Hey hey everyone!
I am generally tired, but I felt I had to update today, and see what happens next. This story snuck up on me, and from a small cute short story, it got struck with engorgio and now is promising to be something like forty chapters long (gasp!). But at least it's fun. ;)
So, onwards! Chapter 21.
***
Immediately, Rasmus took out his wand, approaching Harry to cast his odd greek spell again. Harry was as if frozen, grasping at his temples, but after that initial expression of fright, his eyes began to be more focused, more interested in whatever it was they were seeing.
"Rasmus, you're bleeding!" Hermione cried out, and indeed, beads of bright red blood had made their appearance along the most prominent of his thin scars where the veins had split open. Rasmus frowned, puzzled, but then he shook his head.
"Never mind," he said irritably and turned his wand towards Harry. "As long as it doesn't get worse."
"No," Harry said suddenly, his voice far away. "I-I need to see this."
"Harry!" Ron begged. "What if-if it cooks your brains?"
"Ron, give me that book!" Hermione said, and Ron just handed her the small blue volume. She furiously leafed through its pages. Rasmus was trying not to scratch the itching scars on his forearms, and glaring Hodd into silence while Harry fell silent again, ever watching.
Ron bit his lip, wringing his hands.
"What are you going-"
"Locus Radix!" Hermione bellowed pointing her wand upwards.
"…do?" Ron's voice faded in his throat as he glanced upwards at the silvery globe forming, beginning to pinpoint the location Hermione ordered.
***
Nikos' jaw was set as he rushed to his room and the arithmancy table. The kid had no idea what he had told him, but Hodd had just given the Auguror enough information to not only locate where the dark wizards performing the Heretic were, but for him to stop it.
"Aello, I won't let you down," he muttered as he sprinted to the room, past Trelawney's room and Trelawney herself, up the trap door and finally skidded in front of the table in the room.
He whipped out his wand to call up the chart, but Apperception nearly made that redundant- just with his hand movement the chart unfurled and the letters became silver, levitating into the air. Nikos smiled as he glanced across the equations and spelled in the new information. He didn't know who the actual wizards had been, and could not code in an imprint for them- but he could code in for Bai and Filch tied in to the dark magic equation. The polyjuice would have worn off, but not the trace of the wizard across the chart. And using the homing in spells in the little blue book and the sheet Rasmus had copied out for him from the library, he'd be able to solve the equations to find the two unknown x's- those who had come for blood and bodies.
He smiled as he performed the mathematics required with speed he had not had before- and he was good at math. His eyes lit up amber as the letters began dancing around him, just like they had in his room in Hogsmeade, about to spread and form what to his eyes, would be time and space, and to everyone else's eyes, equations developing on the floor and walls.
Letting the numbers form images for him, and open the time-space vortex only an Auguror could access, Nikos grinned and gripped his wand.
"Let's see who I find down this rabbit hole, big sis," he whispered.
Then the numbers wrapped around his head, and he gasped- but this time, he didn't fall and he didn't bleed, because the equations were correct, and the Apperception gave him the energy he needed, and wouldn't have had, to see them through.
***
Osiris growled, breaking the kiss with Isis.
"It's not right," he said in their native tongue. "It's not right!"
Isis frowned.
"My Ausar, it can't be wrong," she purred, stroking his angular cheek. "Everything was as last time."
"No- the replacement- not right!" Osiris growled and yanked the lids off the canopic jars, where the hearts of the last two headmasters lay, bound under Isis' magic, the anchor that kept Osiris' soul from being claimed back to the Underworld; a replacement, a forfeit for Death to stay its hand while she and Osiris went to retrieve what Slytherin and Gryffindor stole.
Isis stayed his hand.
"Let me, husband," she ordered, and Osiris stepped back with a growl. He turned his head while Isis examined the hearts in the canopic jars, as if drawn to the breathing of the only other living being in the room.
Dolohov gasped and tried to pull out his wand, but was no match for Osiris' lazy flick with his odd lazuli-inlaid one. He was in the air, immobile, in no time.
"What is this, Usat?" he asked, scrutinizing the ex-Death Eater as if he was a curiosity.
"He is a pet, dear. Learn from him and keep him," Isis said, splaying her fingers over the jars.
Dolohov felt his bowels threatening to loosen as Osiris came near. He was nothing like Voldemort, and Voldemort had been already scary enough. Osiris was tall, broad shouldered, well muscled. His hair was shoulder length and smooth, falling in dark brown straight tresses. His eyes were almond shaped and very dark, lit with an unearthly fire that terrified Dolohov- it felt like he was reading him through, and did not even need Voldemort's Legilimency to do it. What was he doing? Dolohov was powerless, as if under imperio or a cobra's mesmerizing lock of glances. Osiris' thin lipped mouth curved upwards into a smile. His jaw was square and strong, and though he had crisscrossing scars on his face, he was certainly a handsome man- even with the green tint in his complexion.
But Dolohov found he was frightened infinitely more than when gazing into Voldemort's snake-like visage. Osiris was handsome and terrible, with a calm sinister air that spelled deadly power with the ease of a breath. It was worse to look upon that icy calmness than Voldemort's self-absorbed grin.
But then suddenly, he was dropped in a heap on the floor.
"Thank you for the lesson," Osiris told him in clear, non-accented English. "Your language has a funny sound- and your skills… always usable, Antonin Dolohov."
"Th-thank you, master," Dolohov uttered, fearful of whether he was speaking out of line but also fearful not to speak and displease the ancient wizard.
"Kherew!" Isis swore in her native tongue. "Someone knew we were coming beforehand. These are swine hearts- with some excellent transfiguration skills."
Osiris strode to where Isis was standing.
"That won't do for more than a few days, Usat," he said calmly. "What will you do?"
Isis was about to answer, but then her eyes flashed once, and the golden feathers in her headdress seemed to fluff out in warning.
"Someone wants to play, dearest," she murmured, and splayed her fingers, making the atmosphere pulse.
***
Professor Bai grit his teeth as he threw in a pinch of floo and waited for the one he wanted to call.
"Guiren!" the young woman in the flames blinked. "What did I tell you about flooing here?"
"I need you to come through on that wizard's debt you owe me, Susan- remember? While your leg still felt wobbly."
There was a small pause, then she said:
"Fine. What do you want me to do for you?"
"I want you to see what leads there are that can link any wizard to a scarab symbol. Also any action regarding Death Eater activity the Ministry kept a lid on. Can you do that for me?"
"Guiren you know I have only worked in my position for what, nearly twelve months now? I don't have that kind of access," Susan sighed and seemed eager to pull herself out of the fireplace.
"Yes but your aunt from the Wizengamot does. You can do this for me, Susan- and I won't ever ask anything from you again."
Susan Bones bent her head.
"I'll see what I can find," she said, and the fire returned to normal.
"She won't find nearly enough," came Snape's voice from the portrait. Bai glared up at the man.
"Seeing as my access to the Headmistress' confidence is limited, I'll play with whatever cards I have in my hand."
Severus Snape eyed the resident Defense professor for a moment, then he clicked his tongue and replied:
"I may regret sharing this with you, Bai, but in my experience as a spy, I have found that going to interrogate those closer to the- victims, shall we say, yields the best kind of information."
Bai glared.
"Was that why your sort went to my house that night?"
"Don't be ridiculous," Snape sneered, his lip curling. "Voldemort was merely interested in making a show out of you for every other Auror with a family to consider. Have you even realized what I have just advised you to do, or are you too much of a Hufflepuff to get it?"
Bai seemed to count to five before answering, but then he exhaled and said:
"I'll go question Skeeter's associate, Snape. Just as soon as I'm not under McGonagall's scrutiny."
"You will find it is easier if you simply ask her," Snape said and relinquished the portrait to its rightful owner in Bai's office.
***
Augury manifested in thin silvery and golden threads that pieced together the time and space defined by the equations. Nikos waited as it materialized around him, and before him, the voluptuous figure of a woman became to be silhouetted and filled in. Nikos knew this was the imprint of the one who had raided the tombs of Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape, and so he prepared to stop the weaving or anchoring of the spell that she was casting.
The figure, before it was yet properly delineated attacked with an odd dance-like movement that Nikos nearly didn't understand was a wordless curse flying his way. He blocked with his wand, making the dimensions around the two duelers pulsate, still forming.
"Prehendo Veneficus Flumen!" Nikos bellowed and the spell erupted from his wand like a bluish web of a spider that wove thunder. The woman shrieked for a moment before beginning to undo the spell- but it bought Nikos enough time for the Augury to be complete. For however long he would have the energy to uphold the chart so the equations would continue to unfurl, he would have merged time and space and he would actually be where this woman was, and interact in her environment. The woman grinned lustily as she finally locked her dark brown eyes with his.
"Isis!" Nikos blurted out.
"You failed, Dovev," Iris cackled. "My Ausar is with me."
No! Aello had battled this. She had dealt with her followers in Delphi just like their parents had in Abydos. Her anchors had been destroyed! And Eleni had reported killing Isis herself! How was it all possible? How could she have managed to call him, who needed those he had come here to incinerate just so that this couple could not come back again?
His surprise nearly cost him his life, and he was thrown back with what seemed a blast of bright light- it felt as if a thousand tendrils of electric current lashed at him, like the tentacles of a deadly jellyfish. He barely had the time to utter a counter, and only because as a Healer he knew what would protect his vitals. He didn't even recognize the curse, except that it was of the ancient type his sister had researched and dabbled in.
"It can't be you," he muttered in Greek, but then grit his teeth and jabbed his wand forward in an intricate movement.
"Prehendo Stasis!" he shouted again, and just as Isis went to protect herself, Nikos cast his initial curse at the other one present in the room. No matter how it was rendered possible, despite everyone's efforts and what had initially began as a precaution by the Head of the Athenian School, Nikos would at least put a stopper to it now.
Neither Isis nor Osiris did expected Nikos to choose him as a target rather than Isis herself and so he received the curse upon his chest. The ancient wizard crumbled backwards with a groan, and Isis yelled in ire.
"I am your opponent! You unworthy keftiou! Hanana Vadha!" she pointed her two index fingers at him, and Nikos knew that if this was not the ancient equivalent of Avada Kedavra, it was very close.
He therefore yelled the one protection he knew was strongest. Here's to the test, Aello!
"Panakeias Aegis Epikaloumae!" he whispered, turning his wand upon himself just fractions of a second before Isis' spell hit home.
And back in the sixth floor of the north wing, a body crashed through the heavy wooden door of the arithmancy-devoted room, and fell in a heap upon the aisle, just as Poppy Pomfrey figured out how to use the trapdoor, with Sybil Trelawney's help.
***
Harry fell backwards upon the bed, nearly hitting his head against the corner of the cot Hodd was on, and Rasmus frowned, the itch suddenly gone. Ron rushed to help his friend just as Hermione ended her homing spell.
"Harry, mate? Are you okay?" Ron asked anxiously, wondering just where Pomfrey was- she never was away from the infirmary for this long.
Harry nodded dazedly.
"I- I'm fine."
"Can you still see the dream?" Rasmus asked with the same clipped urgency Harry remembered the potions master to have used.
"N-no," Harry muttered, rubbing his head. "I can't see it… but…"
"The spell was bollocks," Hermione huffed. "All it showed me was London's British museum- the Muggle British museum."
"Then it can't but be right- because what I saw was some guy getting mummified by a jackal headed bloke," Harry said. "But like creating Horcruxes- different trinkets again- for the dead guy, and making all sorts of blood spill everywhere around, while he was performing –"
"Stop!" Rasmus said, raising a palm. The beads of blood had already coagulated on his forearms and hands. "Tell that when my godfather's there to listen. This- this is what he's come here to wrap up, to stop once and for…"
And then the teen's eyes widened, and he gasped.
"Something's happened to him!"
***
And that's that! In the coming chapter, we finally LEARN BACKSTORY! Yay! The how's and why's around Rasmus, Nikos, Aello, Severus, and how they chose to come to Britain now will be revealed!
… oh, and we might explain just what happened here. *snickers* And what is that other name Isis used for Nikos?
Ooooh, isn't this beginning to be truly fun now? Please drop me notes to answer, and read, as a reward for all this effort to entertain y'all! :D
As per the spell words:
'Locus Radix' is bad latin for 'locate goal/target'.
'Prehendo' ones are supposed to arrest/ interrupt/ abruptly stop a caster's bond to whatever magic target they have. So the 'Flumen' one was nikos' attempt to stop any spell whatsoever (he wasn't aware of the full situation yet) 'Prehendo Stasis' was a spell to stop the reanimation/ life-support spell that is giving Osiris access to the world of the living.
The next one is supposed to be really ancient, and is in Sanskrit dialect. It literally means (according to dictionaries) 'killing' so it's a killing spell.
The counter Nikos chants is also ancient, so it's in Greek and it is a powerful shield, it means 'I call/ summon a shield of universal healing'
Zoe Bright: Thank you for this wonderful review! Is Apperception so grand? We'll find out very soon ;) Well, my evil tends to be… truly evil anyway. I just can't write a silly bad guy, no matter how much I try. Hee hee! How do you find this chappy then? Oh, and about Severus… Augurors can summon spirits, ya know… (this is NOT a spoiler or foreshadowing!... for now…)
Sindie: Here you go! Update! Do ya like it?
Duj: Still not sure whether that is a vote for more evil.
Rebecca Roy: Pretty close to that, yes. Horcrux-like spells with a twist. :)
Till tomorrow!