8: 20 A.M., London, England
The Port of London, with its many wharves, docks, warehouses, piers and berths, was one of the busiest in England. A multitude of cargo ships of all types, ferries, and cruise liners stretched in an endless parade along the lively, commanding River Thames until the North Sea. Sugar and oil refineries, margarine industries, and shipbuilding companies thrived along its banks.
The team of Aurors blended easily with the passengers, crews, engineers, sailors, and the policing authorities swarming about the place. Their Auror wizarding robes had been temporarily discarded so as to avoid attracting attention upon themselves.
They were eight in number as they strode down a bustling quay. Two ancient ships, which did not sail the seas anymore, but functioned as floating museums, were moored side by side as Muggle families clambered onto them. A massive steel chain held in place by short wooden stumps prevented the Muggles from straying over to the murky, forbidding edge of the water. Those who felt curious about the quiet air of mystery hanging over the place, and who, in an unwise move, ventured nearer, were compelled to quickly retrace their steps as the sharp, stinging odour of rotting algae overwhelmed them from out of the blue.
Making sure they were unseen, the Aurors stepped over the bulky chain, hesitated at the edge of the water, and then resumed their walk. They were visibly relieved about not having had to urgently make use of their swimming skills. In front of them what had previously been a narrow expanse of sea, hidden in the gloomy shadow of the two ships, there had at present appeared another imposing quay where witches and wizards hurried in various directions, their unwieldy luggage, charmed with some kind of spell, faithfully tagging along. A few wizards were consulting the timetables showing when their ships were going to leave, and many others clustered about chatting with each other. One could hear mention of The Passion Serpent being made every now and then. Clearly, some of the adventurous ones were planning to embark on the same quest as the Aurors. They were at a disadvantage, though; they did not have the regularly updated information shared by the different Ministries of Magic around the world.
The Aurors climbed onboard an impressive, pearl-white passenger liner which had "The North Atlantic Flying Freighter" written in bright green on it. A papyrus-like, vertical scroll and two quills of flamboyant pink hovered in the air near the ship's rail. The writhing scroll was so long it had fluttered past the rail and hung athwart the length of the ship's shiny hull. Noticing that it was in danger of drenching itself, the scroll hurriedly rolled itself up and once more took to scampering safely across the deck. The Aurors shouted their own names as they passed by the singular, fast-scribbling pair of quills.
Immediately afterwards, they put on their Auror wizarding robes, and the team broke in two. They were presently attracting the fascinated gazes of their fellow passengers, for Aurors were an elite division of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement of the Ministry of Magic. Everyone knew it was extremely difficult to pass the required Qualifying Exams which tested, and stretched, one's intelligence, magical skills, and physical prowess.
"Potter, I think you'd agree we can now go on our separate ways," the tall, dark-skinned wizard said, his head held at a proud angle. "The Peruvian Ministry of Magic has already identified fifty potential sites where "palace-sized" charnel houses are situated: half of them are in the north of the country and the rest in the south. By now, their Aurors must have started the search for the Peruvian Sun. I suggest we divide the job; Nott, Greengrass, Turpin, and I can take the North, and you bunch can take the South. There is no need for us to stick together."
"Fine, Zabini. You've just said what I've been thinking," Harry Potter, who had newly been made head of the Auror Office, agreed. The Aurors nodded curtly at each other before parting. A shrill, prolonged whistle sounded. The puffy clouds of steam billowing from the four huge funnels indicated the ship's imminent departure. It also constituted a warning to the passengers that they should leave the deck and retire to the hall inside. A dozen elves, wearing orange bandanas on their heads and white and dark blue sailor uniforms, darted in all directions, waving their red handkerchiefs frantically.
'Go inside! The ship's about to leave! Go inside!" their squeaky voices implored to whoever lingered on the deck. The elves, upon finishing their round, were followed by a bunch of rowdy dwarves dressed as pirates, who pranced about gleefully brandishing their gleaming axes. Regrettably, their joyful countenances sombered when they noticed that no one had stayed behind to greet their newly sharpened blades!
All this was necessary, for the ship travelled at the speed of sound – well, almost. It was so lightning-swift that it was impossible to admire the immense, sparkling waters of the North Atlantic Ocean and its pods of dolphins and whales which the ship, no matter how fast it went, always made sure to never collide into. It skidded to an abrupt halt, its passengers bumping against each other and falling all over the place in the most undignified of ways, whenever the gentle sea creatures happened to be traversing. On the rare occasion of a marine animal being injured by the ship, there were very capable animal Healers onboard who tried their best to remedy the damage done. Among the other delays that had to be foreseen on journeys which entailed crossing oceans, was the eventuality of giant octopuses, about twice the size of the ship, temporarily coming up for a sunbath and thinking that the ship was their plaything.
"What a relief!" Ron Weasley shared, seating himself at a table of four in the spacious dining hall. "This is my first assignment as an Auror, and I thought we were going to have to work alongside those stuck-up Slytherin gits."
"Ex- Slytherin gits, Ron, and Lisa Turpin is a former Ravenclaw," corrected Alicia Spinnet. Alicia had been a very capable Chaser on the Gryffindor team back at Hogwarts, and having dabbled at Quidditch with an English team for a short while, preferred to put her skills to catching dark wizards.
"But they are still gits," Parvati Patil remarked. Parvati, like Alicia, had been part of Dumbledore's Army, and she had fought in the battle against Voldemort. Her sister, Padma Patil, had chosen to work as a Healer.
"I cannot believe those from Slytherin can become Aurors! I suppose it's because those three were part of the reinforcement brought by Slughorn during the war," Ron said to Harry.
"Yeah, they were the only ones from Slytherin who fought against Voldemort, if I'm not wrong," Harry answered. "And they passed the Qualifying Exams without much difficulty."
"I hate them!" Ron asserted. "To think we've had to take those hellish exams, despite having been made Aurors by Kingsley right after You-Know—Voldemort's defeat, just because they protested about being unfairly discriminated against!"
"Couldn't have helped it, Ron," Harry said. "Kingsley had to gain the trust and confidence of the war-torn population. Letting us become Aurors without undertaking the same studies, and undergoing the same rigorous training as the others, might not have sat well with many. He was quite obliged to take back his words."
"Whatever, Harry, but you triumphed against one of the most evil wizard our kind has had to face; it should have counted for something!" Ron pronounced.
"You're not wrong, Ron," Alicia started, "but doing it this way, that is, by qualifying as an Auror in a similar manner as the rest of us, is even better than being made into one. Like this, no one will ever dare say you never had the abilities in the first place, or taunt you about having been unduly favoured!"
Ron remained silent for a while. He had never viewed this issue from the angle Alicia had just touched upon.
"Exactly! Those ex-Slytherins would have made life hell for you if one of your assigned tasks failed, or if something went wrong," Parvati rejoined, and went on to ask: "Speaking of Slytherin, what do you guys think became of Draco Malfoy?"
"Who cares, Parvati?" Ron scoffed, coming out of his reverie. "He could be one of those wizards slyly wandering about Knockturn Alley—like rumour has it—for all I care!"
"Right; I hated him the moment he first called Hermione by that foul word - back when you guys had been in your second year," Alicia added.
Ron turned purple as he recalled the recent fight he and Hermione had had on her birthday. He was regretting every moment of it. Nearly four days had passed since Hermione had left for Cambodia, thereby depriving him of the opportunity to make amends for his shameful behaviour. He had obtained his results about his having passed the Auror Qualifying Exams on that same day, and he had wanted to tell her first. But by the time he had rushed to the railway station, her train had already left...
Hermione had been the one to stand unwaveringly by his side, instilling confidence in him, and believing in him. Without her, he wasn't sure he would have been able to pass his Auror exams. Very bright herself, she had helped him revise and practise, even saying he would make one of the finest Aurors ever when he had felt besieged by doubts! And how had he rewarded her? He was missing her, but he knew she had been badly hurt by him. As soon as she got back, he would make sure to apologise and to never take her for granted again. He was realising just how precious she was to him.
Aware of Ron's unease, Harry changed the subject. "It's only 8:30 A.M. right now, and the ship will be leaving in any minute. It's a pity wizards can no longer Apparate to other countries whenever they feel like it! But I suppose the fact that these International Freighters, such as The North Atlantic Flying Freighter, travel so fast make up for us not being able to Apparate. As it is, we'll be reaching Peru in about an hour and a half."
"You are right, Harry," Parvati said. "Only Ministers, or individuals holding special passes, can Apparate across country borders. Of course, this Convention would have been unacceptable if we had been prevented from Apparating to any place once inside a country."
"Nobody would stand the freedom of the wizard kind being curtailed in such a severe fashion!" observed Alicia. "This Convention has many loopholes, though. Its purported intention is to help us, Aurors, catch dark wizards who seek to evade punishment. However, a sufficiently powerful wizard can Apparate to another country if he has enough skill to counter the complex charms put in place at its borders!"
"That would be something awfully tricky, if not impossible, to do, Alicia," Ron said. "My guess is that only someone as skilled as Ladon Hydras could possibly accomplish such a feat."
"Quite a mystery, that man! I wish I could meet him once," Parvati said longingly. "He is the craze of the wizarding world right now, and something tells me he would remain so for a very long time, indeed. Who would have thought the Seven Wonders of the Wizarding World were real, and that we would be going after them one day!"
"Ah, every woman is besotted by him - including me!" Alicia shared, laughing.
"Ladon Hydras wrote that there were two Paryro Ithicuses - one of which is with an old wizard he had met," Harry started to say; he had had enough of women swooning over the mysterious Ladon. "If the second one is truly with the dark wizard who liberated that unknown creature in Egypt, we'd have to be on our guards."
"Very likely it is with him, Harry," Alicia asserted. "If that despicable man has a Paryro Ithicus, it means that right now, he is after the Wonders. We would need to be very careful."
"Correct, Alicia; I've had a look at the mangled remains of those Muggle students, yesterday," Ron avowed, shivering as he remembered the horrifying sight that had met his eyes.
"There is something I cannot figure out, though. Why was another wizard Professor and his family killed in the same fashion shortly after the murder of those archaeology students? And where is the wizard Professor who was with those students?" Parvati Patil wondered aloud.
"Until we find the missing Professor, or his body, we cannot be certain," Harry observed. "It'll be very early in Peru when we'll reach the country." Harry took out his map. Ron, Alicia, and Parvati did the same. Unlike Muggle maps, theirs showed objects and animal life which moved. Schools of piranhas and trout swam in the Amazon River and nearby lakes; Alpacas, which were smaller versions of the Llamas, Chinchillas, and large birds of prey, such as Andean Condors, roamed on the flanks of the Andes Mountain; pythons, crocodiles, and monkeys relaxed, undisturbed in the jungles.
"True," agreed Alicia. "Peru is six hours behind England. Therefore, it is only 2:30 A.M. over there. Add the one hour and a half it'll take by ship, and another hour by the International Land Express, we'll reach there at about 5:00."
"Right, Alicia; this ship will dock at Fortaleza, in Brazil," Harry continued. "From there, we'll be getting off the ship and boarding the International Land Express (South American Division). We'll be crossing through Belém, Cayenne, Paramaribo, Georgetown, Caracas, Bogota, and then we'll reach Peru. You all know the railway tries to avoid passing through the Amazon Basin as much as possible."
"It's true, mate," Ron acknowledged. "Nobody can guess what types of magic and enchantments are at the heart of those dense jungles. We'll be going directly to the South, then. I suppose Zabini, Nott, Greengrass and Turpin would probably get off before us, at Piura."
"I guessed the same," returned Alicia.
"Where do you guys suggest we get off?" Harry asked.
"I think it would be a good idea to get off at Nazca. Out of the twenty-five charnel houses found in the South of Peru, fifteen are located over there, as identified by the Peruvian authorities," Parvati shrewdly pointed out.
They debated for a brief moment before deciding to go along with Parvati's suggestion, and, after that, began chatting animatedly about how they would proceed once they reached Nazca.
...
At the other end of the hall, Blaise Zabini, Theodore Nott, Daphne Greengrass, and Lisa Turpin were also going over their plans about how to successfully complete their mission. They were not going to lose out to the likes of Potter and Weasley. They had agreed to get off at Piura, and their conversation had currently veered to the contents of The Passion Serpent.
"Ladon Hydras would not joke about something like this," Lisa Turpin commented.
"I suppose not," Zabini said. "The idea of a wizard being able to reunite the Seven Wonders is not funny. Fancy yourself becoming a subservient slave upon hearing the Cursed Violin, Nott?"
"I would rather be dead than be anyone's slave," Nott rebuffed hotly.
"That's why it's so important to catch the one who's after those Wonders; but I'm afraid Shacklebolt made a big mistake by sending out Mud-Muggleborn Granger to find Ladon," Daphne Greengrass said with a disdainful expression on her face. "Granger might be brilliant, but she's no match to Ladon."
"If she's no match, then you're an even lesser one," Zabini derided.
"Are you defending that Muggleborn?" an outraged Daphne queried.
"I'm not defending her. It is obvious that without her help, Potter would never have been able to find the Horcruxes and defeat the Dark Lord," Zabini retorted.
"My, my," Daphne mouthed, incredulous over what she was hearing. "I thought you had a crush over that Weasley girl back at Hogwarts, and now you are even taking the side of a Muggleborn! What do you think about this, Nott?"
"None of my business," Nott muttered. He had taken to flicking through the pages of The Passion Serpent.
"Don't be ridiculous, Daphne!" Zabini snapped angrily.
"C'mon guys, stop fighting," urged Lisa Turpin. She was seriously having second thoughts about whether she should not have been with the former Gryffindors, instead.
"I sometimes wish Draco Malfoy was around! He wouldn't be one to go all mellow on those Muggleborns!" Daphne said in a reminiscent voice.
"Malfoy is past history," Zabini mocked. "And besides, why did you agree to fight in the battle six years ago, when Slughorn came to plead with us to be part of the reinforcement he had assembled? Shouldn't you have calmly stayed at home and let Voldemort win?"
"I should have, shouldn't I?" Daphne abruptly got up from her seat, glowering at Zabini, before angrily stomping away. She promptly shoved aside a naughty, grinning dwarf, whose red walrus-like moustache reached the ground, and who had been amusing himself by repeatedly jumping in front of her at every fifth step she took.
"Daphne, wait!" Lisa called, running after her friend.
"Do you really think Malfoy is past history?" Nott asked after the girls were gone.
"Positive about it! He was fawned over by most of the girls in Slytherin, and Pansy – even if she's engaged – still gets ridiculously misty-eyed whenever mention is made of him!" Zabini sneered.
"That's what annoys you, then? That the girls liked him? Or rather...that Daphne liked him?" Nott smirked.
"Absolutely not! What annoys me," Zabini declared, "is that he was always boasting about the grand things he had to accomplish, but the greatest feat he managed to do was to disappear without leaving any trace behind!"
...
4: 45 A.M., Nazca Plateau, Peru
'Dark Creature' was how he called it. There was nothing more fitting. The creature was as dark as the night, about twice the size of a Dementor, with a pair of bulbous eyes, and a body like a bulging black cloak. None of its other physical features were discernible. It didn't have feet, and it glided in the air. The best thing about the creature was that it was his to command. The Defixiones he had unearthed in Egypt contained the words he had needed to say in order to make the creature obey him.
A little while back, he had only had to order "Attack!" to the Creature, and it had thrown itself on the three wizards who had tried to stop him. Judging from the dark blue robes with the distinctive golden stripes they wore, he had been able to determine they were Peruvian Aurors.
As the creature took care of the interfering Aurors, he had then gone on to blast the army of bone-eating scarab beetles off his path, battled with the dancing skeletons and reduced them to ashes, set fire to the giant nest of enraged Acromantulas, and transfigured two vicious Chimaeras into harmless mice; those two bloodthirsty beasts—each one of which had the head of a lion, the body of a goat, and a tail ending in the head of a snake—had turned out to be particularly difficult to deal with.
The brutal attack unleashed upon him as soon as he had stepped into the charnel house had badly wounded him. Indeed, three or four scarab beetles had managed to assail the bones at his ankles, causing him to limp horribly. An Acromantula had poked him harshly in his right ear, and the venomous tail of one of the Chimaeras had bitten him on the thighs. He had had to use the antidote to the poison, which he had thankfully thought to bring with him. It had been foolhardy of him to underestimate the enchantments and creatures that had been guarding the place. There was no way he would succeed in getting another Wonder alive if he did not take the time to nurse his wounds. This was an unexpected setback, but in the end, all had been worthwhile!
He had spent forty long years of his life delving into ancient artefacts, voces mysticae, and wizarding archaeology. And now, he was finally reaping the fruit of a lifetime of work as he stood in the small stone chamber where the Peruvian Sun was located. It had been drifting in a bowl of some kind of brownish liquid. At first, he had been puzzled by the Wonder's appearance. It looked nothing like Ladon Hydras had described; it didn't have the sun's changing colours. However, as he had stepped forward, the Peruvian Sun had slowly shed off the thick layer of dirt that had accumulated on its surface. It had started to shine so brightly that he had had to shield his eyes with his elbow.
The Sun seemed capable of detecting human presence. At present, it slowly soared above the muddy liquid, as if beckoning him to get hold of it and be its master. He nearly gave in to the temptation, but quickly withdrew his hand at the last minute. Ladon's warning echoed in his mind. The Peruvian Sun could not be touched with one's bare hands.
He had thought long and hard about the one behind the distinguished magazine, The Passion Serpent. At some point in the future, he would probably be crossing road with that man, and he would kill him if need be! Nobody would be allowed to get in his way! It would be a pity, though. Ladon was a very gifted wizard, but if he had all the Wonders with him, nobody would be more powerful than him! He had two victories already: he had gotten hold of the Papyro Ithicus, which he had spent so many years looking for, and, with its help, he had found the Peruvian Sun.
He would need to get the Hermit Mystery from the woman Ladon Hydras gave the Wonder to. It could wait, though. The Icarybus Crystal was next on his list. After that, he would go for the Lovers' heart, and then he would go to England and find both the Hermit Mystery and the Cursed Violin.
Anyone who tried to come in his path would be crushed.
Indeed, upon finding the Paryro Ithicus and freeing the Dark Creature, he had gone to show his findings to Septimus, a colleague of his, who had always mocked his obsession with the Seven Wonders. Septimus had been awestruck and shocked, and he had tried to deter him from going to find the Wonders. He had had no choice but to kill Septimus, and his entire family. He had not spared those foolish Muggle students either! Why should anyone think twice about ridding the world of such filth?
...
Harry, Ron, Alicia, and Parvati had alighted from the train at the town of Nazca. The charnel houses they had to visit were found in the arid, eighty-kilometre stretch of the Nazca desert, between the town of the same name and the town of Palpa.
Standing in front of their third charnel house of the day, they had been contemplating why each one of those crumbling edifices stood at the junctions of the famous ancient geoglyphs, known as the Nazca lines, without finding any real answers. Ron had been commenting about Disillusionment Charms having been placed on the buildings, when they spotted a bright red spark in the lilac sky; it was a call for help.
The Aurors at once dashed towards the place from where the distress signal had been sent. Pebbles, sand, and dust whirled around their boots as they sprinted as fast as their legs could carry them.
"Damnit! We are late!" Ron exclaimed, and continued to cuss as they laid eyes on the inert bodies of the Peruvian Aurors.
"Wait, I can feel a very faint pulse!" Parvati had gotten down on her knees and was busy examining one of the wizards. "Can you hear me?" she tried talking to the unresponsive man.
Ron and Alicia rushed to the side of the other two wizards and started to check their vital signs.
"He is not dead!" Ron cried out in relief.
"Good lord! This one is alive, too!" Alicia yelled.
Harry held firmly onto his wand as he took slow, measured steps towards the entrance of the prehistoric construction.
"Careful, Harry! The bastard might be inside!" Ron warned.
"He...gone," whispered the man whose head now rested on Parvati's lap. His bronzed skin had acquired a deathly pallor.
"Did you see who he was?" Harry enquired.
"Now is not the time, Harry!" Alicia said, frowning. "The three of them need to be taken to a Healer straight away."
'Yes—he-he... missing on...the poster," the man feebly articulated.
"Were you attacked by the one who went missing: the wizard Professor, Laurence Alcott?" Ron questioned. The Professor who had disappeared was their prime suspect.
"Yesss, him...him...and-" The man was unable to finish his sentence, for he had fainted.