care of Magical Creatures."
"You didn't neglect it either, though."
"Of course not!" As if she'd neglect any subject! "But it's not my strongest field." Then she slumped. "But yes, I can't think of a way to duplicate such a feat. Jaguars aren't a species that can breed with humans, unlike goblins and giants."
"Or Veela," Harry said.
She glared at him - she knew what he meant. "The similarities between Ari's tribe and the Veela are obvious."
"Can't wait to ask Fleur about this," Harry said, chuckling. "Or Luna and Ginny."
"I think they'd be a little biased," Hermione said. The two witches still hadn't really warmed up to Fleur. "And Fleur might not want to talk about her species's origin. If she even knows anything but legends - the Veela have been around for as long as Ari's tribe."
"Which is interesting in itself," Harry remarked.
"While I'm certain that 'Atlanteans created the Veela' would be a very nice headline for The Quibbler, contrary to popular belief, Mr Lovegood requires more than mere speculation to publish an article," Hermione pointed out.
"But that means that the Atlanteans could know magic we don't," Harry said.
"Yet," she corrected him.
"And then there are the wards Ari's tribe used," he added, "that covered their entire territory - and which were not part of the ruins' protections."
"They might have been growing more powerful - covering a larger area - with age," she said. Then she sighed. "But, yes, I admit - this might be of more than purely historical interest."
"No treasure, though."
"Knowledge is the greatest treasure," she retorted.
"The goblins disagree," he replied.
"Sod the goblins!" She scowled. "They only care about gold and precious metal."
"And about screwing over wizards and witches," Harry added.
"Another reason for not working for them."
"That's not possible as long as they have the monopoly for excavations in Egypt."
"I know." She sighed. At least this expedition wasn't on behalf of Gringotts.
"But neither the goblin's greed nor the nature of Ari's origin are the reason for your current mood, are they?"
She sighed again. "It's the scrolls and tablets we took. I thought my knowledge of ancient runes would be enough to decipher them since I thought I recognised some of them. But it's not enough."
"Ah." He nodded. "I see."
She frowned at him.
"Which means you'll have to ask Ari for help."
She glared at him. He didn't have to say it out loud.
And he most certainly didn't have to smile.
"This 'protection'. This 'blood'. This 'land'. This 'magic'."
Hermione Granger took notes as Ari labelled rune after rune. The other witch couldn't read the Atlantean script, but she knew many of the runes as 'holy symbols' used by her tribe's shaman or loremaster. Hermione still didn't know if Ari really were the descendant of a transfigured jaguar, but there was no doubt that the connection between her tribe and the Atlanteans reached back as far as the time of Atlantis. They hadn't simply stumbled upon some old ruins and decided to guard them after encountering lethal wards, which had been one of Hermione's alternative theories.
"This 'fire'. This 'mountain'. That all."
That was all? Those were barely two dozen runes. Hermione forced herself to smile. "Thank you. That was very helpful."
Ari nodded at her. They stared at each other for a moment.
"You his friend."
"And you're his lover," Hermione replied. And that was the extent of their relationship - both cared for Ron, but not for each other.
Ari nodded again and left Hermione's room - presumably to rejoin Ron, who was writing letters to his family while Harry cooked.
Hermione studied the scrolls she had again, comparing them to her notes. Some looked like trade receipts. Probably. And that would indicate other outposts. But she had no way of finding them. If only there were a map among the documents they had recovered. Or a manual for the crystal ball. Or even a reference she could link to a known location. She was certain that one rune was the name of the ruins - it appeared on top of what had to be supply lists, and very often in other documents, and she had seen it on the walls as well - but without a reference or any other way to gauge whatever units the Atlanteans used to measure distances it wouldn't tell her anything.
Fire...mountain… Hermione blinked. "Volcano." She nodded. "Fire mountain - that has to be a volcano. And that means…" She quickly looked through the stack of notes - copies of the original scrolls she had recovered; only a fool would risk original artefacts unnecessarily. There! And there!
Those had to be two different volcanoes - and that had to be the distances that separated both from the ruins in the jungle.
She got up and rushed out of her room.
"Harry! Ron! I need an atlas of the Caribbean! I found another outpost!"