Six Keys to Unlock the Otherworld
Athena Zandrite
January 2003

There was a lot of confusion surrounding Will's encounter with the Milgwn. Will was the only one who talked to them. Harry was standing at least a foot closer to Harry than Hermione and Ron were, and thus he could hear Will speak but didn't understand what was being said. (This will be addressed in this chapter)

Herne. Yes, I'm silly and called him Hermes for reasons even I don't know. Thank you guys for pointing it out. I feel kinda stupid ^^;; oh well it happens. Like five of you noticed T_T

*Ducks flying objects* Sorry it took so long to put this chapter up, it's been done for two months but my computer had to be completely wiped and reformatted so I lost a LOT of stuff including this chapter making me very sad and frustrated. So I left it for a while, but now I'm back with the update!! Hope you guys enjoy it!! Thank you for all your support.

Will felt a pounding in his head and turned trying to make out his surroundings, but everything was black, so black that he couldn't even make out his own hands in the void that seemed to eat light. And it was quiet, so very quiet, light was not the only thing the darkness was sucking out of the surroundings. Even as he breathed it was quickly muffled by the darkness that was almost a 'thing' around him, something physical, some sort of enormous sponge of inky ebony. And then he felt the pressure change, not ease, simply change. His eyes strained and for a moment they seemed to be playing a cruel trick on him where he could see a dim light, making out some outlines around him.

And then there was sound and he knew he was not being deceived. Rushing along in the train outside of time, being propelled through a tunnel but the movement through time created a light that glowed about him, and could see. The cabin was empty, wooden seats bare and clean, but unoccupied. Unsure as to what should be going on, Will sat down on one of the benches and ran a hand absently through his hair. The clickety-clack of the wheels of the train on the track was welcoming after such a panic causing silence. And he listened, hearing the jostling of metal on metal of the cabins connections. He heard the grinding chugging of the steam engine that propelled the train through time. He looked up as the cabin door opened and a figure in jeans and a jumper closed it behind himself. Will sucked in a breath seeing who it was.

John Rowlands, Welsh shepherd, turned to face him, dark skinned from the sun and worn eyes. His lean, light-brown face and dark eyes rested on Will for a moment and Will was taken aback with the look of tortured pain in his dark eyes. "Will, bach , my Blodwen is gone..." His warm voice broke on the word gone and Will's heart twisted in his chest. Blodwen Rowlands would never come back. John Rowlands moved toward Will, anguished and looking so much older. "My whole life, a lie. She was one of them."

Will clutched his hand into a fist at his side, remembering the White Rider, high lord of the Dark, and in this time, Blodwen Rowlands. But John was only a man and he could never have foreseen that his beloved would turn out to be a creature of the Dark. Will had not even known it. Though she had curiously avoided being in his presence, he had seen her a few times. The second of which she had revealed herself. But he'd felt it. The Light had a way of sensing those of the Dark, much like a Dog could smell fear. And as soon as she had entered the carriage, THIS carriage on their way to the tree, he had known what she was. But for John it had been such a shock. Tearing his human heart in two as his love turned into something vile. And he looked up at John who was now looking past Will out of the cabin at something Will could not see. And John Rowland's voice was hopeful, as he trudged forward. "Blodwen, wyt ti'n dwad i mewn heyfud, cariad?" Will watched silently as a white cloaked figure appeared at the cabin door toward which John Rowlands was moving.

The cloaked figure opened the door and held out a hand to him, as it did so, the hood fell back revealing the White Rider's face, all the gentleness and warmth gone from it, only the cold unfeeling power of the Dark apparent in her eyes. As she held out a hand to her husband, the mortal man John Rowlands, her eyes slid past him to focus on Will.

And Will felt panic rising, he tried to stand, to stop John Rowlands. He knew that the White Rider would never show him love again, if she ever had to begin with. He found himself pressed down onto the seat unable to move and his voice froze in his throat as she gave him a look of mocking triumph. "My love, let us leave this place." And Will screamed inside as John followed her blindly out of the cabin, disappearing from view.

It was only a moment before the next passenger came through, and the spell that held Will captive lifted as the opposite door again burst open and Barney Drew burst through it, sandy blond hair bouncing on his head as he let out a great whoop of joy. "Will! This train is positively wicked! Look at it! Simon says it's steam! And it's so long!" He bounced around the cabin and Will's anxiety about Rowlands subsided slightly, Barney's excitement filling the cabin with warmth.

"Simon is here too?" Will asked carefully, as Barney ran to a window to look out at the glowing light.

"Course, he'n Jane are awful slow though." He plopped down next to Will and beamed at him. "They'll be coming about soon."

No sooner had the words left Barney's mouth than Simon and Jane Drew trooped into the cabin looking irritated.

"Barnabas Drew!" Jane exclaimed in exasperation. "Can you not sit still for a minute?" She blinked and smiled at Will. "Ahh, hullo Will, didn't know you were here."

Barney next to him swung his feet and looked angelically at his sister. "I'm sitting still now, aren't I?"

Jane smiled at him. "You know what I meant."

Simon walked up to Will and stuck out his arm. "Will, been a while I'm sure."

Will shook it and nodded. "You're looking well Simon, Jane." He watched as Jane grinned and turned to look out the opposite window as though seeing something.

"We're going to Llyn Barfog." Jane said absently. "Supposed to be really good sites there. Bunch of Arthur stuff, it's why Barney's so irritatingly chipper."

Barney let out another whoop of enthusiasm. "They say King Arthur really went there, you can see his horse's footprint and everything!"

Simon shrugged. "They say that all over the place here. Really he'd have had to travel his entire life if he'd really been everywhere they claim he's been."

"What a nasty." Barney stuck his tongue out at his brother and crossed his arms. "Never any fun, that one." He confided to Will.

Jane exclaimed from the window as though she could see something other than the glow of time. "I think I see the lake, why YES we're running right along it now!" She pressed her hands against the glass and looked out curiously. "How beautiful and the tracks run right alongside, fabulous!"

Barney and Simon went next to her and looked out as well, both looking quite enthralled by whatever they saw. Will felt a growing uneasiness in his stomach and stood, glancing around. No one else had come in and he was still busy trying to see out the cabin door when he heard Jane let out a strangled scream. Will spun around to see the three looking terrified as something slammed into the side of the train, breaking the window and letting glass rain down on them. Something large, wet and blackish-green was rising up out of the lake. It was horrific, a slimy monster swaying and following the train, Will could see it all clearly now. The Afanc, driven out by Arthur years ago, back and terrorizing his friends. Will again was struck unable to move, unable to help as he watched the Drews recoil, Simon bleeding from a sliced cheek. Jane's mouth opened and closed as though she too, couldn't find her voice but wanted to scream and with a backward sway, the Afanc thrust it's head forward, toward the train, and Will knew that his friends would not survive.

He jolted forward, and found himself sitting in his bed, sheets tangled about his body and pajama top twisted under his armpits. He wiped at his brow with one hand and clutched at his chest with the other, hand resting on muggy skin feeling the fevered beat of his heart underneath his ribcage. He untangled himself from his sheets and stood from the bed, re-arranging his shirt so it was settled properly over his upper body, he slid his feet into his slippers and trudged quietly toward the boy's bathroom being careful not to wake the others. He paused as he heard Sean turn over in bed but continued as soon as he had settled against the pillow still breathing quietly.

He immediately turned on the faucet and splashed his face with cool water, letting it trickle down into the collar of his shirt, he held the sides of the sink and breathed deeply trying to calm his heart. He looked into the mirror, seeing tired eyes looking back at him, his hair clung to the sides of his face with water and he was quiet for a moment. He'd been having nightmares occasionally, really there was nothing to do about them. He carried great experiences as well as terrible ones with him and he could not forget them or those they had effected. Even though the people they had effected had already forgotten those experiences. And Will was left, alone in the world, the only one who truly remembered the fight between the Light and the Dark.

He ran his fingers through his hair, straightening it out and decided that this needed walking to get it out of his system. He picked up his robe on the way out and made his way through the entrance of the common room, to the quiet halls of Hogwarts. He was sure that seeing the Milgwn and the Black Rider had initiated the intensity of his nightmares. But what had truly shaken him, he decided as he moved aimlessly down the stairs avoiding one of the sinking steps, was the intense resemblance between Bran Davies his old comrade and Draco Malfoy the school bully. It had unsettled him upon their two meetings how pale Malfoy was, almost devoid of color, hair slightly long and just as colorless. Not the sandy blond that Barney Drew possessed, Bran and Draco both had a totally colorless look to them. Except their eyes. Bran's were always a tawny golden color, like an owl. Draco's were an intense grey-blue just as piercing but in a more cold sense. Draco was they type of boy that the Dark would use for their purposes. Always eager to inflict misery on those he disliked he would need to be watched. It was just unsettling for Will to see him and he found he had to hold himself back each time they met because he was sure was always seeing Bran in the other blond. And Bran had been close to him, unlike any other friend he ever had had or ever would. Until they parted ways with Merriman and everything was forgotten by the lot of them. Will was the one that went alone with all the knowledge.

He paused in a darker corridor, leaning against the wall, suddenly feeling alone as the feeling swept over him. He looked at the ceiling, breathing quietly and waiting for the feeling to subside. He frowned suddenly feeling like he was not alone. It wasn't at all, the same as the lonely feeling he'd had before, it was a prickling at the base of his neck, the feeling of being watched. There was someone in the hall.

Will dropped his eyes and searched the darkened hall, ears alert. He instinctively stepped forward and to the right, eyes moving methodically over the bare stone walls. Then he heard it. Just to his right, a soft shuffle and rustle of cloth, very close. Nothing seemed to be there, however, Will looked at the empty space curiously. He frowned and stepped forward again in the direction the noise had come from. He reached his hand out, fingers brushing cloth that wasn't there and he clenched his hand on it, tugging gently. The air tugged back.

"All right, who is it?" Will asked, not letting go.

At first there was silence, then slowly the cloth moved under his fingers, falling away with a soft hiss of fabric. It uncovered a familiar dark-haired boy and Will looked more than surprised.

"Harry?"

Harry had the good grace to look embarrassed for eavesdropping, he shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other a faint blush creeping into his cheeks. "Er, hi Will."

Will's eyebrow raised in a silent question.

Harry sighed and glanced around before turning his eyes back to Will. "Look, I'm sorry I followed you. It's just, you.. this afternoon.. Or I guess it was yesterday now." Harry babbled nervously and Will smiled at him.

"What about yesterday?" he asked, directing Harry's muddled thought process.

"Oh, um, you... you spoke to the milgwn." He said quietly.

Will looked at him sharply. "I spoke." He is not willing to give anything away to this overly curious boy yet.

Harry nodded. "And it wasn't English. At first I thought it was Welsh and asked you about it. But then Ron interrupted and I had more time to think about it. It didn't sound very welsh. So I was thinking, maybe you knew the foxes language, some people are like that." Harry falters, "Th-they can speak to... animals."

Will was silent for a moment, surprised again at other people seeing things normally only he saw. He had to keep reminding himself that these people all had access to High Magic, and most of what he saw was also visible to them. "I did not speak an animal language yesterday." he said slowly.

"Are you sure, I didn't know that I..." He stopped suddenly, looking unsure.

Will spoke before Harry could finish. "No I was speaking another language. It was neither Welsh nor the speech of the miglwn."

Harry looked perplexed, dark brown hair falling into his eyes before he brushed it away absently. "Then what was it?"

Will frowned, wondering how much to tell Harry. After a moment he finally decided that if it proved too much, he would simply erase the boy's memories of the conversation. He began talking, voice hushed in the empty corridor. "It is the oldest language but it is none you have ever heard of, we'll call it Old speech." He explained.

"Why do you know it?" Harry was curious.

"I am... what you call an Old One. An ambassador of the Light."

"Is that something like the Force?" Harry asked in bemusement and there was a hint of sarcasm in the question.

Will almost snapped back at him, but smiled. "I suppose it is a bit like the force. Though not in the same way."

Harry looked disbelieving but stopped as he heard footsteps. "Someone's coming, quick!" He swirled the cloak about them and pushed Will back against a wall, next to a pillar.

They were quiet, as they listened to the steps echo off the empty stone, cold wall pressing against their backs. It sounded as though there were two pairs of steps and the sounds of voices confirmed this fact. Both voices were recognizable to Will. Dumbledore's older, calm voice is first.

"Your presence here is unwarranted, Rider." It was not as mirthful as it normally tended to be, instead sounding tired and strained.

The harsh voice of the Black Rider came next, causing Will to stiffen next to Harry as the voice cut through them both. "You show favor to the Light, my presence is necessary."

"That is not for you to decide." The headmaster reproached as they come into view. Dumbledore was still in his regular robes, looking older than ever, white beard dangling down the front of his robes and the wrinkles in his face much deeper, looking a bit like a crumpled up shirt just after it has come out of a drawer after being in it for a month. The Rider looked like Will has always remembered him, his chestnut hair had a hint of a red glow, cold piercing blue eyes that could freeze some with a simple look. He was wearing all black as usual, his clothes are closer to Wizarding clothes than normal ones. He had a long riding cloak on over his black trousers and black riding boots that peeked out from beneath the hem.

The Rider stepped angrily in front of Dumbledore, blue eyes piercingly cold now as he fixes his anger on the headmaster. "High magic should never favor one side. You know this, my lord." As he spoke, he gestured with a long, pale arm, showing agitation and irritation.

"I would not say anyone is favored. Tom helps you, we help Will." Albus looked resolute but frail.

"You will regret your involvement." The rider's voice came out in a loud call, filling the hall as though announcing a battle and calling his soldiers. "The collector of Keys will fail and we will triumph. The Dark is Rising and the Key Collector will fall!" The call had grown louder until the end when it fell abruptly.

Dumbledore didn't look impressed. "Very well. If that is all, it is rather late."

The Rider glared for a moment longer before turning on his heel and striding off, the clicking of his boots on the stone fading into the distance with him. But as he passed Will and Harry, Will was certain he saw a smug smirk on the man's face. Everything was quiet for a moment as Dumbledore watched him go. Finally he turned toward the pillar, again looking tired.

"You boys are out far past curfew." He said gently, and Will blinked in surprise. Harry didn't look as stunned and with a quick motion, he slid the cloak off them both. "Sorry, Headmaster."

"Oh, I can understand, Harry. But it's dangerous." He looked at Will carefully for a moment.

Will looked back, and spoke. "The Black Rider, it was Tom he was talking to?" Will spoke aloud but his thoughts were not really a question.

"Indeed, he has been here before." Dumbledore agreed. "The Dark is not happy you are here. How goes your quest, Old One?"

"I have found nothing yet, but the Milgwn are in the forest, you should perhaps warn the students."

"Ah, there are much worse in the forest than the creatures of the dark. The students know of the danger." He smiled wearily. "You will find the keys in time, Will. Perhaps it is time for both of you to retire to your chambers?"

Harry was looking completely baffled and about to protest. Dumbledore spoke up before he could. "If Mr. Stanton needs your help, I'm sure he will request it. You are trustworthy but a little attracted to danger, Harry." The headmaster looked amused. He winked at Harry and turned to leave. "Goodnight to both of you." He called over his shoulder as he walked away.

Will watched him go and sighed heavily. Dumbledore certainly sounded a lot like Merriman, sometimes. He pushed the lonely ache away and smiled at Harry. "Suppose he's right. Time to tuck in." He began walking back down the hall but felt a restraining hand on his arm. He stopped and turned to see Harry looking curiously at him.

What was Dumbledore talking about?" He asked, his hair in even more disarray than usual what with all the pulling off and on of his cloak. "Quest? Keys?"

Will smiled patiently. "It's… a long story." He murmured. "And a little late to start."

Harry looked unconvinced but something told him he would get little more from Will Stanton tonight. And so they fell in step together, walking in silence back toward their houses. Harry was so caught up in thought that he almost didn't notice when Will stopped in his tracks, staring into a room that Harry didn't recognize.

He retraced his steps and peered into the room. For a moment he could only see inky darkness but slowly he noticed a glow on the far side of the room. It seemed as though it had always been there but how could it if the room had been pitch black moments earlier? He frowned as Will stepped into the room and moved forward as though drawn by a chord. "What is it?" He whispered, following Will a little reluctantly.

Will held up a finger to say 'wait' and Harry noticed that the glow had grown so it was simple to see the details of the finger held up. He looked in the direction of the glow and saw it was coming from a bookshelf. As Will approached the glowing light, it brightened even more, and they could both make out a squarish shape in the shelf glowing now like a fluorescent bulb pulsing slightly. "This is high magic…. Very powerful." Will murmurs quietly as he kneels in front of the shelf.

"You're going to touch it?!" Harry asked incredulously not trusting the thing that seemed to brighten as they spoke.

Will nodded and reached his hand forward, fingers closing on it as the glow brightened unbearable. Harry found he had to look away and close his eyes as the light filled every corner of the room shining like the sun. Will held it in front of him and squinted against the light. The book rose in his hands, spinning once before the pages flipped across and then the book re-closed, settling back down in Will's hand and suddenly flickering out as though it had burnt out.

Harry opened his eyes to absolute darkness again. He blinked a few times to be sure they were open. "Can you do a lighting spell, Harry?" Will asked, holding the book.

Harry fumbled with his wand for a moment before managing to pull it out and lighting the tip. Will stood and turned so they could see the cover of the book in Harry's wand-light. Harry frowned and read the title. "The Clew?" He scratched his head. "Never heard of it. What is it?"

Will's brows drew together as he thought back, the words rang a bell. It took a moment to recall but as he did, the words issued from his mouth without thought.

The Clew for the connection

He flipped the book open and read the first paragraph.

The Clew is the thread which leads to the heart of the spiral castle. It connects with the past generations, with the dead, the ancestors. It reaches toward the future and what may be. The man who holds it can go beyond the gate - and make a way for others. He sees the invisible web and follows the silver thread which most ignore.

Harry frowned. "What does that mean?"

Will flipped the page and noticed that the rest of the book was empty. He turned back to the first paragraph and looked thoughtfully at the page. "Hmm… I wonder." He held his hand over the book and muttered something in old speech. Harry leaned forward as he saw the book do something strange. The T that began the paragraph was done in a fancy silver lined ink, decorated in twirls and curls of silver paint in very thin filigreed lines. As they watched, the silver seemed to bubble up and collect like paint or liquid metal. Will reached down and picked the silver up off the page, pulling away a long, thin, thread-like strand. He held it up between them and Harry reached out to touch it in curiosity.

As his finger connected with the other end of the string, both boys felt a jolt like electricity surge through their bodies. Suddenly the string was connected to their fingers, sliding in like a needle. It didn't hurt but they were both shocked and Harry almost fell backward. "Wah… what's it doing?!" He asked in a panicky voice.

"I don't know, but…" Will trailed off as the string seemed to go invisible. He pulled his hand back with no resistance from Harry. He could still feel a slight electric tingle at the tip of his finger as though it was still there but as he waved his hand between them nothing caught. "I think we found the first key." He said thoughtfully. He remembered what the book said. "Connecting past generations… That must be me. It reaches toward the future and what may be. It could be you or high magic in general." Will shook his head. "It's too late to think about this. Let's go to bed and figure it out tomorrow."

Harry was still looking at his finger. "Yeah. That sounds good. You have a lot to explain to me."

Will nodded and they slowly headed toward the door, Will tucking the book against his body.