CHAPTER 7: BIG TROUBLES
With a couple of flicks of his wand, the stubble covering O'Bannon's face vanished. He ran a hand over both cheeks. Absolutely smooth, better than any Muggle razor could do. He thanked God their wands let him and his friends maintain their personal hygiene. Staying as clean and well-groomed as possible helped them feel human despite being stuck in the middle of the wilderness. As Rosa put it, "Just because we're miles from civilization doesn't mean I'm gonna walk around with gorilla legs."
He smiled when he remembered Jared's comment to her. "Yeah, like there are any guys around here you need to impress."
Even Artimus had chuckled at that one, though very, very briefly.
O'Bannon got to his feet, drawing in a breath of cool air. Fall would be here soon. He found it hard to believe they had been in the Appalachians for well over a month. Their group dynamic was starting to get back to normal. Rosa and Jared exchanged their usual barbs. Not as many as he'd grown used to over the last eight years, but it was better than the cousins not ripping on one another.
He glanced across the encampment at Artimus, who laid out breakfast with Jared's help. He started talking more, but the sorrow remained in his eyes. O'Bannon wondered if his friend would ever completely get over Hector's death.
Does anyone ever get over the death of a brother?
After the children got their breakfasts, he picked up his. Two cans of fruit cocktail and a can of beef raviolis. He looked at the knapsacks where they stored their food. They were getting low on canned goods for one more meal. They'd have to start rationing, and foraging some more. Hopefully Mireet would show up in a day or two with more food. It wasn't like she could come up with a fixed schedule for this, not with a war on.
He used his wand to transfigure a couple of twigs into a spoon and fork, open the can of raviolis and heat them. His heartbeat quickened, as it did every time he thought of Mireet. Her visits had become one of the few bright spots during this life of exile. Brief though they were, he savored every second of them. He thought of her smile, her silky French accent, the way her long blond hair sometimes draped over her right shoulder, her eyes, warm and doe-like, but concealing unlimited strength.
O'Bannon leaned against a tree trunk. If it weren't for this damn war . . .
"Morning, Coach Jimmy."
He looked up to see Holly. A jolt of nervousness went through him, as it usually did whenever she came around him. Ever since that first night in the mountains, when he had alleviated her fears with a simple bedtime story, she'd become . . . attached, he guessed was the right word, to him. She always tried to stick close to him when they hiked through the woods, or sit next to him during meals. And she always wanted him to tell her a bedtime story. Yeah, he cared about all these kids and would do anything to protect them, but this . . . this stuff with Holly crossed into parent territory. He could handle coaching these kids, but being a surrogate parent to them? How appropriate could it be for an 18-year-old guy to get close to a 7-year-old girl who wasn't a family member?
"Morning, Holly."
She plopped down next to him, staring at her cans with a sullen expression. This went on for about a minute.
"Um, you okay, Holly?"
She shook her head, not looking up at him.
"Uh, you want to talk about it?"
Holly lifted her head and stared at him, an air of sadness surrounding her face.
O'Bannon hoped she wouldn't cry.
"So, um, what's wrong?"
Her shoulders rose and fell with a long breath. "I had a dream last night."
"A bad dream?"
Holly shook her head.
"What did you dream about?" he asked.
"My kitty cat, Nibbles."
"That sounds like a nice dream. Why would that make you upset?"
Holly hung her head. Her jaw quivered.
O'Bannon tensed, waiting for her to cry, and dreading it.
"I usually dream about Mommy and Daddy, 'cause I miss 'em real, real bad. I mean, I love Nibbles, too. But Mommy and Daddy . . . I'm scared they'll get hurt, and . . . and I'm scared that if I don't dream about them, then I'll stop caring about them and stop missing them, and I don't wanna do that."
A tear slid down Holly's cheek.
"Hey, c'mon." O'Bannon put an arm around her. "Don't think that way. Just because you have a dream about your cat instead of your parents doesn't mean you've stopped worrying about them or caring about them. I miss my Mom and Dad, too, and I worry about them. I think about them a lot and I've had a few dreams about being back with them. But don't feel guilty about other things you care about popping up in your dreams. We all have little stuff in our lives that we miss. You know, a couple nights ago, before I fell asleep, I was thinking how the World Series and the start of the NHL season is coming up. I was wondering if the fr . . . uh, stupid Yankees were gonna win the Series, I was wondering how the Bruins would do this year. Doesn't seem important when we're hiding from Death Eaters, but watching baseball and hockey were big deals to me, and I do think about it from time to time. It doesn't make me care less about my parents when I do, it's just . . . I don't know. I think thinking about those little slices of life, and how much we miss them, it just makes us human."
"Really?"
"Yup. Really."
A smile formed on Holly's face. She put down her can of fruit cocktail and threw her arms around O'Bannon. He stiffened at the sudden hug, then set down his can and wrapped an arm around the little girl.
"I wish I could see Mommy and Daddy and let 'em know how much I miss them."
"So do I, Holly." Unfortunately, the Guild decided it would not be a good idea to pass along messages from these kids to their parents. No contact meant no information Death Eaters could extract from them.
"You think they're okay?" she asked.
"Yeah, I'm sure they are. Probably taking care of Nibbles, too."
"You think they miss me?"
"I guarantee you, they miss you a lot."
Holly's smile kept growing. Her mood improved, she dug into her breakfast.
When they finished eating, they got to their feet. Holly sprinted to the middle of the encampment, where the children placed their empty cans on the ground.
O'Bannon started over there, too, when Rosa intercepted him, an elfish grin plastered on her face.
"She certainly has become your number one fan."
The corners of his mouth twisted. He shrugged.
"What?" Rosa asked. "You have a problem with Holly being around you so much?"
"I, uh, well . . . I don't know. Just, I guess I get nervous when I have to do this parent kinda stuff."
Rosa shot him a sympathetic smile. "Well from what I've seen, you're doing a great job with this 'parent kinda stuff'."
"You think so?"
"If you were doing a crappy job of it, I'd tell you. So quit doubting yourself. Got it?"
"Yes, Ma'am." He threw her a mock salute.
Rosa slapped his chest. "You're an ass. And here I was going to tell you what a great father you'd make, especially if you have kids with a certain special witch who's tall, blond and, oh yeah, French."
O'Bannon groaned. "Rosa, now's not the time."
"I think this is the time."
He started to walk away. "I tried to have a girlfriend while fighting a war, and look -"
Rosa leapt in front of him. "That was months ago, Jimmy. You can't keep clinging to that as an excuse for not -"
"Rosa, just . . . just drop it. Okay?"
He didn't wait for Rosa to respond. He just stepped around her and walked toward the center of the encampment.
Thankfully, Rosa didn't say anything more about him and Mireet. Had circumstances been drastically different, he'd be doing his damnedest to be with her, as more than just a friend. But how could he even think about starting a relationship with her with the Wizarding World at war, and with him hiding in the Appalachians?
Using their wands, the quartet dug a deep hole and dumped all the cans into it. Another spell reduced them to molten slag. Once the hole was covered, O'Bannon took out his magical map of the Appalachians. Rosa, Jared and Artimus gathered around him.
"Okay, if everything goes well, we should be able to get to the North Carolina/Kentucky border by the end of the day."
"Just make sure to give this area a wide berth." Jared tapped a section of the map with the image of a group of large, brutish figures. Next to them was the word GIANTS.
"You read my mind, buddy." Giants, to say the least, had never been on the friendliest of terms with wizards. They'd become even more dangerous now as many of them had sided with Voldemort.
Using their wands, they tapped parts of the map to designate as rally points, where they could regroup in the event of an emergency. After that, the quartet Apparated the children to a tree-covered hilltop. From there they began their hike. Times like this, he wished they could just Apparate all day long. They'd cover a hell of a lot more distance. But too much Apparating in a short span of time put a strain on the body. The last thing he wanted was for them to Apparate, especially with the kids, when they were exhausted. They'd likely miss their destination, or worse, splinch themselves or, God forbid, the children, and none of them was skilled at spells to reattach body parts. He decided to limit their Apparating to three times a day. The rest of the time they walked.
The day passed uneventfully. They hiked, took a break, hiked some more, took another break, foraged, Apparated, hiked, rested, foraged, hiked, rested, Apparated, then set up camp for the night.
They put Anti-Spoiling Charms on the animals they caught, saving them for tomorrow, and used the last of their canned goods for dinner. O'Bannon saw Artimus sitting against a mound of dirt on the far side of the encampment and joined him.
"How're ya doing?" he asked as he sat beside him.
"Okay." Artimus dipped his spoon into a can of pear halves. "I feel like it's getting easier. All the walking, I mean. The first few days I didn't think I'd be able to keep up."
"Just takes some gettin' used to. At least you don't have an excuse to avoid exercise any more."
Artimus grinned briefly. While O'Bannon, Rosa and Jared all led very active lives, Art tended to shy away from physical activity. Walking back and forth to class at Salem was the most exercise he ever got.
The two ate in silence for a few minutes, their backs pressed against the soft mound of dirt. After finishing his pears, Artimus let out a sigh and turned to him. "You know, I've been thinking about my family a lot lately."
O'Bannon stopped chewing his potatoes. A jolt of surprise punched through him. Given how the other Rands had treated Artimus, he hadn't expected that sort of statement.
Then again, it is his family, even if they are all assholes.
"Yeah?" was his only response.
Artimus nodded. "I don't know. I haven't spoken to any of them since graduation."
That didn't come as a surprise. O'Bannon had personally witnessed Ulysses Rand's tirade when he learned his youngest son had dared get a job for the Department of Magic's Office of Wizarding-Muggle Relations. The old jagoff went so far as to kick Artimus out of their house.
After drawing a slow breath, Artimus continued. "Sometimes I wonder why I think about them at all. Maybe it's hearing all these kids talk about how much they miss their families. But their families are probably a lot better than mine. I bet none of their fathers ever kicked them out of the house." He nodded toward a group of kids sitting around a tree. "For all I know, my father and Arcadius and Horace don't even miss me."
O'Bannon opened his mouth, about to disagree. But the words died on his tongue. Much as he hated to admit it, Artimus may actually have a point. The Rands always struck him as a cold and distant family. It made him wonder how Artimus and Hector turned out the way they –
Something pushed him. His can and spoon fell from his grasp as he pitched forward. Artimus gasped, throwing out his arms to keep from falling on his face.
"What the hell?" O'Bannon spun around. His mouth hung open.
The mound of dirt moved!
He and Artimus scrambled back on their hands and feet, watching the ground ripple before them. A deep moan filled the air. The ground rose higher.
Fear clenched O'Bannon's chest. He couldn't blink as he gazed at the huge form.
It wasn't dirt. Dirt didn't have hands, or legs, or shoulders, or a face with a long, scraggly beard and wild dark hair.
They hadn't been sitting against a mound of dirt. They'd been sitting against a giant.
How the . . . we're too far away from their territory.
The giant rose to its feet. My God, the thing had to be eighteen, nineteen feet tall, its skin a deep brown and caked with dirt. It let out another deep moan.
High-pitched screams ripped through the air. O'Bannon turned. Children shot to their feet, screaming and pointing.
The giant turned to them. It leaned forward and bellowed.
Several children shrieked and ran off in different directions.
"Stay together!" Rosa shouted. "Stay together!"
The giant took a step toward them.
O'Bannon sprang to his feet. He cast two Battering Spells before Artimus got up and did the same.
The giant was unfazed by the spells. He scowled and continued forward.
The two backed up, unleashing spells and curses. Every bolt that struck the giant only seemed to make him angry. He unleashed another loud bellow.
"Art! Jared! Get the kids and get them to Rally Point F. Me and Rosa will hold him off."
He wanted to laugh at those last words. Like they could really hold off a giant. Those brutes were strong enough to fend off most spells and curses. Even experienced aurors had trouble taking down giants.
Bolts flew from their wands. None slowed down the giant. It bellowed and swept its arm at them. O'Bannon and Rosa dropped to their stomachs. A shadow and a rush of wind passed over him. He lifted his head. The giant stomped forward, the ground quaking. Clutching his wand, O'Bannon rolled away. The giant's foot slammed down barely six yards from him. O'Bannon bounced up in the air for a moment, then hit the ground.
Heart hammering in his chest, he checked for Rosa. She started to get to her feet.
More screams reached his ears, as did the crackle of spells. He spotted Jared standing in front of the Cubbages, Willie, Crea and three other children. His friend kept casting spells and curses as the giant closed in on them.
No, no, no! O'Bannon scrambled to his feet. "HEY! HEY!" He sent three Battering Spells at the giant's head. "HEY, UGLY! OVER HERE!"
The giant ignored him. Jared and the kids backed up. The giant reached down toward them.
A fireball flew from Rosa's wand. It struck the giant's scruffy hair near his ear. A second fireball hit the same spot. Flames lashed at the giant's hair and skin. It roared and beat at the flames with a massive hand. The giant swung around, baring its crooked, dark yellow teeth at him and Rosa.
Yeah, that got his attention.
O'Bannon and Rosa sprinted away. The giant bellowed and followed them. He twisted around and launched several spike-covered balls from his wand. Rosa shot more fireballs. Flames smoldered on the giant's hairy chest and arms. It howled in rage and pounded after them. Mini earthquakes ripped through the ground. He and Rosa fought to maintain their balance.
They ran down an embankment, winding their way through the trees. The giant kept after them, snapping smaller trees as if they were weeds.
O'Bannon's lungs burned. His legs felt like lead. He and Rosa couldn't run forever. They'd eventually have to stand and face the giant. That, of course, would be suicide.
Think! He tried to remember all the stories he heard about Kensington Kadermass, the greatest hero in the war against the Adirondack giants. What were his principles when it came to fighting giants?
The first one was simple, relatively speaking.
"We gotta get it off its feet!"
Rosa nodded.
They darted between two large trees, and stopped. Rosa lifted her wand. Thick ropes shot out the tip, attaching themselves to each tree. O'Bannon imitated her.
The giant charged at them.
"Yeah! C'mon!" Rosa cast another fireball at him. "Try and get us!"
The giant lumbered forward. O'Bannon and Rosa backed up, still casting spells. The giant bellowed, reaching out.
It passed between the trees. The ropes snagged its legs.
O'Bannon bolted left, Rosa right. The giant pitched forward and slammed into the ground. A quake lifted O'Bannon off his feet. He hit the ground and rolled. Grunting, he picked himself up on all fours.
The giant shook its head and started pushing himself up.
Keep him off his feet.
"Freezium!" A jet of white light shot from O'Bannon's wand. A sheet of ice covered the forest floor. He then used his Freezing Spell to conjure a boulder-sized chunk of solid ice, which he hurled at the giant. It cracked against the brute's head.
The giant turned to him, rubbing the side of its skull. Growling, it got to its feet, took a step forward . . .
And slipped on the ice.
Another tremor rocked the forest as the giant struck the ground.
O'Bannon regained his balance and hurried back toward the encampment. He spotted Rosa across from him. They climbed the embankment and ran for the middle of the clearing. It was deserted.
"Anybody here!" he yelled.
"Hello!" Rosa shouted. "It's Rosa and Jimmy! We took care of the giant!"
"Anybody around! Hello! Hel-"
Movement to his left. He whirled around, wand raised.
"It's me! It's me!" Deanna Jackson raised her hands, trembling violently.
"Deanna!" O'Bannon rushed over to her, followed by Rosa. He grasped her shoulders. "Are you okay?"
"Yes," she squeaked. The girl looked scared out of her mind.
Who wouldn't be after something like that?
"Did you see anyone else?"
Deanna shook her head. "N-No. I-I-I hid behind this bush, and I heard you, and . . . and . . ."
"You're safe now, sweetie." Rosa hugged her. "That's all that matters."
O'Bannon looked in the direction they'd come. He heard more bellows and more thuds.
"C'mon. Let's get to the rally point."
They all held on to each other and Apparated. They reappeared near a small pond, its banks lined with weeds. He spotted Jared, Artimus and several of the children.
"Everybody here?" He scanned the group.
"We've got sixteen," Jared said. "Well, now that you got Deanna, it's seventeen."
Dread consumed O'Bannon's soul. He had to fight to keep panic from taking him over.
They were missing one kid.
"Who's not here?"
"Brendan," Daedalus answered.
O'Bannon clenched his teeth. Brendan Heinz, at six, he was one of the youngest members of the group.
"Rosa. You and me are going back. The rest of you stay here."
"Guys." Jared stepped forward. "There's a giant back there. You're gonna need all the help you can get."
"I said stay here. Protecting these kids is more important than helping us. We'll be fine."
Jared opened his mouth to argue further.
O'Bannon ended any debate by Apparating.
Moments later he Disapparated at the encampment. Rosa appeared next to him. He scanned the area, ears perked up. He didn't see or hear the giant. Maybe it had moved on. Could their luck really be that good?
"Split up. Brendan's gotta be around here somewhere."
Rosa started to go to the right, then halted. "Jimmy. The map."
He wanted to smack himself. How could he forget? The magical map Mireet had given him kept constant track of the locations of him, his friends and the children.
He pulled it out of his jacket and unfolded it. The dot representing Brendan was about 150 yards to his left, behind a tree trunk.
They sprinted through the woods. O'Bannon glanced at the map every few seconds. They were getting closer.
A grinding noise caught his attention. He looked left.
The giant crashed through the woods, knocking down trees. He spotted them and bellowed.
"Oh crap!" He and Rosa picked up their pace. "Brendan! Brendan, we're coming!"
He saw Brendan poke his head up from behind the tree trunk. Even from this distance he could tell the boy was crying.
"Brendan! Stay there! We're coming -"
A tree dropped from the air and crashed in front of them. O'Bannon stumbled backwards and fell. He looked left.
The giant stomped toward them.
He turned to Rosa. "Get Brendan and go."
Rosa hesitated, her eyes flickering between him and the giant.
"Now!"
Biting her lip, Rosa took off toward Brendan.
O'Bannon got to his feet, pointing his wand at the ground. "Free-"
The world spun past him. A huge vice clamped around his body. He groaned, fighting for breath.
Everything stopped. He opened his eyes. His muscles tensed with fear.
The giant held him in its grip. Hatred radiated from its dark eyes and ugly, hairy face.
O'Bannon struggled to no avail. His arms were pinned so he couldn't use his wand. Rosa had probably Apparated away with Brendan by now.
Oh God. I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die.
The giant opened its mouth. A thick, rotten stench washed over O'Bannon. He felt the urge to puke.
The giant's grip on him tightened. He closed his eyes and grimaced. An image of Mireet popped into his head.
I'm so sorry. I l-
Something whooshed underneath him. The giant cried out. O'Bannon opened his eyes and looked down. Flames sprang from the giant's crotch. A second fireball nailed him there. The giant shrieked and let go of him. O'Bannon fell through the air. He tried to find the breath to utter a Cushioning Charm. He failed.
Somehow, a cushion of soft air formed under him. He bounced off it and rolled to the ground. When he looked up, he saw Rosa, wand in one hand, Brendan's hand in her other.
The giant stomped around, bellowing and knocking down trees.
Rosa bent down and grabbed his shoulder. "Hold on."
They vanished in three distinct cracks.
When they reappeared at the rally point, O'Bannon fell on his back, staring up at the darkening sky.
"Jimmy!" Rosa knelt over him. "Jimmy, are you all right?"
He took a long breath. He felt sore, but not in great pain. He didn't think anything was broken.
Talk about lucky.
He groaned and slowly sat up, helped by Rosa. Worry spread across her face.
"Looks like you remembered Kensington Kadermass' second principle for fighting giants." He gave her a crocked grin. "Hit 'em in sensitive places."
Moisture formed in Rosa's eyes. Her face stiffened. Without warning she flung her arms around him. He hugged her back.
"Thanks," O'Bannon whispered in her ear.
"There's no way in hell I'm gonna let some damn giant crush you to death." She kissed his cheek and leaned back, struggling to form a smile.
He pushed himself to his feet.
"Coach Jimmy!"
Holly Juniper barreled into him and hugged him around the waist. Taken aback for a few seconds, he finally returned the hug.
"You're okay, aren't you?" she asked.
"Heck, yeah. I'm fine."
"I can't believe you fought a giant, Coach Jimmy." Jonah Cubbage stared at him wide-eyed.
"Yeah!" Madson Yarroway nodded emphatically. "That was so cool."
Cool was the last word O'Bannon would use to describe that experience, but right now he didn't have it in him to argue. He just stated, "I had help," and looked to his three friends.
"Ya know . . ." Jared folded his arms and grinned at him. "I always thought one day all your hero worshipping of Kensington Kadermass would pay off."
O'Bannon scoffed. "Kadermass probably would've taken that giant down like that." He snapped his fingers, then looked off into the woods in thought.
"Something wrong, Jimmy?" asked Artimus.
"Yeah. That giant. We had to be a good eighty miles from its territory. What the hell was it doing that far from home?"
Jared shrugged. "Maybe it got kicked out of its tribe. That happens sometimes with them. You ask me that thing's lucky. Usually if giants don't like someone in their tribe, they just kill 'im."
"What if this giant wasn't kicked out?"
Everyone turned to Rosa.
"What do you mean?" asked Daedalus.
"What if it was a scout?"
"A scout?" A perplexed look came over Jared's face. "What the heck would he be scouting for?"
"Food. Water. Threats to giant territory. Wayward travelers."
"I guess we fall into that category." Jared frowned.
Rosa nodded. "And if he was a scout, then he'll be heading back to giant territory to tell all his friends about us. And we all know whose side the giants are on in this war."
O'Bannon's stomach collapsed. He gazed down at Holly, who still hugged him, then looked at the other children before turning to Rosa. "If you're right, then that means the Death Eaters are gonna know we're up here."
TO BE CONTINUED
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Jimmy's admiration for Kensington Kadermass is chronicled in my one-shot "Fear Itself."