Harry Potter and the Were-Squid

Chapter 10 The Lost City

Larry had everyone meet on the shores of The Black Lake. When they arrived everyone started talking at once, demanding to know why they were there and what was going on.

Larry stood up from the crouch he was sitting in by the lake's waters. He pulled the axe from his back and in one fluid motion split a nearby tree in half getting everyone's attention.

"Look, here's the thing. Harry needs to stop an apocalypse and you are all going to help," he said calmly.

"But why us," Ron started to protest.

Harry reached out and grabbed Ron's shoulder. "Don't mate." he said, seeing the look on Larry's face. "Just, don't."

Larry took a big breath and exhaled sharply. "You're going to help because that what you do... you fight. Harry can't fight this alone... Hell, I'm not even sure I could fight this alone." Larry sat down on a rock and looked at the gathered people.

"We all have a part to play in this and Harry needs us if he is going to have any hope of coming out of this alive," he said, nodding towards Harry who was standing off a ways looking embarrassed.

"So are you all in?"

"I never said I wouldn't help," Ron growled, "I just wanted to know why."

The others nodded with what Ron said.

"Good," Larry said as he stood up and reached into his robes. He pulled out several thick gold chains with a large silver medallions on them.

He walked first to Hermione.

"As the mind... Do you accept this duty?" She nodded and Larry placed the pendant around her neck.

Next was Ron. "As the strength... Do you accept this duty?" He nodded as well.

George smiled as he approached him.

"I can already tell you I have nothing that goes with that."

Larry actually smiled and held out the chain. "As the spirit...Do you accept this duty?" George smiled, "Why the hell not?"

He next approached Ginny who was looking for all the world as if she thought she did not belong.

"As the love... So you accept this duty." She swallowed hard and nodded.

Larry held out the last chain and placed it around his neck.

"As the guide... I accept this duty."

As soon as Larry had put the chain around his neck his as well as the others started to shine brightly. A beam shot from each of the medallions and and joined in front of Harry forming a chain and medallion, that hung in the air in front of him.

This time as Larry spoke the others joined him in hollow voices.

"Do you, as the sword, accept the duty before you."

Harry's green eyes flashed with determination as he spoke loudly and clearly.

"I do!"

The necklace made of energy shot forward and hit Harry in the chest burning it's way past his clothes and searing itself to his skin.

Harry groaned in pain but stood his ground.

The light died down all but Larry collapsed to the ground. After a few minutes every one had recovered and were standing up.

Larry slid out of the shadows and spoke up.

"The path is clear... Well it's as clear as I can make it. I've only done this a few times so if I leave bits of any of you behind... Well, just be forewarned."

The others looked back and forth between each other nervously.

Larry moved to the center of them and held out his tentacles.

"Alright, everyone grab on. Whatever happens whatever you see , don't let go."

Larry reached forward and turned a dial on the bracer and started to meld into the shadows.

"I would say this isn't going to hurt," he growled pulling the other five into the shadows after him.

"But, then I would be lying."

-ooo-

Harry woke up to find himself face down on a black sand beach. He rose up and found that Ginny, a few feet away from him, was also stirring. He stood up unsteadily and took survey of his surroundings. The beach was jet black and ran for fifty feet to a jungle wall. Harry could here the sounds of tropical birds and other creatures coming from the twisted mass of trees and vines. He reached fro his wand instinctively.

"Leave that where it is," he heard a guttural voice admonish him from the jungle.

The wall of vines split apart and Larry walked through the opening with his axe in his hands. His robes were dark with blood and the axe was gleaming.

"Magic won't work here. Too much tech," he looked at the others as they had started to stir.

"Good you're all awake. We have got to get moving we still have a ways to go," Larry turned back towards the jungle and sniffed the air. With out looking at him Larry reached into his robes and pulled out an oiled wineskin handing it to Harry, who was standing behind him.

"Drink this," he looked back over his shoulder at them, "all of you. It will help with the weakness."

Harry took the wine skin and removed the stopper.

"What is this?" he asked sniffing the contents.

"A little of this, a little of that,' he looked at Harry and snorted at his apprehension. "Don't worry, Nancy; I didn't drag your sorry carcasses across time and space to poison you all here."

Harry grinned and took a pull off the wineskin.

The liquid scorched his throat and made him cough but it did restore his strength. He handed the wineskin to the others and everyone took a drink.

Larry, who had not turned from staring at the jungle spoke up.

"Everyone feeling better?" he turned to face them.

"When we go in there," he said cocking his thumb over his shoulder at the wall of vines, "all of you follow me. You move when I move, you stop when I stop and you walk WHERE I walk. One misstep could be death."

Without any further discussion Larry moved into the jungle with the others behind him. The were immediately assaulted by the smells of decay and must that always accompany old jungles. True to his word Larry led them with out incident through a tangled maze of vines and trees. The humidity immediately caused them all to break out in a sweat. After what seemed like hours Larry held up his hand and they all stopped. He handed them each another wineskin this time filled with water.

"I hate this place," Larry growled.

"You've been here before?" Hermione asked slinging her wineskin over her shoulder.

Larry smiled. "What kind time traveler would I be if I had never checked this place out?"

He stood in the center of the small clearing where they had stopped and looked in each direction.

"It's this way," he said sounding as if he was trying to convince himself and moving off to his left.

After about an hour the sound of rushing water and an almost electrical hum could be heard coming from the way they were walking.

Larry slowed down to an almost crawl and chose his path carefully. At one point he held up his hand and they all stopped.

"I need to check something. I'll be right back," he announced slipping away, without waiting for a response.

"Do you think he knows what he is doing?" Ron voiced what everyone was thinking.

"He does seem a bit lost sometimes," Hermione agreed.

"Yeah well you try guiding a bunch of city dwellers through a jungle that no one has ever mapped and see how many survive," Larry snapped returning to the small path he had cleared. Without any further comment he started to move again towards the rushing water and the growing hum.

He stopped in front of a large wall of vines and turned and looked over his shoulder at them. The low forest light made Larry's features look more demonic than wolfish.

"Lady's, gentlemen and Harry I present to you," He reached up and pulled aside the vines like opening a curtain. They were on a rock out cropping above a valley. Waterfalls flowed into deep pools in the valley floor. Taking up most of the land was a sprawling collection of buildings. There were Romanesque buildings next to Mayan pyramids next to Etruscan temples next to architecture which should not be able to stand. At the base of each of the twelve waterfalls there were large combine generators that were th cause of the constant hum. All around the city monorails ran from one building to the next. The whole city gleamed like new but exuded a timelessness that betrayed a great age.

"The Lost City of Atlantis."

Larry looked at every one who was speechless.

"What? Did you think we were going to Manchester?'