Authors Note: I do not own harry potter. This has been updated, and Beta'd by KIT KAT. Hope everyones having a great spring.
The answers danced upon my grasp through the darkness and the pain. Our hearts immortal, what you give to love will never die.
October 30-31st, 1996
Harry walked down the stone steps from the Headmasters office. His emerald green eyes locking onto the back of Malfoy's head, practically glaring a hole in it. Once they were in the hallway and heading into the entrance hall, Harry acted. Not giving Draco a chance to realize what was going on, Harry shoved him up against the wall and pointed his wand to his throat and threw an arm over his chest, putting painful pressure on it to keep him from fighting back.
"Tell me what it is you know, Malfoy. What are the ice caves? And who the hell is Amaya Waters?"
"Harry! Don't!" Ginny screamed from beside him, and grabbing hold of his arm.
Growling, Harry pushed away from the male with the help of his girlfriend, who now had a tight grip on his arm to keep him from attacking Malfoy again.
Malfoy glared and straightened up his robes. "Were you not listening to the Headmaster, Potter?"
"Of course I was, but none of it made any sense and I refuse to go anywhere until I know exactly what's going on." Harry growled, staring down Malfoy, whom was glaring daggers of his own. Both of them refusing to be the first one to look away.
"Please, Draco?" Said a soft voice from behind him. Harry turned around to see Luna tilting her head sideways, similar to that of a peacock. "Will you tell us?" She asked again, more softer this time.
Draco blinked in surprise and turned his head to Blaise; evidently asking if they should relay the information to those unworthy. Blaise shrugged his shoulders.
"They will need to know anyway, Mate. Best tell them now, so they don't do anything stupid later." Blaise drawled.
"All right. I'll explain on the way." Malfoy agreed, walking past the lot of them and heading towards the Quidditch pitch, where their brooms happened to be stored. Draco took a moment to pause and take a sheet of parchment out. Harry watched him like a hawk , but couldn't see what he was writing down magically with his wand. Once Draco was done, he muttered a small spell and the paper disappeared in purple flames.
"Giving some warning, to the people we are going to be meeting up with."
Once they all got on and mounted their brooms, they stayed closely together and followed Malfoy's lead. Yet flying slowly, so they wouldn't create any wind and be able to hear and see him clearly.
At first it seems as though Malfoy was fibbing and not really telling them anything; leading them blindly into danger until he started to speak.
"I'll start with Amaya... Well her family, actually. My father and grandfather didn't tell me anything about her personally."
"The Waters family is one of the families that can be traced back to the first, original six recorded magical families in Europe. And only one of those six can trace their magical lineage to the twenty sixth century BCE Sumerian. They came to England in the thirteen hundreds. My family has been the Waters women's guardians ever since."
"Why did they need guardians?" Neville asked curiously.
"That's where things get a bit muddled. No one wrote down the exact way we became their guardians. But at least I can say, why they need one. The first reason is the Waters are not human per say. They're witches, yes, but they are a very old family of wizards that we don't have a name for them. It's like if you combined a vela, vampire, succubus and a witch's DNA, you still wouldn't be close to the genetic structure."
"The fact that they are very rare, powerful and beautiful attracts a lot of trouble. Many of them even made Muggle History of Mythology. Medea, Helen of Troy, Cleopatra, Nefetari, Delilah, Lilith, Mohini, Salome and Jezebel... ect, ect. Different times, different names for the same family. I guess you could call them femme fatale for a lack of a better word. They need protection from not only those who would seek them out and harm them, but from themselves. Not all of them were out in the open like that though."
"So..." Hermione said slowly, "They have taken many names and forms over the centuries?"
"Yes."
"What's the other reason?" Ginny huffed, not buying a single word Draco said.
"A seer by the name of Maria Travisosky, made a prophecy like the one you all attempted to get ahold of last year."
"I don't suppose you know what the prophecy was all about?" Ron grunted, slightly appalled that he had to speak to Malfoy directly without insults.
"Actually, I do." Draco said proudly.
One born of darkness, raised by pain.
Loved by evil, seek thou the stones of twilight passed.
Under the light of the blood moon, thy will know the path.
With blood thou will conquer and lead thy people from corruption.
Into peace.
"How do you know that's about the Waters family?" Harry asked, looking skeptically at Draco.
"Because," Luna interrupted in a dreamy voice, "Prophecies are generally made in the general vicinity of the person or persons they're about. Or have a part to play in it."
"Draconis Malfoy and Xirinea Waters were the only ones in the room at the time of the prophecy. There is no way that prophecy is about my family. We don't really care if the world is peaceful or not as long as we have our place."
Harry couldn't argue with that logic, so he sped up his broom to fly besides Malfoy. As he flew, he watched the hills slowly turn into mountains, and the mountains then slowly turn into the sea.
"Malfoy, where exactly are we going? I feel like my butt's going to fall off." Ron complained, as the sun started to rise.
Harry tried not to laugh at his choice of words, but very much agreed with him. He felt like he was frozen to his broom.
"Not that I really care for the news flash of what your ass is doing... I'll answer anyway. We are going to Russia. The ice caves are located near the top of Mount Elbrus."
"We are flying all the way to Russia?"
"No. We're going to Norway and taking a portkey from there."
"Where are we going to get a portkey from on such short notice?" Ginny snapped.
"I know some people. The Egland twins work in the international transportation office and can easily give us access to a portkey. There's one in the cave, but it can only transport people out and not in. Once we have her we will take the portkey to the front of Malfoy manor, where we will then take the floo back to school."
"Sounds like this Waters girl is more trouble than she's worth." Ron grumbled.
Harry secretly agreed. The girls just glared daggers at Ron, so Harry decided it was safer to keep that thought to himself.
As they continued to fly until the sun started to rise further above them, Harry could now see they were flying more mountains and hills. The mountains became more clearer as the sun rose even higher; making it looked more jagged and covered in moss until they flew over a large river that winded its way between the mountainous region. Harry's jaw almost dropped at the sight of it. Hermione gasped behind him as did Ginny, and Luna's response to the landscape was. "Oooo, it's so pretty! Where are we?"
"The Fjords of Norway." Blaise replied confidently.
"Here, follow me." Draco hissed, descending into one of the many valleys, where the river flowed into the area and created a natural lake. As they moved closer, he felt the familiar magic going through a barrier. Once they were past the barrier a small cottage covered in moss and ivy appeared into view. The roof was covered in grass and Harry would've thought it was part of the mountain, if it wasn't for the multi-colored smoke coming out of its chimney.
Once they landed, it took a few minutes to get off of their brooms. (Harry had to help Neville, who's broom was being decidedly uncooperative to let him land.) There suddenly was a high pitched child like voice, when the cottage door flew wide open and a streak of purple was coming their way.
"Master Malfoy, Master Malfoy! You've returned!"
Harry watched as Draco knelt down and held his arms wide open as a six year old girl launched herself into his arms and Draco spun her around with ease. She was pale with lilac colored hair and wearing a dark purple handkerchief dress with purple fairy like wings fluttering out of her back from the makeshift holes in her dress. She childishly cupped Draco's cheeks and gave him a sloppy kiss before falling into a fit of giggles as Draco feigned disgust.
Harry and the others, save for Blaise, were shocked at the very uncharacteristically kind demeanor in Draco. It was as if he let down his own defenses.
"Michelle! Leave the poor boy alone." A stern woman's voice said from inside the cottage.
Harry turned to see who it was. The woman was tall and slender with just as much pale skin as her hair was a midnight shade of blue with a handkerchief dress that matched her color hair. Her wings were a light blue and folded elegantly behind her back.
"It's fine, Mrs. Egland. Are the twins home? We have urgent business to discuss."
"Yes, they're back after we received word from Dumbledore you'd be coming. They already have a portkey waiting for you. Come this way." She said, disappearing inside of the house as the rest of them clamber to catch up with her.
Once inside, Draco put the girl named Michelle down, who then ran off into another room.
The cottage was small yet cozy. A cauldron sat upon the fire with multi colored clouds and shapes coming from inside of it and vanishing up into the chimney. The living room consisted of a bookcase, a couch, several chairs and a table sitting over a rug. There were five doors in all as they made their way through the cottage. One lead into a bathroom, the other three doors opened up to three separate bedrooms, and the fourth one lead straight to the kitchen's. Mrs. Egland guided them through another door that led into the basement, magically enlarged to create a study. Where two white blonde haired men dressed in black robes stood muttering spells over a shoe.
"Ah, you've finally arrived. You must be hungry and thirsty. Irene, please fetch us some ta and sandwiches. The portkey won't be ready for another half hour. Come in, come in." Said one of the brothers with a boisterous laugh, motioning for them to go on and sit down.
Mrs. Egland disappeared to presumably fetch the refreshments. Harry sighed and sat down on the nearest couch with his girlfriend Ginny sitting next to him on his left. Ron taking a seat on his right. While Hermione, Neville, and Luna sat on the opposite couch, making themselves comfortable. Draco and Blaise conjured up their own chairs and sat down by themselves.
"My name is Baldur. You've met my wife here, Irene." The brother said with a smile, smiling wide like a Cheshire cat as he properly introduced himself. Irene came back into the room with a plate full of corn beef sandwiches and some cups of hot tea.
Harry hesitated a moment before taking a sandwich and a cup of tea, not wanting to appear rude, and his stomach chose at the exact moment to growl in protest for some food. Though admittedly, he didn't take a bite or sip until e saw Draco do so; once he did, Harry tore into his own sandwich.
"And this," Baldur continued, gesturing over to his brother as everyone started eating and drinking their sandwiches and tea. "Is my brother Fredrik."
Fredrik smiled a bit but, turned his attention back into the portkey. He seemed quieter and determined compared to his outgoing brother. They were identical except for their eyes. Baldur had bright blue eyes, the color of the ocean and Fredrik had mossy green colored ones.
"So," Baldur began. "Do you really think Amaya could be woken? I mean, why else would you need or want to go to the Ice Caves."
"Madame Pomfrey thinks so." Draco said slowly after he finishing up his sandwich.
"It will be very cold where you're going. My wife and daughter have warm clothes waiting for all of you to wear. The portkey will be done by the time you get back."
"This way." Irene smiled, motioning for them to follow her once they were done eating. While the older wizards worked on the portkey.
She lead them into the living room and started to handout thick woolen cloaks, uniforms and boots. They were similar to what the students from Drumstrang wore during their fourth year, except they were maroon colored clothes. And the girls were given long insulated skirts with leggings to wear underneath instead of pants.
Michelle danced out of her room as they were passing around their clothing and shook her head. "No mommy, that's not the right colors at all. They're awful. Here let me!" Without another word, she went to each of them and wrinkled her nose in concentration and started to touch the cloths they held in their arms into the color of their choosing.
Ginny's clothes changed from maroon into light blue. Luna's clothes became a bright shade of yellow. (Reminding Harry very much of a beehive but, found it suited Luna and her personality perfectly. The girl had a good eye for a six or seven year old.)
Hermione's clothes turned into a deep midnight purple. While Neville's turned into vermillion and Harry's an emerald green color. "It matches your eyes!" Michele smiled brightly at him, and Harry couldn't help but to smile back at her. (Ron and Draco sninjaed behind him.) Ron's clothes she kept maroon.
"I think maroon suits you!" Michelle sad nonchalantly. It was Harry, Ginny and Hermione's turn to laugh. Ron was always being stuck with maroon for whatever reason. Draco simply got black and Blaise to everyone's surprise, got a burnt orange.
"Now they can get ready!"
Her mother rolled her eyes and gave them all apologetic looks. "Michelle, how many times have I told you the color isn't important in emergencies?" Michelle ignored her mother and lead the girls over to the bathroom to get changed. While Harry and the other boys went to get change inside one of the spare bedrooms.
By the time they were dressed and ready in their warmer clothes, Harry was more then ready to retrieve the woman they were tasked to find. He had a ton of questions and more kept appearing, the longer it took for them to go get her, and he only had vague answers to go off on; which he was growing tired of. He felt like there was more going on and his instincts were usually right about such things.
He followed Blaise and Draco out of the room and waited for the girls to join them. Which in Harry's mind, took too long and felt like twenty minutes for them to get changed.
Once the girls were finally ready and joined them, Irene started to pass out earmuffs, hats and gloves to put on. It felt like they were going on an artic excursion.
Down in the basement, the twins were finally done with the portkey.
"Hurry!" Fredrik shouted, his voice much more quieter than his brothers. Speaking to them for the first time. "You got just under a minute now."
"It was nice meeting all of you. Send a letter, won't you, Draco? Once you're done retrieving her." Irene asked.
Draco gave a sharp nod, and Harry questioned whether or not Malfoy really would owl. He seemed close to this family, so he may. Gathering around, they all put their index finger's on the shoe. Harry felt his girlfriend move closer to him than usual and he flushed, even with a layer of clothes on he was sensitive to her presence.
As Harry felt the familiar tug on his navel, he heard Michelle shout. "Good luck! You better visit soon, Master Malfoy! And bring your friends with you!" Before he couldn't hear anything anymore and everything disappear into a whirl of colors.
Harry was relieved as they landed in front of a cave entrance. It was cold and snow was falling down in a flurry, so he put his arm up to use as a shield against the snow. He was suddenly thankful for the warmer clothes he was given, as well as the different colors of their clothes because, he was able to tell who was who by the color of their robes. And he was happy he managed to stay on his feet for once, despite the harsh weather.
Neville wasn't so lucky. So Harry and Luna went to help him up and back on his feet.
"Thanks Harry, Luna."
"Don't mention it."
"This is who Dumbledore sends? Mudbloods, half-bloods, and blood traitors? Filth! They don't deserve to set foot on this scared place." A cold cackle of a woman's voice said, cut above the wind. Harry knew that laugh.
"Now, now Bellatrix, he did send my son and Zabini. So it isn't all hopeless."
Harry's blood boiled and he turned to face the two individual speakers; only to find it wasn't just Bellatrix Lastrange and Luscious Malfoy here with them. There were about a dozen masked figured standing behind them and blocking the entrance.
"Well isn't this just great." Ron mumbled, his ears becoming red as his hair.
Shit. Now what? Harry thought, his mind racing and trying to quickly come up with a plan.