(A/N All Harry Potter characters belong to JKR I'm just having fun with them)
Chapter 11
Moss covered the grey stone of the front stairs that led to the broken front door. Ian led the way, followed by Xo. It soon became apparent that the magic dampening field was still functioning. Annalisa expected the control runes for it to be just inside the chamber. She and Belle followed Ian into the Entrance Hall. It was a large square room, devoid of any ornamentation, with a solid floor of rock, and thick walls. The moss hung down, covering the walls in random places. They split up, searching for the runes that controlled the dampening field. The only light was from the broken door, so it was taking a long time.
"Could it be on the ceiling?" asked Belle, looking up into the gloom.
"Maybe, but let's check the walls thoroughly first," Annalisa said, with a grimace.
Ian was walking near the far door when he heard a click, the stone beneath his feet sunk into the floor and a grating noise was heard. He looked up, shouting for everyone to get out, but it was of no use; a large, rectangular stone fell from above, blocking the doorway, shutting out the light and sealing to room.
"Damn it all!" Ian roared, frustrated with himself, it was a non-magical trap. He strode back and forth, forcing himself to calm down as he took stock of their situation.
"Is everyone ok?" He called out loud.
"Good," came Xo's grunt from the left.
"We're both here, and fine," Annalisa said, stumbling away from the stone, coughing from the wave of dust that was stirred up.
"Right; no light, no magic, any ideas?" Ian asked the room. His answer was silence. Lone Feather flew a few circles around the perimeter before returning to camp, to start the waiting game.
Bill led his team across the storeroom to a long hall with several doorways. A detection charm showed concealed magic.
"Something hidden here, I can't see any energy, but I know it's there." Bill looked tense, ready for action.
"Should I send a Pug?" Owen asked.
"No, not if I can't see where it sets off the trap. Let's all shine some light down the hall. Look for carvings or any runes at all."
Three spells lit up the area, as Bill cast a spell to cause a controlled gust of wind blowing away some of the dust. They looked in, standing awkwardly close at the beginning of the narrow hall.
"Nothing here," Barns muttered, stepping back to give the others more room.
"There are some big statues in the next room lining the wall, and tables lined up in the middle, the only room on the left looks like a kitchen of sorts, and on the right are servant's quarters. I see no runes though." Harry said, using his contacts to see through the walls. Owen and Barns glanced at him, open curiosity on their faces.
"Alright, Pug it Owen! Barns, cast a shield; you too Harry." Bill seemed slightly frustrated. The dog walked slowly forward, Owen guiding while watching Bill's hand motions. It had just cleared the hall into the big room, when Splat! Harry wished he wasn't looking, a spear pinned the dog to the floor. Harry didn't have time to worry about that much though, because the spear drew the dog out of sight.
"That's not good," Bill stated, "what do you see Harry?"
"Statues are up and moving, coming this way!" Harry almost yelled it out.
Owen started casting a spell, his wand swirling, conjuring a wall. Bill pushed Harry back, and stood side to side with Barns in the narrow hall, wands up. Owen was now kneeling down, his wall finished at about four feet high, and hopefully it would buy them some time.
The statues were made of bronze: they were robed men wearing sandals, with a headdress of crown-like fashion, and carrying square shields inlayed with geometric patterns. They carried a combination of spiked clubs and spears. The wall slowed their approach, as Bill and Barns shot hexes and curses to little effect. The shields of the bronze Warriors were blocking the spells. The good thing was, only one would fit in the hall at a time, because the one in front was stabbing with its spear. Owen shielded the spear thrusts, as spell after spell slammed into the bronze warrior with no visible damage.
Bill stepped backwards, between Barns and Owen, realizing his spells were having no effect, but Owen's wall and shield were holding the statues at bay. He paced back and forth in the small storeroom, his hands pressing into his hair.
"Alright, bronze statues, resistant to magic, controlled by what? Something has to direct them, or point them in a direction." Bill was thinking out loud.
"I need a quill and parchment; no, wait, look here-Harry do you see a rune like this inside?" Bill traced a pattern in the dust with his finger. It was a flat spiral with a dot in the center. Harry moved up to the hall, looking past the statues crowding the door. He was looking all along the walls.
"It will be in the middle Harry," Bill was loud and impatient. Harry looked, it was hard to see past the moving statues; but on the center table was a small golden man, a spiral on its forehead, a ruby centered inside it.
"Yeah, the center table, a little gold man, it's got that rune."
"Ok, stand back," Bill moved up to Barns again, "we need to push them back to get a clear shot of the center table."
Barns looked over, and caught Bill's eye, and noticing the intensity of his stance, he nodded in confirmation.
"Magnus Ventus!" he shouted. Winds screamed down the hall, breaking bits of stone from the walls, and pushing the statues back, opening the crumbling doorway wider. The sound was deafening, but as soon as the spell slowed, Bill lunged forward, vaulting Owen and what was left of the wall. He rolled into the room past the struggling statues. Looking around wildly, the warriors had turned to focus on him. Bill ran to the far side of the tables, a pain shooting up his leg. He now had a clear shot on the gold idol, but little time before the advancing warriors got to him.
"Profundo Ignis!" A stream of flames launched out of Bill's wand, growing hotter as he focused on the idol. The warriors were getting closer, when a table flew into them, slowing their approach. Owen stood in the doorway, grim and determined. The idol started to glow red with heat, as Bill struggled to hold his spell. Harry came in behind Owen, and watched as clubs smashed the old table to bits. Focusing on Owen's lesson from the night before, Harry conjured a shield. It was round and made of wood, but thick and solid; he quickly levitated it between Bill and the warriors, managing to block a clumsy thrust from a spear. The statues were faltering now, as the idol melted slowly. Once the rune had deformed enough, they stopped moving, plunging the room into silence.
"Damn it Bill," Owen said, shattering the brief quiet, "don't pull stunts like that." Harry let his shield fall to the ground with a clatter. "Barns passed out back in the Hall, he could be hurt!"
"Relax, he's just exhausted, put a little bit too much into that last spell,"
Bill explained, limping over, to get a potion out of Harry's pack. Owen brought in a semi-conscious Barns, and conjured a chair for him. He poured the Pepperup Potion down Barns throat. Bill sagged against the last remaining table, quite drained himself.
"Might as well have a rest and a bite to eat here, Barns will be a few minutes," Owen said, gesturing to three more chairs he made. Harry looked at Bill's leg as he limped over to sit.
"Alright there, Bill?"
"Just a sprain I think, landed in the rubble."
"Lucky, that's it," Owen added darkly.
"I know a spell for that if you need it," Harry said.
"Please, it doesn't want to hold my weight."
"Ferula," Harry waved his wand, watching as a splint was wrapped with bandages around Bill's leg.
"Good one, where did you come up with it?" Bill asked, as he settled back into his chair with a sigh of relief.
"Professor Lupin, he used it on Ron, during… well at the end of term." Harry said, getting out food and water for everyone and passing it around.
"Ah, your end of term adventures, anything as grand as this?" Bill asked, as Owen sat up to pay attention. He had heard some stories from his Aunt Minerva.
"Yeah, I guess so. Traps, danger, dreary dark chambers, and a Weasley helping me get through; so I guess it is just the same." Harry said cheekily.
"Prat."
"Did you notice that there was a drain on the power, controlling this Dampening field? My Lumos spell was brighter for a minute, which means Bill is still going strong. If he brings down the main charging rune, this field will fall, along with the Unplottable Ward we bypassed." Ian spoke aloud into the darkness. A rustle of clothing was heard, before he got a reply.
"Then let's help him, as we can." Annalisa said sounding contemplative.
"How do we accomplish that?"
"By carving runes: light runes, and charging runes, into each and every stone if we have to." There was determination in Annalisa's voice, as she fumbled for a chisel and hammer in her bag.
"Brilliant Anna, just brilliant. It would draw more and more magic, forcing the field to match it. Drawing that power away from whatever Bill is facing. Well, let's get to work then." Ian followed his words, hearing Belle had already started. So in the feeble light of a diminished Lumos spell, they began carving.
After a quick meal of sandwiches, that had everyone feeling a little better, and a Pain Reliever Potion for Bill. Bill was up looking at the Bronze Warriors, running his hands over them, tracing patterns engraved into them.
"Here I thought Cursebreakers were sissies playing with numbers. Guess this will be a lesson for me then, don't mess with Cursebreakers." Barns good humor had returned. Owen nodded from his chair, agreeing with that statement.
"What can we expect next then?" Barns continued.
"Oh, things just got a whole lot easier from here on out." Bill said, hobbling back to the group.
"Why is that?"
"The Wardcrafter made a mistake." Bill noticed their confusion, and continued, "Harry, what three metals have a high resistance to magic?" Bill was back in teacher mode.
"I don't know." Harry said, surprised in the direction the conversation had taken.
"Think about it, three common metals in our world, what are they?"
"Err…bronze…silver and gold. Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts." Harry guessed.
"Right, and here," Bill gestured to the statues, "we have six bronze statues. All a true work of art, made by a real metal smith, cast with runes to protect, and repel magic built in. Most importantly, to us at least, is an Animation Rune built in. Giving us the ability to…"
"Piertotum Locomotor," Owen cast, one step ahead of Bill. One of the Warriors stood and turned, animated by Owen's spell; it looked at Harry, bowed, and then started to dance. Harry groaned, would he ever live that dancing spell down?
The Bronze Warrior led the way, as they cleared the remaining rooms on the first floor, setting off traps in some rooms that had to be personal quarters for the wizard priests who once lived there. Gold coins, and a couple of sacrificial knives were found and collected. Harry found a runic medallion that Bill looked over, before adding it to the loot bag as well. They systematically crossed every room, to make sure nothing was missed. Owen was having fun with the warrior: making it scratch itself, and flipping Bill the bird, after he would tell Owen where to move it. The stairs were a bit tricky, as they burst into flames and turned into a slide, but using the spear and its legs braced against the wall, Owen navigated it to the top. By that time, the stairs runic scheme had overloaded, and Bill quickly disabled it, after copying it into his journal. Harry and Barns followed along, just keeping an eye out for missed loot, as the professionals tore through the protections gleefully. They bagged more loot on the second floor, completely sweeping it for traps as they went. Before the stairs to the last level, Bill called a halt.
"I hate to slow our momentum, but this seems a good time to break. It is well past the dinner hour."
"Sounds good to me, but I was wondering, why we haven't met up with the others yet?" Barns cheerful demeanor was somewhat dimmed.
"I don't know, but we have our instructions: enter, clear all rooms, and proceed to the top. They probably are just stumped, or headed back to camp after not finding a way past the wards," Bill said, as Harry conjured his own chair to sit in; it was similar to the Gryffindor common room chairs. As he plopped down, he had just a short moment of rest before his chair vanished, and he crashed to the ground.
Laughter was heard echoing throughout the second floor.
"Typical beginner mistake Harry," Owen explained, "more focus on what it is, and what it does, than what it looks like, and how it feels."
"Oh, I thought it was one of you lot pranking me."
"Maybe sometime Harry, but not in here." Bill said, digging into some cold chicken Dobby packed them.
Bill studied the staircase to the third floor, looking at all the wards, they were keyed to a magical signature, meaning only someone keyed into the ward, had access without taking down the wards. There were many wards set up, but they were confusion and befuddlement types, non-lethal, but more complex and tied into the greater wards scheme. Meaning that overpowering them would be difficult. The Bronze Warrior could walk through with ease and back, not triggering a thing. The conjured pug would spin in circles drooling until its transfiguration wore off.
"I need to be up top to see the runes, but how can I get there?" Bill asked aloud.
"Maybe the window, and climb up the side?" Harry suggested.
"No, the main wards are still up, I could get hit from them, or any number of anti-climbing spells."
"I could stun your arse, and have Owen's bronze boyfriend carry you up," Barns joked, leaning sideways against the wall all nonchalant.
Bills eyes lit up. "Perfect. Then you just wait till I wake, and then I'll drop the wards. Let's do it."
It took some convincing, but in the end Bill got his way.
"Stupefy!"
(A/N As to Harry making mistake's he's still only 13 so expect a few good ones, he won't be a push around though, when he returns to the UK. There will be more cliché themes as the expedition starts to wrap up, but I'll try to keep it as different as I can. The Atlantis key thing ties in to the greater plot line that I have outlined for the next several stories. After Harry gets back to Hoggywarts, there will be occasional scenes of Bill and the OC's next adventure. As to the shipping I'm not completely sure, other than it will be a pairing that gives me the opportunity to make a cannon character suit my plots. Oh and Harry will try to test into Rune's and Arithmancy classes. That answers as many questions as I will for now. I really enjoy the reviews… Thanks)
