Doctor, Doctor, Give Me the News
"Come," she said in an ancient, worn voice, not turning around from the fire. They were not even sure she had as yet seen them. "Come. Come and we will learn and share, learn and heal."
Owen left them, not wanting his presence to interfere with what might ensue. Mick also took a seat far back away from them.
As they stepped into the ring of large rocks surrounding the fire, she extended a hand. "Stop," she demanded. Her arm moved back and forth as she pointed a crooked, bony finger that was barely discernable in the dying light, at them. "Tell me your problem. Tell me your…" her voice hesitated as her arm stopped with its bony finger pointing directly at Hermione. "…problem."
They all knew Owen could have told her which of their group had the problem bringing them to her, so they were yet to be impressed.
"Step forward…Mione," she said.
How did she know Hermione's nickname? No one had used it since coming here. It was highly unlikely she would know it. Hermione is not that common of a name. Even if she knew her name was Hermione, she might not use that nickname. This caused the group to pause and start rethinking things.
"Mione," said Mother Matavan in a knowing voice. "You bring great pain and trouble for me to examine. You wish me to help you resolve it. Step closer so I can touch the trouble that pains you."
Hermione reluctantly stepped closer, close enough that Mother Matavan took her right wrist with the dry, corpselike fingers of her left hand. The strength of her grip was surprisingly strong. She touched her in many places with her flat rock amulet. She then moved the bony fingers of her right hand up and down Hermione's arm, after which she touched her face and the whole of her head. "It is not here," she announced. She then moved her hand down, placing it directly over Hermione's heart, which made Hermione fairly uncomfortable.
"IT IS HERE!" she said, loud enough to shock everyone. She released her hold on Hermione's wrist, leaving her other hand against Hermione's breast. She reached into a pouch on her side and pulled out something that caused a sparkling, crackling puff of smoke as she threw it into the fire.
"You have a heart in your chest"…a great revelation they thought. "BUT! It is not yours"…now that is a bit weird. "Whose heart beats in your chest, Mione? We must know this."
She once again pointed her finger at the group, moving her arm back and forth until she stopped, pointing at Ron. "Step forward, Ronald," she commanded.
Ron reluctantly rose with pushes from Harry and Ginny. It was like the day he had to face the boggart in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Still, he managed to move forward until she grasped him and pulled him close enough to put her hand on his chest. "It is YOUR heart...Ronald. It is your heart that is beating in her breast. Now, whose heart is beating in yours?" She paused, throwing more sparkling smoke powder into the fire. Replacing her hands on their respective breasts, she said. "You only have half of a heart, Ronald. But that half is from Mione. It is a shared love. You both are in love."
The secret they were both too naïve, too confused, too scared to admit to themselves or others was now exposed…out there for everyone to see. It was crystal clear to Mother Matavan. They weren't just boyfriend-girlfriend, they were in love.
"But where is the rest of your heart, Mione? Ronald only has half of it. We must find the other half to solve this problem and end your pain. Sit Ronald. Sit!"
Ron quickly went back and sat on a rock next to Harry and Ginny. "Whew," he gasped, looking to them.
Mother Matavan touched her flat rock amulet to her forehead, her breast and lower abdomen. Then she pressed it to Hermione's head, breast and pubic region. "Now, tell me where have you hidden the other half of your heart" She raised her bony fingers to Hermione's face and began brushing across her cheeks, forehead and through her hair. They felt like dried twigs from a long dead tree, but there was also an electric feel to them.
She turned and started moving her arm back and forth at Ron, Harry and Ginny. "Where do I look, Mione? Tell me where to look. Her arm stopped, a bony finger pointing at Harry. "Come, stand beside her," she commanded.
Harry moved, almost like he was under the Imperius curse, to Hermione's side. Mother Matavan touched him in several places with her amulet before placing her hand over his heart. "Yes, yes. You are a strong, loyal friend. You have a strong heart inside you. The heart of a warrior, powerful like a tiger. Protective like the teeth of a mother crocodile. But it is also full of love…pure love. A chaste, as yet unspoiled love. Delicate, like a flower. Fragile to a cold, unthinking hand. BUT WAIT!" she exclaimed, once again startling the group with an outburst. "This is not your heart. Whose heart is beating inside you…Harry?"
She began moving her finger, pointing to all members of the group. "Whose heart is this? COME to me," she said, this time pointing at Ginny, the fire bursting upward, then just as quickly returning to its normal state, Ginny moved quickly to Harry's side. Mother Matavan started touching her all over with her amulet, then took her hand and placed it on Ginny's breast. She put her other on Harry's chest.
"AH!" she exclaimed, "you are lovers. It is your heart…Ginevra. Your heart is inside Harry. And the heart inside you be…" Mother Matavan stopped and stepped back. She began anxiously touching her amulet to Ginny's breast over and over again. "The heart inside you has known great evil. It has dueled with a powerful demon. It has scars, deep scars from tragedies most cannot understand. It has great power but is fragile. It is protected by a shield, an ancient, protective shield of pure love…yes, a mother's love. It is that shield that guards it."
She touched Ginny and herself many more times with her amulet. "You are carrying the heart of Harry."
Harry and Ginny looked at each other. They wanted to say something, but were too afraid to speak.
"You must take good care of these hearts," she warned both of them. "You are both so young. Bearing the heart of another carries great responsibility for a lifetime. Sit down, Harry, Ginevra, Mione. I must now talk to Mione's heart now. It is time to finds its other half."
The three of them quickly moved back to their seats on the rocks. They were delighted and relieved to be out of the spotlight. Pointing a finger at Ron, she summoned him back to her. Ron had a face of desperation like he had been deserted, left in the Forbidden Forest for the werewolves.
Mother Matavan grasped her amulet and pressed it to her forehead and breast several times. She then pressed it to Ron, holding it against his chest as she threw three handfuls of the sparkling smoke powder into the fire, causing a great cloud of sparks to rise high into the dark, starry sky until you could not separate star from spark with your eyes. "Reveal to us. Reveal your secrets" she spoke, as though talking right through Ron to the half of a heart inside him. "Where is the rest of you? Where has it gone? Where is it hiding? How can we find it? How can we end this pain in Mione and make you whole once again?"
Ron's face was grimacing as she continued. It was as if her bony hand had bored its way inside his chest and was clutching the half heart, massaging it, trying to coax it to release what it knew. "Where are you? Why are you hiding? Reveal yourself to us," she intoned, this time calling out to the missing half of her heart. "Help us make you whole again. Tell us how to find you."
Mother Matavan tipped her head back and began to chant in a guttural, undecipherable manner, almost as if she was howling at the moon or unseen spirits in the heavens. Harry, Ginny and Ron started staring up into the starry night sky. Nowhere they had ever been in their lives gave the level of darkness they found in this remote area of the Northern Territory on this nearly moonless night. The Milky Way literally glowed behind the regular star field with more stars than any human could count, even if they lived a thousand lifetimes.
As they gazed, almost in a trance, Mother Matavan continued chanting. Then a startling flash of light caused them all to jump. The white streak of a meteor sped out of the northern sky, disappearing almost as fast as it had appeared in the south.
"LOVE! You must seek LOVE!" screamed Mother Matavan, inducing another frightened jump on the part of all of them. "You must seek love. You must find love. You must go to love if you are to solve this problem."
"Where?" blurted Ron involuntarily. Then realizing his mistake, he stood back stiffly.
"Where, indeed," she said. "Where is this missing half of Mione's heart? Where is the love you must seek?" She cast more powder into the fire, which responded with a cloud of sparkling smoke. Where must we look? What can we not see?" she asked, pressing her amulet against her forehead, and then against Ron's chest. "Tell us where you are."
She started chanting again, this time for only a few seconds. "The heart is lost and confused," she breathed. "It does not know where it is. You must find it. It does not know how to find you."
Mother Matavan threw more powder into the fire. She pressed her amulet against her breast as she walked to the three sitting on the rock. "Ask for guidance," she said, pressing the amulet against Hermione's breast.
'Uh…show me where you are," said Hermione a bit at a loss for words. "Lead me to you. Give me guidance."
She repeated herself with Harry and Ginny, each of them begging for help from the heart to find itself.
She returned to the fire where Ron was standing, more or less scared to move. Placing her hand back on his chest, she said, "Ask. Ask with the piece of Mione's heart you carry for help making it whole."
"Help me," began Ron, grimacing once again as if he was feeling the bony claw of her hand clutching Hermione's heart inside his chest. He spoke with great conviction. "Help me find you so I can be whole again. Help me find you so we can heal your family. Help me for Hermione. Help…"
Hermione was also starting to writhe about as she sat in stunned silence. Then Mother Matavan raised her hand in a dramatic sweep upward against the stars and moon. A blood red aura glowed around it as Ron gasp, almost collapsing like a puppet without a master.
"Ron," choked Hermione as her eyes froze in a wide-open, fixed stare. She fell over against Harry, her mouth agape and eyes staring up at him. He caught her and pulled her close so he could support her.
"Hermione!" screamed Ginny as she grabbed her wrist.
"I don't think she is breathing," said Harry in a panicky voice.
"I can't feel a pulse, Harry!" yelled Ginny. "I can't feel a pulse."
Harry hit her in desperation with a Rictusempra spell followed by a Tarantallegra spell. They had no more effect than if he had used them on a sack of potatoes.
"I—I—I—uh think she is dead," he said not believing what he was saying.
"The Devil! I see the Devil!" screamed Mother Matavan, causing Harry and Ginny to look at her. "You must go to the home of the devil. When you find yourself in the devil's home, you will then be able to find me." Her hand swooped downward against Ron's chest. He leaped like he had been jolted by electricity.
Hermione sat bolt upright the way a muggle might if given an injection of epinephrine directly into their heart. "Wh—wh—what happened?" she gasped, shaking her head.
"We thought you were dead," said Harry, hugging her and starting to cry. Ginny also leaned in to join the hug with tear-filled eyes.
"I feel strange," said Hermione.
Oh my God, Hermione," sobbed Ginny. "You scared us to death."
Mother Matavan collapsed down on the ground as they looked back her way to see if Ron was recovering, as well. "That is your answer," she said, sounding totally exhausted. "I can do no more. That is what you must do to find the rest of your heart. Go now, I must take a rest."
Ron looked around, still stunned and reluctant to leave. Harry, Ginny and Hermione stood up. They looked at Ron, then into the dark background where Mick was now standing.
"C'mon, mates," he said in a quiet, almost reverent voice while signaling them to come along. "I think we should go, now."