Chapter 20 Tests of Self
"Qasim, how could you do this?" Omar asked his brother who was chained to a chair in the lowest level of Number 12.
"How can you follow so blindly brother." Accused Qasim
"I follow blindly! You listen to a man who sent you on a suicide mission, and I am not your brother! You lost the right to call me that long ago."
Silence fell upon the two men as two sets of dark eyes bore into each other.
"Just tell me everything you know Qasim, everything about the dark lords plans and the renegades agenda."
With a sigh Qasim looked up at his younger brother Omar and began to expel all the information that he had.
Hermione woke in the warm arms of George; their bodies flush together flesh to flesh. Hermione combed her fingers through his thick red hair while George fought the losing battle with consciousness. When his blue eyes finally opened Hermione gave him a quick kiss and whispered, "I have to tell you something."
"Don't say you're a dream." George said with a husky voice. Hermione smiled, "No love I am here, but it is about what I learn while I was under the potion." George gave her a slightly confused look.
"Rhian came to me and told me something very important, that effects us both. There seems to be a prophecy surrounding the heir of the Sage and the 'Right Side'. Together they are supposed to form a source that will help the chosen one defeat the Dark Lord once and for all." Hermione finished searching her husbands face for some sign of understanding.
George was thinking back to the night he had heard the headmaster speaking with Rhian about a prophecy and the pieces came together.
"It is us love, no doubt, but what we are supposed to do to fulfill it is beyond me."
"Hmmm, I think it is best just to see how things start to unfold. We both have our talent, that combined, could surely help the war effort."
"I think you could be right my darling." George smiled at his wife who was still cradled close to his chest, one of her legs snuggly between his larger ones. The just held each other for a few moments.
"How long was I gone for?" Hermione asked realizing she had no idea what the date was.
"Six of the longest day of my life." He said kissing her temple
"Then that means…Happy birthday George!"
"What?"
"I was taken on the 25th of March, your 21 today." She kissed the stunned birthday boy.
"Sorry I didn't get the chance to get you something but, you know, potion induced coma and all that."
George smiled "I got you back Hermione, that is all I wanted. And I prefer that you are not wrapped up." He teased as he rolled them so he hovered over her, clearly making it known how much he missed and wanted her.
"I think I know a suitable gift for my dearest husband on his 21st." she smiled and hooked her legs around him, pinning him back down on the bed.
George smiled up at her, dragging his fingers along her arms and into he wild curls.
"I think I'm really going to like my present."
Malfoy Manor had survived the assault of the renegade troops but now the Deatheaters would have to face the wrath of their lord; once again his would-be consort was snatched from his grasp. He had been cursing and jinxing men left and right for hours; finally The Dark lord called forward Draco, "Why were you not with the Lady when she was taken?" he asked in a voice that carried the deathly calm of a vicious storm.
"My Lord I was automatically pulled back to my ancestral home while it was under attack. Though I did see another in the halls before I was taken back to the Manor."
"Who pray tell was lurking about my halls while a battle raged?" his voice a reptilian hiss.
"Qasim, My Lord."
"Where is the traitor now?"
"Not here my Lord; he has not been seen since the call to battle."
"Let us see how far a traitor can run before he is caught. When you find him show no mercy, but let him live so that he may face me."
The assembly bowed and left the hall.
Slowly the members of the Order stationed at Number 12 were beginning to wake up. Sonia made her way to check in on Remus before heading back to Hogwarts and her monthly dose of potion. As she entered the room she saw that Remus was awake and looking healthier then she ever remembered. The dark circles that had hung below his eyes were gone, as was the usually sickly grey skin that had aged him by a decade. He looked up at her and smiled. His hand gently tracing the arm of one very tired auror.
"You look well Remus." Sonia whispered
"I have not felt this well in…well I don't really remember. You don't look so well though Sonia."
"Well no sleep and a full moon around the corner will do that to me."
"The full moon is soon?"
"Yes, in two days.'
"So…it's gone?"
"If you mean your lycophany then yes, it seems that your stubborn human half has defeated your wolf."
"I am free." He said in an awed voice.
Isa reached out for Charlie as she stirred. When her hand found nothing she opened her eyes to find Charlie's broad back, brightly decorated with the Croatian Cobalt, standing with his hands tensed around the window sill, red hair hiding most of his face.
"Charlie?" she asked. He turned and looked into her eyes lost for words. He had not brought up the fact that his ring was missing, not asked her in great detail about her captivity with Diego, but he knew that there was something missing. She had never really mentioned her past; only that Rogelio had raised her after her parents had died.
"Charlie, what is wrong?" He felt long arms wrap around his waist. Her slightly calloused hands locked around him and her lips traced the outline of the cobalt's wings spanning across his shoulder blades.
"I want the truth." He blatantly stated
"The truth?" Isabella was slightly taken aback by his accusing tone.
"There is something you have not told me about yourself. I can understand why Diego would fight so hard for your love, but why would the dark lord allow so much liberty to such a young recruit?" Isa had known that eventually her dragon tamer would catch on to one little fact.
"Charlie, I have hidden things…"
"Why…?" Isabella moved her hand to his lips.
"I don't tell anyone about my past- about who I really am. Only Rogelio knows the complete truth."
"What do you have to hide?"
"More then anyone every should." She whispered. Charlie turned when he felt her arms drop away. She had wrapped her arms around herself.
"My family…" she started
"Yes my love?" Charlie encouraged
"My ancestors were - are the keepers of the…"
"For Merlin's sake Isabella!"
"My ancestors are the keepers of the Book of Thoth!"
The confusion that flashed on his face was soon replaces with surprise and shock.
"You mean…you know were the Book of Thoth is?!"
"No, my parents were killed before they could pass the information on to me."
"But it is still safe, waiting out there for someone to find it." Charlie knew that this newest discovery was key to the Order's victory.
"No one except those of my blood will be able to actually remove the book from its hiding place."
"Is there anyway for you to find it?"
"Only if you could recall the dead…oh goddess," she gasped in sudden realization.
"What?"
"I think we may be able to get to that Book; I just need some time to think."
Snape billowed through the dungeon corridors barely concealing the limp and groans caused by the night's torments. When he entered his lab in search of healing potions he saw Sonia measuring out a dose of her own. Sonia turned to see Severus reaching, nearly blindly, for his private stores of pain potions and downing two vials before his shoulders finally sagged in relief. When he turned to Sonia the glint in his eyes sent shivers down her spine, and no way were they similar to the ones she received while they were intimate.
"What has happen Severus?" Sonia half whispered to her wizard
"I am afraid that my loyalty will soon be tested and it may be my end." He said as he stalked toward her, effectively pinning her to the wall.
"What has he asked of you?" She ran her hands up his arms and clasped them around his neck.
"To fetch the Book of Thoth." He whispered in her ear, his teeth grazing the sensitive skin below her jaw.
"No one who had searched for that knowledge has survived." She then moaned as Snape's hands gripped her waist and lifted her so her legs could wrap around his hips.
"I plan on making the most of the time allotted me, my darling." He said no more as his lips were otherwise occupied.
Blaise finally stirred to full consciousness. Valora was, of course, dutifully at his side. His eyes took in the unfamiliar surroundings. The wood walls, red brick fireplace, the patched quilt covering him and Valora. When he attempted to sit up his groan of discomfort woke Valora, her tired eyes sprung to life, though the dark circles under them made her look as though she had gotten into a rather nasty fist fight.
"About time you returned to the land of the conscious." Her smile was weary but still full of the warmth that Blaise lived for. She reached over him to the nightstand and grabbed two vials, one was a pain-reliving drought, which she uncorked and handed to him. The other he noticed was a Pepper-Up that Valora swallowed quickly with a slight grimace.
"Where are we?" he croaked, his voice unfamiliar.
"In hiding, a cottage that Dumbledore has found for us."
"What about your classes…you need…" he started to sit up but fell back when a wave of nausea hit.
"Shhh Blaise," Valora whispered, running her hand across his forehead and down his cheek. "I am keeping up with my studies, but caring for you is also my responsibility. Don't try to argue."
He sighed, resigned to her victory over him, for now.
"Now I think it is time we get you fed some decent food, no more chicken broth." She kissed him gently and slipped out toward what Blaise assumed was the kitchen.
He was more in love than he had ever thought possible.
When the meeting final came to order, starting a little later because Snape and Sonia had been delayed. The twins shared a glance as they saw the flush on Sonia cheeks and the widening smirk on Snape's face. Dumbledore stood up and briefly looked over his half mooned specs to Isabella and Charlie.
"I have very important information. It concerns the ancient Book of Thoth."
Bill nearly tipped of his chair and Jemma, who had been slightly distracted, seemed to snap back to life. Most importantly was that the Headmaster noticed as Snape stiffened and guarded his expression.
"Severus?" He asked
"The Dark Lord has given me the task of finding the tome as a test of loyalty."
"But you cannot touch it, not without sacrificing your life." Exclaimed Isabella
"I believe that was his point. If I was willing to still attempt I have proven my loyalty but would be dead. If I flee or return unsuccessful I would be killed anyway. Headmaster, I am afraid the Dark Lord may know about my work as a spy."
"That is alright my boy, this all may work toward our advantage. I need you to brew some more of that potion you administered to Mrs. Weasley."
"For whom?"
"Isabella needs to have a little meeting with her ancestors."
Suddenly Omar entered, white robes swirling around his tall frame. "Dumbledore, Qasim has confirmed the date of attack; we battle on the first of May."
"Then we best hurry. We have little time."
For a week the Order moved full pace to prepare Hogwarts and the fighters for the final battle. Evacuation plans for the younger children were drilled. Ron spent time mapping out positions for the Order so that they could hold the advantage over the advancing hoards. The foreign orders and the werewolf clans had arrived making room around The Burrow and Number 12 even more cramped. Severus had been brewing for several days and the potion was now complete. Hermione, George and Fred had been bunkered down creating the necessary tools, smoke bombs, slime tablets, and other distracting, easy to carry items. Isabella had been training with the war mages, Charlie and his reservation buddies were preparing the dragons, and Bill was either fussing over the extremely pregnant Fleur, or heading relations with the other magical beings.
With all this commotion and movement within HQ Severus contacted Isabella to meet in the dungeons to administer the potion. Isabella was very much on edge about the whole ordeal. Charlie had apparated with her to the outskirts of Hogwarts. She had never really seen it up close and the massive fortress was overwhelming. The dark path through the dungeons heightened her sense of foreboding. After meeting with Snape they continued on their way to the same spot where Hermione and George had bound themselves together. Charlie was shocked to see the old sacrificial stone in the center of the clearing and to feel the raw power surging through the air.
Isabella lay prone on the slab as Snape fed her the elixir. Suddenly darkness overcame her and she found herself in a land of mist and fog.
Molly watched as Hermione placed a plate of sandwiches on the enlarged table at Number 12. She and George had been called to a meeting, finally leaving the lab in their cottage after a week. Hermione seemed different, her eyes glistened, her skin glowed, and her presence pulsed with life. Molly smiled as she turned around the fix up some more soup. She would have another little grandchild soon.
"Fenian Circle." Those were the first words that Isabella spoke when she woke from her potion-induced coma.
"Pardon me Miss Torres," Snape's voice sounded from her right as Charlie came up on her left to take her hand and help her sit up on the slab.
"The Fenian Circle is where the Book of Thoth is being guarded."
"That is not far from where Remus is stationed with Mrs. Granger." Charlie looked up at Snape.
"It seems Miss Torres that we are making a trip to Ireland very shortly. Come, we must inform the Headmaster."
Two days later Hermione and George were laying in front of their fireplace wrapped in a light blanket. The weather had begun to warm but the nights seemed colder than any they could remember. The dark cloud that had been looming high above them had descended and draped them all in a cloak of cold dread. The two young lovers had gotten an hour of time together and wanted to be close. With Snape and Isabella gone in search of their main weapon other than Harry, work had reached a double pace. Training was harder and longer. Days melded together, sunrise and set all the same. The only thing that held strong was the undeniable bond they had created from a casual friendship.
George was currently curling his larger frame around Hermione's as she drifted off to some much needed sleep. His freckled hand moved from her thigh, up her side and then down around her stomach. He rested it there for a moment; he could have sworn…no it was nothing. His arm then locked securely under her breasts and he followed his wife into the realm of sleep.
Malfoy sat in the study of the West Wing, doing something very uncharacteristic of a Malfoy; rethinking his actions. Granted, being an ally of the Dark Lord had brought his family great power, but it had cost them much. When May first came, would he really be willing to give his life?
In the Northern Islands Snape and Isa made their way to the Caves of Orlan. Beyond was the ultimate weapon, but to reach it they would be tested both physically and mentally in order to prove their worth. With a simple nod they ventured forth.
Percy had finished drawing up plans on the overthrow of the Ministry. While everyone was busy at Hogwarts he would be setting up defenses against the second assault. He was a very determined young man and soon he would the most powerful wizard in England.
Little did he know that his once loyal followers had caught on to his lies.
A/N Sorry for the long wait but the end is near for this polt bunny that ran away with itself :)
much love MoonFey