An: Please read and review. Sorry for not updating for so long but school has really been keeping me on my toes. My next couple of chapters are all written down in my trusty notebook so it shouldn't be to much work to update in the future.

Chapter 19: A Jaunt in the Library

Dudley woke up to less than pleasant noises.

"Are the cookies ready now?" said Iggie.

"The oven will beep when they're done," said Harry. "No Carlisle, stop it! My cauldron is not a drinking fountain. You're lucky there's only water in there."

God it was too early for this. Dudley was ready to march into the kitchen and give everyone a piece of his mind when he realized Henry the fawn was in his room for anyone to see. He carefully placed it in his drawer and stormed into the kitchen.

Harry smiled as his family sat around the breakfast table. He put his cookies (now sugar-free) in the jar and set a plate for everyone. Dudley and Iggie happily fed on eggs and bacon, while Carlisle had his morning stake.

The whole scene was very domestic, with Dudley reading the morning paper and Iggie and Carlisle playing with their food before eating it with relish. It was a shame that it couldn't last. In less than an hour, Professor Ambrose would send them on another hair-raising mission. The time was spent chatting about everything and nothing before Iggie flamed home and the rest of the household reported for duty.

"There are records of an old necromancer who did experiments on his own body until he became an undead wraith," said Ambrose. "His magic was somewhat weakened by the transformation, but not enough." The wizard waved at his crystal ball, which showed a chilling scene. A dark shadow roamed the city using its magic to mask the identities of those who worked for its master. The shadow was a brilliant organizer, crafting a massive network of spies and saboteurs. Every attack was planned by his hand and all of his servants reported only to him. It just wouldn't do to have informers. Only the denizens of Ravenwood were beyond his reach, as he could not afford evidence of his presence. If anyone else came close to unraveling his plans, he would use his unique powers to bite away at their mind. If he was feeling particularly cruel he would strike at their very soul.

The professor covered the globe and a sinister presence that no one felt arrive left the room.

"We can't let that thing stay out there; where can we find him?" said Harry.

Ambrose sighed as he took a seat. "As usual, finding him is easier said than done. He has arranged for one of his servants to bind the secrets of his whereabouts. If I can read his name, the binding will break. His records should be in the abandoned library in Old Town."

"He didn't leave those records unguarded did he?" said Dudley.

"No, as a matter of fact, he did not. Shortly after the attacks on Unicorn Way began, a rather nasty spirit by the name of Foulgaze moved into the library. Your task is to drive him out and seize any records related to necromancy. I wish you the best of luck.

Dudley was out of breath and staring at a ripped and worn sign that said "Ye Olde Library."

Both Harry and Carlisle looked perfectly composed.

"Why … wheeze … did we… wheeze … have to run?" said Dudley.

Harry said, "It's too close to fly; besides you should have a warm up before a life or death battle." Harry opened the door and pulled Dudley into the building.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" screamed Dudley.

"We won't get any more ready, so let's get to work," said Harry.

"Your souls shall join me in my torment!" said Foulgaze.

"Not today spirit," said Dudley. He wove spells trying to weaken the creature. Foulgaze knew this was dangerous and immediately went on the offensive. He heard Harry scream in pain as a banshee wail hit him in the face. As the battle went on Dudley was starting to get frustrated. He had placed many traps on Foulgaze and his minions but Harry's attacks were springing them too early. Harry was also getting low on life and stubbornly refusing to heal himself. After all Harry's theurgy had a strong affect on the spirits and he probably didn't want to waste his energy on making himself comfortable. Dudley considered putting a necromantic shield on Harry but decided to finish his trusty combo.

He put the last spell in place as Harry finished off the Foulgaze's minions in a blaze of fiery comets. Foulgaze was very weak and all he needed was one spell … he smiled as he played the Ghoul card. His smile quickly vanished as it fizzled. He saw a small glow to his right and a scream; as a spell activated and Harry succumbed to his pain.

Foulgaze showed his teeth in what was meant to be a smile. "You fools, thinking you could defeat me. Of course you are both powerful wizards, but the way you fought me was pathetic. You were two wizards fighting two separate battles instead of a team, and now look at you."

Harry was on the ground looking as pale as death. Dudley was in better shape physically but that wouldn't last for long. The air around him was littered with spells to weaken not only his defenses, but also his spell power.

"You're doomed; any offensive spell you cast is as dangerous as a new-born kitten. I on the other hand can do this!" Foulgaze summoned another banshee. Dudley watched in horror as spells activated around him, boosting the already powerful attack. She screamed and Dudley was left barely conscious.

Dudley could not afford to do a brave, but stupid last attack. He needed to be completely unpredictable. He browsed through his hand. He had some shields and a ghoul, but both were useless for now. Perhaps he should look through his treasure cards (cards that vanished the moment you use them. This was because the person was only borrowing their power and never truly learned them) they always had interesting effects. What he need was … jackpot he found it. Sacrifice was the only healing spell a necromancer could use to heal others. It was rarely used for two reasons: the first was that Malorn, while a brilliant practitioner of necromantic manipulation, had a very small repertoire of spell cards to teach; the second was that the costs were so high. Sacrifice forced you to give up your own vitality, and with Dudley's injuries it would knock him out of the battle.

"Try this on for size!" he yelled as he played the card. Bitter cold seeped through his bones as he felt his strength drain away. He wondered if his spell had failed. That is until; he was lifted into the air by a surge of healing magic. The summoned unicorn gave him a bow before vanishing.

Foulgaze was so unprepared for Harry's comeback that he didn't even cast a spell. Dudley managed to put a strengthening charm on Harry just before he summoned a seraph. The angel sang a single, glorious note as all the weakening and strengthening charms burst at once. From her voice came an ethereal force that plowed into Foulgaze.

"No, NO, you can't win, these books are MINE! You can't take them from me!" cried Foulgaze. The ghost faded away leaving only a white shroud.

The moment the dueling ring fell, Harry ran over to Dudley.

"Are you ok? I haven't used a group healing spell before," said Harry.

Dudley was definitely ok. The feeling of healing magic was nearly indescribable. It felt like a quiet song, the warmth of sunshine, and a big hug all at once.

"I think I'm fine," said Dudley. This was of course no surprise. The day Harry botched a healing spell was the day Dudley would eat his hand.

"Well you need to drink some potion. Physically you look alright but your mana reserves are very low," said Harry.

He was right, Dudley felt like he couldn't magic up some rain in a thunderstorm. He sipped from his flask and sighed as the aura of magic sparked up around him. He wiped his mouth and sat down with sigh.

"It shouldn't have been so hard, what did we do wrong?" said Dudley.

It took a moment for Harry to come up with the answer.

"We went about this the wrong way. When theurgists fight alone, we hammer the enemy with accurate attacks. Necromancers weaken their enemies before going for the kill. That's just stupid when fighting together. You should have used weakening spells on our enemies mixed with wards to protect us. I should have gone after Foulgaze and used my healing abilities to minimize any damage," said Harry. He looked very disappointed in himself. He put on a brave face and said "Now let's do what we came here to do and get those records."

Carlisle was let into the room and the next hour was spent loading up interesting files into his harness.

They went home by flight, healthy but slightly shaken.

"Hmm…," said Ambrose as he waved his hands over his crystal ball. The battle played out for all to see, until Foulgaze said his final words. "Your teamwork left something to be desired but I doubt you'll make that mistake again. You're definitely ready for what's ahead."

Harry was definitely going to do better next time. He would put those who relied on his first and bashing his enemies second.

"Now let's look at what you found," said Ambrose. The old man's hands danced from one scroll to the next, unable to tell which one to open first. They faltered over one, very tatty parchment. Ambrose held it gently in his hands occasionally running his hands over the fragile text. Boys how ever did you find this?" said Ambrose.

"Almost all the scrolls came from the shelves but this one was in Foulgaze's shroud. Is it important?" said Harry.

"Important is one way to put it. This is a map, some even call it 'the map'. It shows the exact layout of any place the user wishes to see as well as the locations of enemies and allies. I've dreamed of having it for so long…"

Ambrose unfurled the scroll to reveal a blank page. At Carlisle's less than impressed stare he said, "Show me Wizard City."

Lines flew across the page bending and crisscrossing at impossible angles, until they jumped from the page to form a perfect, floating replica of Wizard City.

Harry wasn't surprised that the map could imitate things so realistically (after all Ambrose seemed to think it was very impressive), however one little detail made him curious.

"Professor, what exactly is that cave, and how did the school of death get there?" said Harry.

Ambrose leaned in to see a building at the bottom of a great pit. Two flickering lights showed life-signs.

"By Jove they survived!" Ambrose fell back into his chair.