Chapter 28
I examined the girl's body, which was in the center of the large purple throne room, and found that she was perfectly healthy, excluding the fact that she was clearly dead. I decided that it had been Avada Kedavra that ended her life. Hearing a crash, I looked up from the girl to see what was going on. Are my friends in trouble? I wondered. I did not see the source of the sudden noise but notice something that I didn't before: at the far end of the chamber, near the entrance through which Agrios lead us, was a tunnel. Being the curious Gryffindor that I was and also suspecting that it might lead me to my friends, I quickly walked over and peered inside. It seems safe and it doesn't look like it will cave in or anything, I noted before I went in. The ground was smooth rock and on the walls was ancient artwork, most likely drawn by early Native Brazilians. Slowly, the tunnel became darker as I ventured farther away from the well-lit throne room. A bump in the rock floor caused me to tumble to the ground and scrape my knees and wrists. Suck it up, Remus! I told myself as I began peel my body off the floor.
Suddenly, I felt something against my foot and the next thing I knew, another figure had fallen right on top of me. It groaned and I pushed the heavy mass off of my torso.
"Remus?" it said.
Instantly, I recognized the voice. "Sirius?"
"You... lived..." Sirius said slowly.
"Yes. Are you alright?" I asked him.
"I hurt my ankle," he said.
"Can I borrow your wand?"
Sirius, with his newly healed ankle, stood and so did I.
"We haven't got much time," he stated. "Hecate and Agrios are in here somewhere, chasing after everyone. They turned on us in the throne room, and Hecate even killed a Hunter!"
"I saw."
We were silent for a bit.
"Well, what do we do now?"
I thought. Should we suicidally go after our friends or just escape? Wait. What am I thinking? Leave James in here to die? And what about Phil? I have to admit I'm getting a bit close to that quirky guy.
"We go find them and somehow get out of here alive. C'mon." I walked on in the blackness and could hear Sirius's footsteps alongside mine. I could also hear his hand dragging along the wall. "What are you doing that for?" I asked.
"I'm feeling for gaps. There are tunnels leading off of this one... 'found one!"
I groped around and felt his silky hair. My hand brushed his nose and I looked the same direction as he, and I could see a faint light far down in the tunnel.
"That's Agrios. He's doing lumos," Sirius explained.
I quickly tiptoed up to the light and Padfoot followed.
"Whoa! The walls are smooth now," Sirius remarked, his fingernails lightly scratching the surface.
We continued at a faster pace and I could soon see Agrios with his wand in the air, surrounded by a bunch of cabinets, probably the extra ones from Olympus that served him no use. I remembered a few of them from when we fell off the truck. Behind the beast were Phil and Annabeth. Both looked like a body bind curse had hit them, as they were lying on their noses with their arms tightly by their sides. I noticed a gold glint coming from inside Agrios' wandless hand.
Still running, Sirius grabbed his wand from his pocket and pointed it at Agrios. Angry and determined, I screamed to get their attention. Agrios turned and faced us.
"You are no match for me," he said simply, giving a shrug. "Petrificus-"
"Expelliarmus!" Sirius blurted, causing the beast's wand to fly from his furry hand.
"Hahaha," he laughed as if it was no big deal. Then, staring at us seriously, his wand shot back into his hand. "Nice try, but I will never lose to a child."
Stupid Hecate powers, I thought. Boy is he going to get it! I thrust an arrow from my quiver and, not even placing it on my bowstring, I threw it at him. Sticking his hand in front of him, he conjured an invisible shield that made my arrow fall to the ground. Then, he silently bodybinded Sirius and I.
He pushed us over to where Annabeth and Phil lay.
This is it, I thought. He's going to kill us. I'll never get to see mum and dad again or tell Sirius and James how much I love having them as friends. I won't get to talk to Pete or see my mates grow up and get married. I'll never take OWLs or NEWTs and I'll never become an Auror. At least I will die in battle, fighting with my friends.
Surprisingly, I saw Agrios lower his wand. What is he doing? He opened his hand and my eyes fell on something that I had only seen in books. It was a time turner. But what is he going to do with it? I thought as he extended the chain with a spell.
"I saw my Mom make people disappear with this. In our family we have this rule that Mom made up called 'you kill it, you clean it', and I don't feel like cleaning today so I am just going to make you disappear so I don't have to deal with you humans anymore." How daft is this guy? I thought, relieved that he wasn't smart enough to kill us.
"Bye-bye!" he said once the chain was around our necks. Between Agrios's thick, jean covered legs I could see a smaller pair of blue jeans approaching. Who's that? I wondered. But before I knew it, Agrios had flicked his finger at the center piece and it spun three times. I felt like I was flying backwards and my surroundings became blurry.
All of a sudden, my friends and I were in the great chamber again, in the space between the wall and the elevated thrones. Thankfully the empousai didn't notice us, but someone else did. Approaching me was a boy with light brown hair, an orange shirt, and blue jeans; I was astounded. It was me. Seriously, my twin was standing right in front of me. It was freaky.
"Finite," the other me whispered. "Oh and don't forget to do that."
I was released from my body bind, but I didn't move. I just watched my other self, not daring to say anything. The other me was crouched behind Agrius the vulture's throne. Puzzled, I turned back and glanced at Annabeth.
"What is going on?" she asked.
"This," I whispered, holding up golden necklace, "is a time turner. Agrios sent us back three hours because he didn't know what it did. A time turner allows you to go back in time and fix things, and I have a feeling we need to go back into the cabinet," I told her. I double wrapped the elongated chain and put it around my neck.
She breathed out slowly, calming herself. "Let's wait until Hecate and Agrios chase the past version of us out."
I peered around the throne I was behind. I saw and heard my past self talking with Hecate, Agrius, and Agrios.
"I'm a... werewolf, and we don't age backwards," I said.
Everyone gasped.
"It's true," Annabeth quickly agreed, catching on.
"Besides," I continued. "there is a special incantation that I need to say, and you need to do everything before you appear in this other cabinet. Like I said, the cabinet has more than one function. It can also be a teleportation time travel device."
"I don't know about this..." said Hecate. "Maybe we should just–"
"Good enough for me! Let's fix Dad! And then we can kill you!" Agrios said happily.
"Agrios, I don't think werewolves actually–"
"Mom! Its worth a shot! It's the best idea we've had and it's got to work," Agrios begged.
"What do you think, Agrius?" Hecate asked the vulture.
The bird thought it over. "I guess we could try it before we kill the mortals. Besides, Junior seems to have his mind set on it," he sighed.
"Okay, Lets go! Move it, sisters," Agrios Jr. commanded the empousai guards.
They reluctantly stepped aside allowing a path to the tall cabinet (and thankfully, they still hadn't noticed my friends and I). Swooping gracefully, the vulture took off from its chair, flying into the alcove. The past me started forward at a slow pace and stopped in front of the looming cabinet.
The bird and I stepped inside of it. My elbow struck a knob as I turned around to face my friends.
I gave everyone a nod and soon, the door closed on me and I was gone. Agrios Jr. threw the cabinet door open again.
"Where are they? What happened?" he cried. "You stupid mortals! Tell us how to get my dad back!" he desperately commanded.
The past Annabeth looked unsure. "I don't know."
"RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAHHHHH!" Hecate roared as she jumped to her feet. "AVADA KEDAVRA!" She shouted and a jet of green light flew from the tip of her wand. Annabeth ducked and the spell hit the person behind her, who was the girl with the pigtails. At least I can see thestrals now, I reasoned. I wonder what they look like.
"Run!" Annabeth shouted and everyone fled down the passageway.
"Let's go!" I said (the present me). "Sirius, James! Hex the empousai!"
"Petrificus Totalus!" shouted Sirius; James went for the bat bogey hex. All of us ran for the cabinet.
"Hurry! Before I come back!" I shouted as Annabeth and I jumped inside the cabinet and Phil threw the door closed.
In a flash of light, we were back inside the Room of Requirement. Annabeth and I exited the cabinet quickly and raced over to hide behind a bookshelf. Soon, the other boys were by our side. Searching for Agrios, I peered all over the humongous room.
Cough!
There he is! I thought as I saw Agrios perched on the top of the bookshelf, practically above my head. I pointed upward to show the others. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the dagger I had previously tried to murder the vulture with. I would have prefered a bow and arrow, but had no clue where my bow was.
"Do you mind if I...?" I whispered to Annabeth.
"Do it!" she told me.
The vulture must've heard our whispering, because he peered down at us. His last words were "NOOO!" before he was hit straight in the eye with Annabeth's dagger. It was a perfect shot. Agrius Sr. burst into monster dust. A lone feather floated down to the ground and landed near my feet.
"Hide!" I said, realizing that the past me was about to walk up to the feather and pick it up in wonder. My friends and I scurried over to conceal ourselves behind some random furniture, and just in time, too. I saw the past me pick up the feather, throw it down, say "Agrius? But how?", and then pick it up again. Right after I shut myself in the cabinet, I heard something that caught me by surprise. I heard people talking. No, not my friends; they were all silent. It was an unfamiliar voice... that seemed to belong to a teenage boy.
"And he never realized anyone could get in?" the voice echoed.
A softer voice answered, also seeming to belong to a teenage boy. "He thought he was the only one. Too bad for him I've had to hide stuff in my time... this way," he added. "I think it's down here..."
Suddenly, three people walked into view. One was James's identical twin. No kidding! He had the exact same hair, glasses... everything! I couldn't see his eyes well since he was farther away, but they were probably the same too.
The second boy had fiery red hair. He was taller than James's twin and was thin and stringy.
The third person was a girl with fluffy brown hair. She was much shorter than the boys. "Accio Diadem!" she cried.
Diadem? Diadem? Did they mean the beautiful one I had been gazing at earlier?
"Let's split up," James's twin told the other two. "Look for a stone bust of an old man wearing a wig and a tiara! It's standing on a cupboard and it's definitely somewhere near here..."
Yep. They meant that diadem.
When they walked away, I got up to follow, but Annabeth asked, "Aren't you forgetting something you told yourself to remember?"
"Oh my Merlin!" I whispered. "But aren't you going to come?"
"You got it, Remus. We'll just stay here. I am curious to know what these kids are up to. Now go!"
In no time at all, I was back in the great chamber. Frantically, I flipped the centerpiece one time. Again, I felt like I was being shoved backwards and everything was blurry.
Immediately, I was behind the thrones. I noticed that the throne room was, again, empty except for Hecate, Agrius Sr, Agrios Jr, and the empousae guards.
"Agrios," said the vulture, "tell Uncle Orius to come down for lunch."
"Got it, Dad," said Agrios as he ran off.
Five minutes later, Agrios came back in with the Hunters, my friends, and I. We introduced ourselves, the monsters and the goddess bored us with an explanation of why they wanted us here, they questioned us, etc. etc. Then finally, my friends appeared beside me.
"Finite," I said. "Oh, and don't forget to do that," I reminded past me.
Past me just sat there, staring at future me. He turned and talked to Annabeth, and before I knew it, James and Sirius had cast some hexes and everyone was inside the cabinet.
What should I do now? I thought. Maybe I'll go down the tunnel and see if I can find someone who needs help.
I stood up and walked in the tunnel's direction, past the dead girl. Why did she have to die? I thought. I wish I could somehow save her... Wait! Can't I? Maybe if I go back in time and... no that wouldn't work. If she's already dead, I can't reverse it since I'm seeing her like this now and if stopped her from dying then I wouldn't see her dead and then there would be a paradox and I'd cease to exist.
"Sorry girl," I said aloud, "But you are going to have to remain dead." And with that, I walked into the dark tunnel, searching for someone in need.
A/N: Sorry for not updating for around 2 months! I was busy working on two other fanfictions. One of them is a collab with Dovewing123 on our shared account: wingedninja123. Please check it out! It's got Fred and George in it.
The other fanfic I am working on is a surprise! When I finish it, I will post it because I want it to be totally perfect. Thanks for reading and I'll be back soon I hope!
In the meanwhile... look us up please! I know you'll looove it!
