Peter, Ginny, and Hermione managed to find out where the Governor resided. But when they got there, they were perturbed by the number of knights in full armor.
"Don't like the look of that," Peter muttered. "What are they up to now?"
"Doesn't that flag look familiar?" Hermione asked.
"It looks vaguely Narnian?" Peter asked. Ginny just shrugged.
"I was thinking more of the Telmarine flag…. But with modifications. They must have melded the two together," Hermione concluded.
"And you've lost me," Ginny muttered under her breath, forgetting who the Telmarines they were suddenly talking about might be.
"So then those are Narnians. Since there's nothing Lone Islander on it," Peter said.
"So, allies?" Hermione asked.
"No clue. We should try to find out how many years it's been since Caspian's rule. I'm guessing that if they've allowed slave trade and there seems to be only Telmarines in the army, that's not a good sign in our favor," Peter mused.
"They're not familiar with magic, right? Just scare them a little with it, and they'll do whatever we say," Ginny pointed out.
"Ginny does a great bat-bogey hex," Hermione commented.
Peter chewed on his lip as he thought it over. "Let's just try to get closer for now."
But then there seemed to be a scuffle happening just down the street from them. They turned and saw a cart full of women being brought out. A little girl and man seemed to be trying to run after the cart.
The three of them watched in horrid fascination as the women from that cart and others were placed into boats. Out of nowhere, the Green Mist reappeared and seemed to swallow the boats whole.
"What was that?" Peter gasped.
"I have a bad feeling that this is the mist we're supposed to be fighting," Hermione said.
"So, how do we fight that?" Ginny gulped.
"No clue," Hermione admitted.
Ginny stared at her. "If you have no clue, then we're really doomed."
"Well, well. What have we here?" a deep, nasty voice said. They turned and saw a group of slave traders behind them. "More foreigners? They're bound to fetch a pretty price."
Hermione and Ginny both managed to sneak their wands out of their back pocket – Moody's warnings had never bothered them – and Hermione whispered, "Stupify."
"What- What happened?" one of the slave traders gasped as their leader fell down. Ginny quickly followed up with her infamous bat-bogey hex. Peter went for a more direct approach of punching a man, still not quite used to or comfortable with using a wand.
Being less athletic than the other two, one of the men managed to forcibly disarm Hermione while she was distracted by shooting spells at the other men.
"Freeze or she dies," he threatened, holding a knife to her throat. "Drop those sticks and hands on your heads."
Peter quickly put his hands on his head, knowing the danger of the situation. After seeing Peter surrender, Ginny reluctantly threw her wand down as well.
"What do ya reckon these are anyway?" one of the traders said, picking up the wands and looking them over. He foolishly waved the wand about, making sparks fly into the air. While the traders jumped back in fright, Hermione managed to wiggle her way out of the slave trader's arms as he was distracted. She then promptly turned around and punched him. Peter pounced on another man, literally using his weight to pull the man down. Ginny dove for her wand and started shooting off more spells, alternating with punches and kicks anytime anyone got near her. Soon there were no slave traders left, but several passers-by had started gathering and were staring at them in stunned silence.
"Um," Peter said, glancing at the girls. He then raised his voice – putting on his "kingly air" – and said, "Nothing to see here. Continue with your business."
His authoritative voice had the tone of one who expected to be obeyed, so the people reluctantly shuffled on, assuming he must be an official of some sort.
"Look, the soldiers are all coming out again," Ginny pointed out.
"Let's try to blend into the crowd. As best as we can after that last demonstration," Peter said.
They watched as the parade of soldiers approached. This time – being so close to the parade – Peter and Hermione could see faces and recognized one in particular in the front of the crowd.
"Caspian!" they called. Caspian looked around, startled, and then beamed when he found them. He broke out of the parade, the crowd moving to let him through.
"Peter! Hermione! I'm delighted to see you again! And who is this?" he asked, almost too cheerfully.
"This is Ginny, Ron's sister. You remember Ron, right?" Peter introduced. "But, listen, Caspian, we need your help. And to talk with you about something important."
"Your Majesty, how do you know these people? And are they really worth wasting time on when the young king and queen are in the slave traders' grasps," some lord Peter didn't recognize asked.
"Young king and queen?" Peter asked, silently praying he didn't mean Edmund and Lucy.
Caspian shifted guiltily. "Ed and Lu and their cousin Eustace. Reepicheep too. I'm sorry, Pete. I was in the slave traders' grasp too. There wasn't anything I could do until I happened to be bought by someone who recognized me by how much I looked like my father."
"We just had some of our friends captured too. It's not your fault," Peter said, understandingly.
"We're headed to where Pug – that's the slave trader's name – supposedly holds his sales. We just overthrew Governor Gumpus who allowed slave trade to prosper so that we could make it illegal again," Caspian summarized.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Peter said anxiously.
On their way there, Caspian introduced Peter as the High King to Duke Bern and explained to Peter the plan which Bern had made for him to overthrow Gumpus and how he had then instilled Bern as duke to rule over the Lone Islands. They continued on and found that Pug was currently trying to sell Eustace, rather unsuccessfully.
"He's strong!" Pug attempted.
"He's strong alright. Smells like the rear end of a minotaur!" a merchant taunted.
"That is an outrageous lie! I'll have you know, I won my school's hygiene award," Eustace said, making Peter snort.
"I can see why you've never mentioned this cousin before," Hermione muttered.
But then the parade of soldiers behind them became visible, shocking all present.
"On your knees, every one of you, to the King of Narnia," Lord Bern called. Most obeyed, and those who didn't were pulled down by their neighbors. Some of the onlookers who had been afraid of the slave traders previously now cheered, elated by the number of soldiers who seemed to be on their side.
"Your life is forfeit, Pug, for laying your hands on our royal person," Caspian said sternly. Hermione and Ginny along with a number of soldiers Caspian had graciously lent to them had disappeared to check if their friends were there or at the other slave outlets before anyone could leave with them while Caspian was busy dealing with this slave trade post. Peter would have too, but he was too anxious about seeing his siblings safe. "But your ignorance is pardoned. The slave trade was forbidden in all our dominions quarter of an hour ago. I declare every slave in the Lone Islands and all lands under Narnian control free. Where are my friends?"
"Here!" Lucy called. She had been struggling to get away from her "owner" from the moment she had seen Caspian come. Peter pushed through the crowd and punched the man when he seemed reluctant to let Lucy go.
The man who had bought Edmund seemed to realize the gravity of the situation much more quickly, so when Edmund called out, "I'm here, Caspian," the man unlocked his chains hastily in fear.
Reepicheep piped up with an "At your service, Sire."
"Take this one and welcome," Pug said, shoving Eustace towards Caspian. "Glad to have him off my hands. Never have I seen such a drug in the market in all my born days. Priced him at five crescents in the end and still none would have him. Threw him in free with the other lots and still no one would have him. Wouldn't touch him; Wouldn't look at him."
Two merchants of Calormen then approached Caspian, showering him with a fountain of compliments, but ultimately asking for their money back.
"That is only fair, sirs," Caspian agreed after exchanging a glance with Peter who nodded. "Every man who has bought a slave today must have his money back. Pug, bring out your takings to the last minim."
"Does your Majesty mean to beggar me?" the man whined, making Peter's temper flare up. Did this man really think his troubles were anything next to what his siblings may have experienced if he had managed to sell them off?
"Why, you – " he began, but Edmund grabbed him and shook his head, gesturing towards Caspian.
"You have lived on broken hearts all your life," Caspian accused. "And if you are beggared, better a beggar than a slave."
The Pevensies ignored the rest of what happened, to focused on catching up on each others lives and lamenting that Susan wasn't there to complete the family reunion.
Once they had dealt with enough of the slave traders around the island to send a firm message that Narnia would not tolerate slave trade, Caspian turned to Peter and Hermione, saying, "Now, we can give you a proper homecoming! But however did you end up in Narnia too?"
"We traveled here on purpose," Hermione cut in. "And it's not good. It's about the Green Mist."
Caspian's grin faded. "Yes, we saw that. Apparently they sacrifice people to it to keep it from taking randomly, neither of which is right."
"Well, we know what cause it," Hermione said before launching into an explanation.
"So… how do we get rid of it?" Edmund asked anxiously.
"We… don't know that. If we got rid of all the Horcruxes, that would work, but that's near impossible," Hermione said. "Nonetheless, Susan, Harry, and Ron are working on it with of course all the adults who've long been working against Voldemort."
"So that's where she is," Caspian said, a note of longing in his voice.
"Anyways, what are we going to do about the mist?" Lucy prompted.
Bern interrupted, "If I may, there has been a sword kept here in the Lone Islands that has existed since the Golden Ages. According to legend, it is one of seven that were made by Aslan himself."
"If there were swords made by Aslan himself in the Golden Ages, wouldn't we have heard of them?" Peter frowned.
"It was at the fall of the Golden Age. They were kept in secret during the Telmarine conquest. Even though the Telmarines despised all things Narnian, they couldn't destroy these swords no matter how hard they tried, so they hoarded them so no Narnians could get their hands – or paws and claws rather – on them. When Miraz sent away the lords who were loyal to your father's reign, we brought these swords with us, one each."
"And the other lords continued on," Caspian mused, having heard bits and pieces from Bern earlier.
"Indeed they did, your Majesty. They went to seek out the source of the mist, but from the lady's story, it seems that will be fruitless," he said sadly.
"And what does this have to do with the swords? How are those supposed to help us?" Ginny asked impatiently.
"Ah! Some believe that the swords can conquer the mist," he said. "Since it is a creation of Aslan himself."
"That… may make sense. Harry killed the Horcrux that had possessed Ginny by using a sword. But that one was imbued with basilisk venom, which can destroy Horcruxes," Hermione breathed. "However, one made by Aslan himself… I can't imagine Aslan making any sort of normal sword. So there must be some magical quality of them."
"But what do we do with these swords?" Lucy asked.
They all silently looked at each other, hoping someone might have an answer, but no one did.
"Well, at least we have a direction now," Peter concluded. "Hopefully the next step will reveal itself in time."
"And as for sacrifices to the Green Mist, I'd hate for anyone to be sacrificed, but if we must, then, Bern, ensure that it is criminals first who are sacrificed," Caspian instructed.
"Wait, maybe there's some sort of spell to hold it back until we can stop it for sure?" Neville suggested. "I mean, I wouldn't know of any, but Hermione?"
"None I know of. And I'm not eager to try experimental spells," she answered.
"Father and I experiment with spell all the time," Luna suggested. "Just a week before school started, we – "
"Yes, yes, Luna. But have your spells ever accomplished anything?" Ginny interrupted.
Luna nodded. "Like I was about to say, Father and I made a spell to make dirigible plums grow much quicker this summer."
"I think there's rather a difference between dirigible plums and Green Mist," Ginny said, slightly mockingly.
"Still, experimental spells are the only chance of holding the mist back without sacrifices. But the rest of us need to move on," Hermione said.
"I can stay with her," Ginny said unexpectedly. When everyone turned to her skeptically, she elaborated, "Someone needs to make sure Luna doesn't get herself killed. And Peter's sure to go on, meaning Hermione's sure to as well. And Neville… well…um."
"I cause destruction even with normal spells? It's okay, you can say it. I know everyone thinks it," he said, somewhat glumly.
"That's not true," Ginny lied kindly.
"So Luna and Ginny will be staying behind here?" Peter finally asked, breaking the silence. No one objected. When they finally left Narrowhaven, they all said goodbye uncertainly, not knowing how long it may be until they saw each other again.
"Why are you back here?" Susan said, annoyed.
Draco whirled around. "What did you do, follow me?" he whined.
She had actually seen him disappear on the Marauder's Map, but she instead lied, "Yes. Why are you back here? And seem to not want me here?"
"I'm going back to the original plan," he scowled.
"The original plan? But Draco, you can't trust them," Susan said, reluctantly, slowly turning the charm back on.
"I can't trust my own Aunt Bellatrix?" he pointed out.
"I have no clue who that is," Susan said flatly.
"Well, she's going to be the one leading the group. And just the two of us against Dumbledore?"
"I thought you trusted me. Why wouldn't you tell me you changed your mind?" she pouted.
"Because I knew you'd react poorly!" he said.
"I am not reacting poorly," she shot back.
"Then help me work on the cabinet some more to make sure it's still working," he challenged. "Something has strangely managed to make it not work correctly anymore."
Years of practice made Susan be able to keep a guilty look from crossing her face. "Or we could just stick with the original plan," she said, walking to be in between him and the cabinet.
"This was the original plan," Draco pointed out angrily.
"You know what I meant!"
"If you're not going to help, then get out of the way," Draco sneered, grabbing her arm to push her out of the way. As Susan took a step to balance herself, she accidentally tripped backwards on the edge of the cabinet and fell in. Draco, who was still grabbing her arm, was also pulled in. They both felt a strange tugging sensation and suddenly the door snapped shut on them.
"Open the damn door!" Susan shouted to Draco.
"I'm trying!" he protested, struggling to get up. Being more accustomed to seeing in the dark, Susan got up first and snaked her way around Draco and managed to get the door open. But they were no longer in the Room of Requirement.
"What in the name of Merlin's beard?"
"By the Mane…"
Yes, yes I know I'm mixing book and movie verse. But I always found it strange that the "heroes" would only take down only the slave trader who had captured them and not bother dealing with the rest of them. Especially since they also didn't even seem to do enough to stop Pug from going straight back to slave trading once their back was turned in the movie version.
