It was different, seeing it like this. Seamus couldn't take his eyes off of the swooping figures above the towers. It was strange, the feeling in the pit of his stomach. He wasn't quite afraid while they were far above just circling, but when one dove, the feeling in the pit of his stomach froze into full fledged horror.
On autopilot, he yanked out the Demolition issued sling shot and loaded a hex ball into it. Neville looked at him as if he were crazy. "What are you doing? Are you mad?"
"Run Neville."
"I'm not leaving you!" He pulled on Seamus' arm, and was thrown to the ground.
"Then get ready!" The Irishman stood up and aimed, ignoring the feeling that it was about to get really hot very quickly. The dragon opened its mouth, and as it was inhaling, Seamus released the ball, turning only when he saw it slam to the back of the creature's throat. "RUN!" They both slid into the Astronomy classroom as flames rained down behind them.
"Why isn't it working?" Neville asked as they reached the door, yelping as they scrambled down the stairs.
"Because… it's… a delay!" Seamus gasped out, surprised as anyone else. The door to the classroom was smoking, and as instinct told Neville to jump to the ground, he pulled his classmate with him, and the door exploded into flaming tinder. A large ignition blotted out all sound as the force of the discharge shoved them to the ground.
>
Harry looked up and blinked as pebbles rained down on his glasses. Ron tapped his star. "Report!"
"I think I blew up a dragon!" Seamus' breathless voice came loud and clear. "We've engaged the enemy! I'm bloody wicked!"
"Really? Get down here now!" Ron barked, pointing at Parvati. "How many did you see?"
"I saw five! It's four now." Neville's voice came loudly, and Parvati pulled the Marauder's map over to Ron's view. He watched the fast moving dots of Neville and Seamus as they made their way to the Chamber of Secrets. More dots were pouring in from the fireplaces in the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw Towers, as well as the Hufflepuff common room.
Luna walked into the tent and ambled over to Ron. "Everything's in position."
"I'm showing we've lost a sensor." Parvati shoved the other maps from the table and Dumbledore watched as the dots waved around the paper rapidly.
"Where did you get this map? Did you make it?" The headmaster asked Parvati, intrigued.
"No, we're not that good. I had my uncle make it for me. He's a cartographer in India. Very good." Hermione moved towards Dumbledore.
"Professor Dumbledore, do you want to greet the Aurors?"
"Quite right." Snape walked into the tent as Harry pointedly looked the other way as he walked out of the tent. Looking around, he saw that most of the student population was sitting down and eating. It was a marked difference; the tension in the tent was behind him, and cool atmosphere the DA had created out here calmed his nerves slightly. The people he was looking for ran into the Chamber, Neville still smoking.
"I can't believe it. They're here!" Seamus gasped out. Harry reached around Healer Squad members and grabbed two goblets of water.
"Drink this, and report to Ron."
"Harry, we saw the Aurors on the way down. They should be here any-"
"What's going on here? What is this place?" A large group of adults stood at the entrance of the Chamber, looking around in wonder.
"Ah, Please, come in. We've got a camp set up down here." Harry turned around at the sound of Dumbledore's voice. Snape was behind him, a slight sneer on his face as he looked at Harry's facial expression at the words "we".
"Where is… here exactly?" The Auror asked again, stepping in and gesturing for the rest of his men and women to fan out.
"The Chamber of Secrets."
"This place is real?" A blond haired woman asked, wand out but jaw dropped in wonder at the way the students were ignoring the large snake motif, moving in and out of tents erected near the back.
"As real as you or me. Let's move towards the tent with the purple flag. We'll discuss the plans we've come up with for evacuation of the students."
"We've come with plans of our own. Make sure that the students are ready to go, so we can move quickly. The threat is on the way."
"I believe the threat is here." Snape stepped forward, and gestured towards the tent.
"Harry, if you could coordinate the students to be ready to evacuate the castle? Organized by house if you please?" Dumbledore smiled at him before allowing himself to be led towards the Strategy tent. Harry's temper flared. Get the students coordinated? What in bloody hell did he think they were?
He scratched his head as ten Aurors flooded Ron's tent, and heard his complaints from where he stood. Looking to his side, he found himself accompanied by Colin. "They've come to take over, haven't they?"
"I'm afraid so. They're going to start with the plan Dumbledore spoke about. I'm going to talk to everyone in the Covert Ops room. Sneak away so the Aurors can't see you. Use the cloak to do it two at a time."
"Got it." Harry grabbed Parvati, who had just stormed out of the Strategy Tent.
"What's going on in there?"
"Basically we're getting kicked out of our operation! I don't understand it; the teachers are in there as if they've done everything." She said, throwing up her hands.
"You got the maps?"
"I wasn't able to get all of them. But I got the most important one." Harry took the Marauder's Map with a sigh of relief.
"Everyone's meeting in the Covert Ops Room. Spread the word. Tell all non DA students to get ready to leave. There are enough of them so that we can be sure to keep the Aurors busy while we figure out something."
"Got it." She nodded once and moved away as Ron and Hermione tumbled from the Strategy tent, looking harassed. They caught Harry's eye and walked over, fuming.
"They just kicked us out. They didn't even ask whose tent it was!" Hermione threw her hands up. "They're using our maps, our information and our tent… and they won't let us in."
"They said this isn't a place for children." Ron spat that word out with such contempt that Harry smothered the smile he had from seeing the red face of his friend.
"Covert Ops Room." Was all he said, and Ron smiled hugely.
"Brilliant."
>
Covert Ops didn't have a tent for obvious reasons. They congregated in the basilisk cavity, a huge chamber hidden behind the visage of Salazar Slytherin that took nearly two weeks to prepare. One by one everyone slipped in, trying to avoid the watch of the teachers and the Aurors as they disappeared under the invisibility cloaks, Harry's and the one they confiscated from the unfortunate Moody.
Harry came out of the Healers tent, right as two Aurors came shoving their way in, and before he could say anything he was swept into one of the invisibility cloaks. "Luna!"
"I would suggest silence until we reach our destination. I think we're being watched." She whispered back, urging him to move forward. Harry complied, and they made it to the room without incident.
Ron was stuffing a sandwich into his mouth as Harry revealed himself. Looking around, he realized everyone was here, the AA and senior DA. "Alright people, what's going on?"
"I'm being evicted from my tent." Ginny complained, pushing the last box of potions to the side of the room. "Luna and Colin managed to move as much as they could after they sent me out to get ready to leave. Hagrid told me that they've started burning the forest before we got separated."
"Well that's stupid. We should be up there fighting! Before I was kicked out Professor Dumbledore was kind of upset that there was only twenty Aurors that showed up." Parvati interjected. "So I don't think the plan they had is going to work."
"Four dragons, five Aurors a piece, that's not too good odds." Dean sighed. "And if they're going to have a few stay behind to Apparate others away, then that's stupid." Murmurs of agreement went around the room.
"I know, but what do you think we should do?" Daphne sighed.
"We've done a lot of stuff to turn back now. We pulled in all the illegal potions that we're not supposed to have, as well as the hex balls and the modified bows and arrows. We're trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, but they keep watching us."
"That reminds me. What did you do with Moody?" Harry asked out of the blue. The Slytherin had the grace to blush.
"Well, we kind of had Tedros sort of fly him… away." She finished lamely.
"Away."
"Yeah." He turned to Tedros who was watching something in Hermione's hair as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.
"Whatever. Look, I have no intention of us going out there and fighting unless we have to."
"Come on Harry! They're outnumbered!" Ron pleaded. "We can do it!"
"And so can they frankly." He said bluntly. Anthony mulled it over and sighed.
"He's right. There really isn't a reason for us to get involved."
"But do they have to be so bloody smug about it?" Justin grumbled. "They just pushed us out. I mean, if we had a tent, I'm sure we would have been pushed out of it." The Intel Squad was interspersed into each tent, so everyone was on the same page.
"I think that maybe we should hang back, and do what they say, and stay safe. That way we don't have to lose a life. We're ready to fight if the adults can't do it." Harry reminded them.
"But I did blow up a Dragon." Seamus groused, crossing his arms. It was a heady thing, taking down a dragon, and he wanted more.
"Yes, and we're proud of you Seamus." Parvati smiled at him and the teen blushed hard. "But Harry is right. I'd prefer if we were all safe. Let the adults deal with this." Tedros stood up and turned around, a searching look on his face.
"Tedros, have you felt something?" Luna asked, standing as well. Before he could answer black smoke billowed up from the floor, and as it dissipated, Xantha appeared.
"What is it?"
"What are you doing in here? They need your help!" She said, crossing her arms. Harry's jaw dropped… so this is what Xantha wore when she meant business. Her hair was concealed in a headpiece that fit close to her head, segmented silver metal that extended to the collar of her… her armor. It looked like armor at least. Thousands of crisscrossing silver ropes clung to her, gleaming slightly in the light.
"What do you mean? They made it perfectly clear that they did not need nor did they want us." He said, nevertheless slinging his quiver over his shoulder and picking up his bow.
"They're dim-witted humans. They're not going to acknowledge they need help." Xantha caught herself and turned to the group. "I didn't mean you, just them."
"I don't know about everyone else, but I'm not offended." Ginny said as she stood up and smiled. "So they need help huh?" One by one everyone looked at Harry.
"Fine. We'll go see if we can help. We're not going to go rushing out there and getting into danger, are we clear?" Harry frowned… he was sounding like the teachers…
"Yeah, sure mate." Ron nodded, waving him off. "We'd never do that."
> > > > >
Mahari opened her eyes as the world righted itself within her head, which throbbed horribly. She felt like she was going to throw up, and was too tired to do so. Never again would she travel by water. By the time she realized she was standing, Mahari fell through the water, back into the lake. Just in time as it seemed, because where she stood was now a large column of fire.
The armor she was wearing liquefied and she kicked hard, trying to get away from what was above the water. Where was the flame coming from? Her lungs protested, and Mahari broke the surface as inconspicuously as she could. Not good enough. There was no fire above her, but a large flying creature was making another pass at the lake. What in the hell was that? A dragon? What in the hell?
Kicking for the shore, she tried not to panic, but the stupid swords at her hips weren't helping. Putting her head down, Mahari concentrated on making the shore, but of course she couldn't resist a look backwards. She screamed and ducked under the water as the dragon swooped overhead. Its claws pushed her down as it scratched at her back, forcing her to bob back to the surface as she screamed in pain.
Hearing her cry, it came back around yet again, and as its paws slid along the surface of the lake, four tentacles shot up and wrapped themselves around each leg and yanked. The dragon roared and blew fire down at the water, steam billowing all over the place, smelling of burnt bacteria and other things she didn't want to know about. Coughing, she started swimming again.
Pulling harder, the squid surfaced and yanked the flying beast halfway under, but it swiped its tail and beat its wings for altitude. Mahari turned and looked at the warring beasts with incomprehension. What she was looking at made no sense. The dragon roared again and with a scrabble of wings it disappeared under the water entirely. Mahari treaded water, looking at the idyllic lake for a second longer before a feeling of foreboding washed over her like chilly air, and she turned to continue swimming.
Before she had completed four strokes the water became violent, waves slapping her in the back as the dragon again fought to get to the surface and break free to the air. Again sucked under, the water started churning until she was fighting a useless battle. Arms grabbed her underwater, and started to propel her towards the shore. Mahari cried out as the shore slid closer by the second, faster than she was swimming before.
Her hands gratefully touched the silt of the shore, and someone shoved her onto the land. Rolling over onto her side, she grunted as three fish people kept pushing, making sure that she was on the ground and safe. Her grandmother always told her to remember her manners, and coughed up water. "Todre Var." She spat out, plenty willing to give her gratitude in the Sidhe language.
They nodded and slipped back underwater as Mahari turned on her back and gasped for air, thankful that the lake was calm once more, the squid victorious. Pushing herself to stand, Mahari wiped the water out of her eyes and took a deep breath. And screamed.
> > > > >
It was worse than he realized… they sat around talking about the Aurors, and Harry spoke himself into inaction, while they were up here dying. The stench of burnt flesh and smoking timber choked him, and as he wiped his watering eyes, he stopped. "Oh my god…" The murmured phrase came from somewhere behind him. Xantha looked back and sighed.
"I know it's bad. That's why I came for you. I couldn't fight them all myself. I'm not sure of the genetic make up of the dragon, but it feels resistant. We need to work together to destroy them."
"They're resistant to magic; their skin is what protects us." Hermione lamented. Xantha smiled and unsheathed her sword.
"Then I'll have to remove it." Harry jerked around, and a split second later, a horrified scream rang out.
>
Tedros slid through the air and spun around, bow drawn as the cloud underneath him steamed and burned away to nothing. The open jaws of the dragon were less than twelve feet below him, and as it inhaled yet again, he fired the bow directly into its mouth. The animal gagged briefly before recovering, and inhaled again to find something horribly wrong.
The dragon's teeth was freezing, spreading to its gums and swallowing its fire jets quickly, traveling down its neck. Its entire head was frozen. Arms scrabbled at the air weakly, tail slashing as Tedros grabbed a hold of it and started spinning it around. By the time the frost was reaching his hands he was already letting go. The dragonsicle collided with another on an upward sweep, and it shattered, slicing the already angry dragon across the snout and neck… making it vulnerable to magic. Time to lure it back to the ground.
It roared and blew flame, and Tedros allowed himself to fall back to earth, the dragon on his tail. Harry raised his wand and steadied himself. "Just like we practiced!" He yelled over his shoulder. "One… two… three go! Glaciares!" Ginny, Dean, Colin and Blaise screamed at the top of their lungs as Tedros slid along the ground, diving out of the way. The spells hit the dragon in its open mouth and on its exposed neck, and by the time it reached the earth it shattered into a million pieces.
Harry looked around at the people who were left. Four aurors remained, with the Professors talking to them and amongst each other. Madam Pomfrey was attending to burns that were accrued. Xantha was talking to Mahari, who still had her sword in her hand, waving it around, punctuating her point. She pointed towards him, and he knew that the talk that was coming was about to happen.
He started walking over when he was joined by a very dirty Tedros. "How are you feeling?" He asked, wrinkling his nose at the burnt smell reached his nostrils.
"I'll live. I don't know how your odds are looking, after my sister speaks to you. She's pissed."
"I know."
"I don't know if you know how pissed… but good luck." He patted Harry on the shoulder, and Harry winced.
"Watch it? I got scratched by a Dragon, remember? They had to almost reattach my arm."
"Sorry about that. I don't ever want to see your arm hanging off of your body by a thread again, got it?"
"Well there goes next Tuesday. I was going to do it again then, just for you." Harry shot back, and Tedros shook his head, veering off to check on Ron and Hermione, who were arguing with two Aurors and Professor Dumbledore.
"Mr. Potter, I'm sure you're basking in the elation of your victory, but you might want to move everyone into the castle. I feel it is still not safe."
"Is there another leg of the attack sir, which we don't know about? Something the Dark Lord told you that you haven't shared with the rest of us?" Harry put as much contempt into his words as he could, and all Snape did was regard him with a cool look.
"You are forever a child Potter, no matter how out of the ordinary events that transpire around you seem to end up. I believe I will speak to someone with more intelligence." He stalked off towards Xantha, and Mahari threw her hands up and stormed over to him.
"You! You-"
"Mahari, please, I did what I thought I had to. I didn't want you here, and I still don't. You could have gotten hurt!"
Mahari moved slightly so he couldn't see the long gouge down the side of her leg where a dragon swiped her as her armor reconstituted. "Look Harry, I trusted you and you just-" An Auror screamed and was engulfed in flame, the blast of fire consuming both he and Snape, as Harry stared at his teacher's horrified face before it was gone. The dragon that they thought was slain before they had arrived was very much alive.
"Take cover!" Dumbledore bellowed, and the tail swiped through the air, knocking Daphne and Cho to the ground as they ducked. It continued on an upward sweep, and Queen Xantha turned as it slammed through her head. She burst into smoke, the air caused by the tail dispersing it on the wind. The dragon roared and blew flame, everyone running for cover.
Harry stepped forward, and was slammed backwards by the turning Dragon, whose tail whipped him into the air, landing on Tedros. The sky was briefly orange fire, before he lost consciousness.
> > > > >
Mahari groaned and came to herself painfully. Consciousness was going to demand a price, and it was an arm and a leg… and her neck and back. Groaning again because she was pissed, she opened her eyes to find herself staring into a pair of violet ones, framed by mahogany lashes. "Good, you're awake. I don't know how, but you are."
Mahari opened her mouth and nothing happened. Swallowing forcefully, she exhaled and tried again. "And why wouldn't I be awake?" She asked weakly. The woman in front of her smiled wanly and held up a claw that was bloody on both sides.
"Because I pulled two of these out of you, and that's not something you can just sleep off." She cocked her head and put the horrible thing down. "How do you feel?"
"Like shit." Her extremities felt fine, but it was her side that was giving her a long list of things that was in urgent need of addressing. "Who are you?"
"Lacrimosa Orthicon." Mahari nodded at the sheer lunacy of everything and proceeded to hurt herself trying to sit up. A pain almost as bad as the dragon fire coursed through her and she bit her lip and blinked back the tears. "I wouldn't try that if I were you."
"Why not?" As if the reason didn't make itself glaringly clear.
"Because you still have an extremely large claw wedged underneath your ribcage."
"Why didn't you pull it out?"
"Because it would have caused you to bleed to death. I had to stop when this last one bled for almost three minutes. You've lost a lot of blood." Lacrimosa sighed and pulled her locks off of her shoulders. "I think you should rest."
"No, now's not the time. I've got to get this thing out of me, and you're going to have to pull it out." Mahari said firmly, feeling around until she came in contact with the roughness of it where it was broken off an inch before her skin.
"I'm a healer, and I can tell you without the proper potions, you're going to die. I think you would rather me leave that in there."
"You don't know me then, do you?" Mahari said dryly. Biting her lip, she grasped the edge and yanked out with all her strength, but the body took over in defense of its own life, and her arm stopped working. Spots swam before her eyes, and suddenly she couldn't get enough air into her lungs.
"I'm sorry, but I can't do that. You're going to die, and then they'll kill me." Lacrimosa wiped a tear from her eye and looked over her shoulder before leaning closer. "Look, they told me that if you died, I die. The only reason why I'm alive is because they need someone to keep their prisoners breathing, and anyone else who gets hurt and is beyond the skills of the healer they have in their ranks. Please, I beg you, don't do it."
"You don't understand, it will hurt now, but I should be fine."
"Pardon me if I don't want to hinge my life on "should". I have a husband and two children, please, I beg you."
"I do too." Mahari felt that pins and needles feeling of sensation coming back to her arm, and without warning she pulled out the claw that seemed to go on forever before she blacked out into the welcoming darkness.
>
Rolling over, the first thing she saw was Lacrimosa in the corner, crying. "What's wrong?" Mahari rasped out, and the woman jumped, looking around in fear. She had a bruise on the side of her face, and her arms and hands had small cuts on them, as well as a scrape on her forehead. "What did they do to you?" She asked again, fighting the heaviness in her arms and legs, and most importantly her head.
"I thought you were dead." Mahari smiled slightly as she managed to kneel on the stone floor that just before felt as comfortable as a mattress.
"I told you it would be okay." Lacrimosa shrugged and wiped her face, wincing as she moved over the bruise that extended mid cheek.
"It didn't look like it. They said you were too close to dying, and they had to teach me a lesson, because what Voldermort wants, Voldermort gets…" The brunette laughed again, but it wasn't a healthy laugh. It was a laugh of someone trying to come to grips with yet another horror heaped onto a large pile of horrors.
"What did they do?" Mahari cleared her throat and tested her feet, which supported her while crouching. Lacrimosa looked away, hiding behind her hair. "They didn't… tell me they didn't."
"I don't want to talk about it." She looked down and laughed again, and the hysterical edge was shaper this go round. "I don't want to think about it. But it's all I can see in my head. I don't want to go to sleep because it's happening over and over again. 'You half blood bitch, you're lucky, because this is the only pureblood you'll ever be able to taste.' I can't block it out… I can't block it out… I can't block it out…"
Mahari stood and looked down at her left hand, which was itching out of control… without hesitation she walked over to the broken healer and placed her palm on the un-bruised temple and felt all the pain and suffering, both physical and mental, and pulled it out of Lacrimosa like a sickness…thankful to let the darkness do its work.
>
A shaking of her shoulder roused her, and Lacrimosa's face swam in and out of focus until the smiling face was sharply clear. "I'm so glad you're alright." Mahari sat up quickly, brushing off her arms and legs as the fear rose and ebbed away, leaving her lightheaded in memories that weren't hers. "What's wrong?"
"Are you alright?" Mahari asked, turning and looking at her. The healer's pretty face was unmarred by the bruise or mental anguish.
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"Um… you don't remember the guards beating you?" Lacrimosa looked at her briefly and touched Mahari's head gently.
"I'm going to check for any head trauma. You've been knocked out for a while." The teen beat her hand away like an insect.
"Humor me."
"I'm fine. I've been here ever since you pulled that claw out of your abdomen, which like I said, wasn't smart. There isn't even a tear in the flesh in that area." She said, standing up. Mahari did the same, and looked around the room totally for the first time.
"So… no one came and…beat you up?"
"I think I would remember that dear." Mahari smiled and then immediately frowned again. Lacrimosa followed her gaze and sighed. "That was one I couldn't save. More like they wouldn't let me save her. She's a muggle they brought for entertainment. It's sad really." A blond head was bent forward, a long curtain of hair obscuring the face.
"Glad to hear you so casual about it."
"Well, it's better her than us, right? I mean the muggles never do anything for us except make our lives difficult."
"I'm not a witch." The healer opened her mouth and closed it again.
"Then what are you? A muggle? If you're a muggle you're not going to last long in here." Lacrimosa rubbed her neck and tried not to look uncomfortable.
"I think I'll be just fine. I'm just waiting for my husband to arrive."
"And how old are you?"
"Sixteen."
"You're married and sixteen? That's… that's…" She broke off and looked into Mahari's face. "You look awfully familiar. My grandmother on my father's side says everyone has a famous twin."
"Is that right?" Mahari took stock of her physical person. They of course removed her sword, and the two daggers that were hiding in their special places in the soles of her slippers. They didn't remove her headpiece or her necklace, bracelet or rings… good. Probably tried but couldn't.
"Actually you're looking a lot like the pictures of Harry Potter's wife in the Daily Prophet."
"That's not a question, is it?"
"No. Why didn't you tell me who you were? I didn't realize you didn't give me your name all this time."
"Because I didn't want to." Mahari pulled off her headpiece, sighing with relief as the pressure on her head was diminished. "That thing is hot." She looked at the door, which had a metal grate over a square, the holes just wide enough for her to see through. Stepping close to it, she looked out right before a fist slammed against the square.
"Back inside!" Someone barked as Mahari allowed herself to be pulled away by Lacrimosa, who was shaking her head.
"I don't think they want us looking out."
> > > > >
Harry opened his eyes and looked around. Ron was on his right and Hermione was on his left, with Ginny peering at him from somewhere around his legs. "Where are we?"
"Ministry of Magic. They didn't trust leaving you at Mungos." Ron supplied, reaching down and helping him sit up. Harry blinked and looked around. "They brought us all here, everyone who was helping the fight."
"And Snape?"
"He didn't make it." Hermione sighed heavily.
"I hope you don't expect me to be sorry."
"I'm past that now."
"Good." Ginny stood up and rubbed her shoulders. "I don't think I ever want to see another fire again."
"I'm sure that everyone feels the same way." Parvati stuck her head into the room with a grim look upon her face. Harry slid off of the bed and looked around.
"Where's Mahari? And Tedros? And why are we here?" He fired off.
"They're interrogating Tedros and Daphne right now, and they are keeping us here because they want to find out from all of us what happened. They've sent everyone home from Hogwarts, and… and…"
"And Mahari?" Harry prompted.
"She was carried off."
"Carried …off?"
> >
"He's awake now." Mahari said aloud, and Lacrimosa looked up, confused.
"Who's awake now?" The teen shook her head and sighed.
"Nothing. Look, I need a spell from you." She said, coming to sit in front of the witch. Lacrimosa frowned and shook her head.
"I don't have my wand. Trust me, they took it when they grabbed me. They only give it to me when I have to run tests that require a wand. And even then they have four people watching me with their wands raised. Sorry. If I had my wand, I wouldn't be sitting in here, I'll tell you that much." Mahari shook her head.
"No, I know you don't have your wand, and that's now how I work anyway." Mahari rubbed her shoulders and sighed. She didn't really want to do this with someone she didn't know, but desperate times…
"What do you mean, how you work? I don't have time to play games." The brunette said testily. Mahari's eyebrow rose in derision.
"You have plenty of time. Where the hell are you going to go?" She gestured around the room. "We're trapped in here, and I have a way out. Are you interested?"
"Of course I'm interested. But you're just a muggle. How are you going to get us out?"
"First of all, I know I'm not a witch, but that doesn't mean that I don't have some way of getting us out of here. You're going to have to trust me." Mahari took a deep breath. "I need you to give me a spell. I read in a book one that would break through stone…. Bombarda?"
"Bombarda? Yes, it will break through stone… but I've only done it twice in my whole life… and I don't have my wand!"
"Lacrimosa, please stop saying that. You don't need your wand. Look, I'm not totally human, alright? I can… take a spell from someone, and use it. Well, more like lay it into metal."
"What are you?"
"Sidhe."
"That's a myth." Lacrimosa scoffed.
"I'm here in the flesh. But I'm only a quarter Sidhe honestly. My grandmother is a full blood if you must know. Now are we going to do this or not?"
"What do you want me to do?" She asked, sighing and straightening up. Mahari scratched the back of her head as she thought for a moment.
"Well, after all of that, I'm not quite sure. I don't have any metal to lay the spell into…" She looked around the sparse room, refusing to glance over the body in the corner.
"What about your helmet? It's metal."
"It's also incapable of receiving my spell, being made from metal not from my home planet."
"Right. Sow what now?" Lacrimosa snapped, Mahari bit her lip and stared at the door. She couldn't place the spell in the door, because it didn't work that way. Whatever it was she laid the spell into had to hit the target, not be the target, or the spell would never be released.
"I don't really know, to tell you the truth." Mahari stood up and started pacing, mind working overtime.
> >
"You're not serious. They're planning on keeping us here?" Harry raged, pacing in the middle of the floor. "What do they think will come of this?"
"I don't know. Poor Professor Snape…" Daphne sniffed, wiping her eyes clear of the tears that began to fall. Harry was about to say something scathing, but remembered that the man was her former head of house. "At any rate my father will be along shortly I'm sure. We'll be out soon." Apollo Greengrass was a ferocious lawyer whose no holes barred approach would yield results sooner or later.
The doors opened and everyone jumped to their feet, but Tedros walked in alone, looking tired and defeated. "What did they ask you?" Hermione asked, running up to him and making sure he was okay.
"Basically my whole life story, and about Mahari and Harry and my grandma. Apparently the phrase "fuck off" doesn't carry much weight around here." He said semi good-naturedly, sinking into a nice chair gratefully. Ginny sat down on the arm and leaned against the wall.
"The wait is maddening." She moaned.
"It is difficult for everyone." Luna said, looking directly at Harry, who glanced over at Ron, who nudged Hermione. "I believe if we meditate we will have an easier time dealing with our incarceration." Harry could have kissed her. Lovegood had a plan. Before he could open his mouth, the doors were thrown back, and five Aurors entered and parted for the Minister of Magic.
> >
"And you think this will work?"
"I don't know. I've never had to try it like this."
"Well, don't you think you should practice?"
"Listen Lacrimosa, if we actually pull this off, we'll only get one chance."
"I'm not going to blow up am I?"
"No. Well, I don't think so."
"I can't believe I'm about to do this."
"You want to get out don't you?"
"Of course I do."
"Then let's get this over with." Lacrimosa opened her mouth and closed it again. Mahari could have strangled the woman by now. "What? What is it now?"
"Well, how close do we have to be?"
"I… I don't know. I don't' know if this is close enough or not." Mahari tucked back the brunette's hair out of habit and squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. "If it makes you feel better, while you're the first person I've had to take a spell from like this… I've done this almost a hundred times before."
"That doesn't make me feel as good as I think you meant it to." Lacrimosa laughed nervously. Mahari looked at her briefly and began to nod.
"Okay, let's try."
"Excuse me?"
"You're going to have to trust me. Everything that I do is designed to get me back to my children and crazy husband. Now, I want you to do everything that you would do if you were about to do this spell. Imagine your wand in your hand; imagine the force building inside of you…" Mahari trailed off as Lacrimosa's eyes took on a faraway look, and she leaned in closer. "Just say the spell…"
"Bombarda." Mahari shook her head minutely. She didn't feel it. It didn't feel the same as it did before… so it wouldn't work.
"Again Lacrimosa."
"Bombarda."
"Stronger."
"Bombarda!" The shadow of power was exhaled onto Mahari's lips, and she wondered what her body was doing, but the power was calling… so close…
"Again."
"Bombarda!" There! The power welled up not as she said the word, but the split second after. Mahari felt it forcing itself out like a languid tide, and she touched her lips to the witch's briefly, capturing it. With a joyous surge it sprang into her, the magic within her coiling almost painfully. Before she realized, Mahari was already on her feet and at the door.
The cool metal was a relief to her hands as they made contact. The spell jerked violently, and she closed her eyes and forced it out, making sure to drop her glamour as it fled her body. It left her gratefully, attaching itself to the metal with a childlike glee and for a second Mahari wondered if magic was alive. The door underneath her fingertips changed, and before she could move, it exploded.
> >
Harry frowned and touched his chest briefly. "Please let me go. I have to go find my wife."
"I'm sorry Mr. Potter, but that's not your job. We'll find her." Cornelius Fudge walked back into the room with a folder in his hand.
"I've got it from here Harris. Please leave the two of us alone, but feel free to post up at the door." They left quickly, and Harry found his eyes following the bob of the folder in the pudgy minister's hand. "Harry my boy; you're really going to have to stop overextending yourself. While the Department of Magical Law Enforcement appreciates the tremendous help your defense league lent to the task force that was sent to ensure the very thing that happened wouldn't… I cannot have you traipsing around the world trying to find your wife. Let the Ministry handle it."
"No." Harry shook his head, unable to reduce the feeling of being in an enclosed space. The Minister's office was spacious, with a nice view of the atrium by magical means. But that didn't dispel the horrible feeling of being encased in something with no light and no air. "I have to look for her myself."
"You're a high profile individual in our society Harry. How would it look if I had you trying to solve crimes on your own, not even out of Hogwarts yet?"
"She's my wife, not a case!" He said hotly, standing up. With the anger the trapped feeling receded, and Harry could breathe easier. "I am going to find her."
"You're going to stay here, and wait processing. Your statement will be taken, as well as your memories examined. And after we've understood exactly what happened that resulted in the deaths of ten of my Aurors, and one Hogwarts Professor. Aren't you interested in finding out what went wrong?" Harry gritted his teeth and took another deep breath before speaking.
"You know, I can tell you what happened. A dragon that was supposedly taken down before we got there suddenly came back alive and knocked me into the middle of last week, onto my brother in law, and as I was passing out all I saw was flames. That's all you'll see because that's all I saw.
"Now for the last part of your question, I know what went wrong, and it wasn't anyone on my team. The mother of my children is missing, and you're not doing anything to find her. I think I've spent enough time here waiting around for you to do something. I am leaving now!"
The plant that was sitting next to Harry's hand reached over and pricked him with one of its spiny needles. He jerked back a second too late, eyes flashing with rage. "Harry, we can't have you running off and doing something stupid, like getting yourself nicked by Voldermort. That wouldn't look too good for my administration. So you're going to stay here while we send your little team as you call them, home. And we're going to do our best to find your wife."
The room swam in front of Harry's eyes, and he found himself robbed of anger, and desire to do anything but sit quietly in a corner. Stumbling slightly, the best thing for him to do was to sit down in the chair behind him before he landed on the floor. "What did you do to me?" He managed to get out. Fudge smiled slightly.
"It's a beauty, isn't it? My little insurance policy. When I have to deal with excitable people, it makes them less… excitable. You will go back to the holding room, and wait quietly for your statement to be taken. We've already taken everyone else's, so that leaves only yours. Everything will be finished here, and you will go home and wait for us to return your wife. Do you understand?"
"Yes sir." Harry rose again unsteadily, and the aurors returned, escorting him back to the rest of the group. A man watched them leave and stepped from the shadows, as silent as air. Fudge looked over and gave a double take.
"How did you get there?"
"I've been standing here for quite a while. When you went to get the Potter boy."
"So you heard everything?"
"I heard that since you know you're on the way out of office, you wanted to gain more time by returning Potter's wife to him without his help." The man was tall and slim, with absolutely normal brown hair. His face was nondescript and there was nothing about him that would stick out in your mind… except the fact that he moved with no sound. He was Fudge's last resort, his ace up the preverbal sleeve. He could do what no one else could, concealing scandals and neutralizing targets that got in the way.
"That's not what I said."
"But that's what I heard." Fudge glowered slightly and crossed his arms.
"I'm allowing Law Enforcement to do what they were designed to do. Potter would just get in the way."
"While I agree with what you're saying, the way you're going about it is guaranteed to make you a very powerful enemy. You tried too late to befriend him, and now your spurning him, which isn't very smart."
"Listen here chap. You seem to forget who pays you."
"And you seem to forget who pays you. I've been covering your arse for your whole term. I have enough to not only impeach you, but to land you behind the bars of Azkaban… although that isn't as big a threat as it once was, with the Dementors gone."
"What do you want?"
"I want nothing, as always. I will assist with the investigation... although you do know that if you deliver Mrs. Potter, you will upset your sponsor... and if you don't deliver Mrs. Potter... well, you have Mr. Potter to deal with."
"I'll take my chances with the child. Begin the investigation. Tell them what doors to knock on, and what people to question, but I want you there to make sure they don't get too close. Got it?"
"Of course sir." He said mockingly, giving a slight bow and exiting the room as silently as he came.
> > > > >
The witch slid through the two men standing in front of the statue, no sign of the shock she felt inside. It was a perfect cast of one of their prisoners... the special prisoner at that. "So how did dis happen?" Her voice was heavily accented.
"Somehow she was able to create an explosion, and it took out the two guards in front of the cell, and we found her right behind the door." The largest guard walked around Mahari, tapping her metallic forehead. The surprise was etched through the metal, as if she wasn't expecting what happened. The defensive position of her arms and hands indeed told the story of what happened that split second before the blast reached her, but for all of the outlines of her clothes and even the cords of her forearm was captured as it caused her hand to curl into a fist, it didn't reveal what she could have done to cause the blast.
"Verdi, what was found in the cell?"
"Nothing Mariska." The smaller guard with bristly red hair answered back gruffly, scratching his chin. "I found no wand, no explosives... nothing. And the healer has said nothing. She claims she doesn't know what she did."
"You made sure she wasn't lying?"
"We made sure of that." Ducal smiled evilly. "But she still has use of her hands."
"Good, dat's all I ask. Lock dis one up in another cell, and watch it. I want to be notified if there is any change in her state." She began to walk out of the door when Ducal cleared his throat.
"Marishka, do you honestly think that she is still alive? There are no air holes."
"I don't think her dead." Was all she said as she walked out again. "Put her away gentlemen... you know where."
> > > > >
"He's gone all bonkers... he doesn't say anything but sit there and smile." Ron waved his hand in front of Harry's face slowly, dismayed at the lack of reaction. Hermione had already checked him for injury, and found none, nothing to explain his current state.
"There is something about this that seems familiar... but I can't think of it." Neville said, staring into space as Luna leaned against the wall next to him, tucked close to his body. Daphne was absently braiding Parvati's hair, who in turn was getting some soot out of Katie's. Tedros and Ernie were talking in low tones in the room with the bed in it, and Anthony and Dean were cracking small jokes. They had been informed that their parents would be arriving soon to pick them up, and the exhaustion had set in for everyone.
Ron's brain was thinking overtime, the burden of having Harry incapacitated wore on his mind. He knew that if his best friend weren't drugged or spelled, he would be pacing the room, trying to think of a way to either contact Queen Xantha or get out of here and find Mahari. "What are you thinking about?" Hermione asked, getting up from Ginny, who had gotten out some pieces of dragon that had unthawed in her hair.
"Stuff. My father will be here shortly, and while I don't want to have that particular meeting, it's better than staying in here. There's nothing we can do from in here."
"Well, Tedros said he can't get in touch with his grandmother with the mirror in this room, so we're going to have to wait."
"I don't like waiting. I want my father to get here, because he would know what's wrong with Harry. I've never seen him like this. I haven't seen him smile like that for this long except when he was around Mahari or on a broom. It's... it's..."
"Unsettling?" Ginny finished as she and Tedros walked up to their conversation. His sister looked back over at Harry and shook her head. "I wonder what they did to him. I know we didn't find any injuries, but seriously, something is wrong. It has to be."
"I don't have my wand, or we could check for a spell." Hermione rubbed her shoulder, pulling a crick out of her neck.
"When I was in Fudge's office, he had a little plant on the desk, and he started acting like an ass, and when I put my hands on his desk, the plant reached over and pricked me. He kind of watched, I guess to see my reaction, but all I did was pull out the needle and keep yelling. That's why he sent me away. Afterwards I felt a little depressed, but that would be normal considering..." Tedros trailed off.
"Neville, if you could?" Ron called him over, and Tedros described the plant.
"That sounds familiar, and it would make bloody good sense with what's going on with Harry. Did you keep the needle?" He asked, looking hopeful.
"Actually I did. I didn't see a trashcan, so I just put it in my pocket. My mother always drilled into me and Mahari not to litter. Guess it stuck." Tedros dug in his pocket and produced a thin green needle. Neville took it gently and sniffed it, grimacing and moving it away from his nose. "What? What is it?"
"It's used for the hellebore syrup they add for Elixir of Peace. It has to be modified, because it's poisonous. I just recognize that bad taste in my mouth from smelling it." He shook his head and dropped the piece of plant on the floor, smashing it into the hard wood beneath his trainers.
"How long does it last?" Ginny asked, greatly concerned now.
"I don't know to tell you the truth. I've never actually seen the plant, considering it's illegal to grow them without a permit, and who wants the Ministry breathing down your neck because of some plants? It's nothing worth selling really."
"How do we wake him up?" Neville shrugged.
"I don't know. We could try ennervate if they hadn't taken our wands."
"That doesn't help us." Ron groused, sighing and walking away from the group, his eyes never leaving Harry's face. Luna stuck her head in the way of his gaze, and he frowned reflexively. "What is it Luna?"
"Well, I wanted to let you know that they didn't take everyone's wand." He pulled her over to the wall and leaned in close, to make sure he heard correctly.
"Pardon?"
"They didn't take everyone's wand. They took what they thought was Harry's wand, but it was actually a collapsible wand that my father sent me. It was a nice gift that someone gave him that he had no use for. So he gave it to me."
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"Because we had to find out exactly where the Ministry stood, and more to the point, the Minister himself." He looked at her briefly and smiled. "So yes, I have Harry's wand. But think; do we want to reveal we have it just yet? Ginny can monitor him just in case we need to make our move, but I don't feel comfortable letting anyone know what we're doing."
"You're right… what do you suggest?"
"You might want to ask Tedros to try and contact his grandmother again. I'm sure that Parvati has a mirror on her somewhere. A mirror that isn't warded."
> > > > >
Mariska meticulous, determined, and very very deadly. A beautiful woman from a small Siberian village, her talent for magic was outshined by her classic beauty and deviousness. Her specialty being torturous magic and the Dark Arts, she made herself into Cruelty Incarnate to get ahead as a magical mercenary. People often mistook her beauty for mercy, her smile for forgiveness…. Until they where facing the green light of an oncoming Killing Curse.
Few things in this world held her interest, those things being money and the ability to coax information out of someone while inflicting maximum bodily damage. And Voldermort, some wizard from England, hired her at a veritable mint of rubles to come to this dreary place to get information.
Glancing into down at her hand, Mariska knew that if she hadn't flown straight back to the castle, she wouldn't have a hand to look at. The source of the injury was sitting in the middle of a pool of blood, still encased in the metal that was once the door of her cell. She stood, flexing her renewed hand involuntarily. Very few things scared her, but the loss of a limb was very close to the top of the list. "You're intriguing American. You are not witch… you do not have the illustrious pedigree of magic flowing through your veins… and yet you have something about you that protects you."
The toe of her boot hit the bottom of the shallow vat of blood that they had lowered Mahari into. Blood magic was frowned upon; being dominion of the Dark Arts… but it was something that Mariska excelled in. Many people didn't understand the powerful properties of blood, and those who did shied away from the power it possessed.
Dipping one manicured finger into the still warm liquid, she drew an ancient symbol on Mahari's forehead, and said the incantation silently. The blood glowed briefly, and the metal began to melt. It swirled with the blood she was standing in, and Mahari blinked, and took a deep breath, lowering her arms.
She turned around, realizing she was no longer in the cell with Lacrimosa. Looking down, her brain drew a blank. "It's blood." Mahari spun around, sliding around in the vat and screaming.
"What are you doing? Whose blood is this?" She screamed, fighting to get out of the vat. But as soon as her fingers closed around the lip of the tub, an unpleasant electric current shot through her hands and arms, pushing her back towards the middle.
"I don't think you understand how dis goes. You answer my questions, not the other way around." Mariska chided gently, the click of her boots audible as she walked a slow circle around Mahari, causing her to turn with her. "You have what they call spunk, I think you call it. You surprised many people."
"But not you, did I?" Mariska smiled even harder.
"No. Not me. I don't assume anything, so nothing can surprise me." The beautiful witch flipped her perfectly styled hair over her shoulder and shrugged. "But you do intrigue me. You're not totally human. We've analyzed your blood."
"You did what to my blood?" Mahari gritted her teeth as her feet started sliding again.
"I wanted to know what you were. I always know my enemy."
"I haven't done anything to you. How could I be your enemy?"
"Let me rephrase that. I always know my target." Mahari nodded slowly.
"How much did they pay you?"
"Enough." Mariska cocked her head. "You're not afraid of me."
"Should I be?" She asked mockingly. The Russian woman nodded deliberately.
"Oh yes, yes you should. My exploits might not have reached your ears across the waters of the Atlantic… but I… enjoy my work. My enthusiasm has taken me far, you might say." Mahari looked at the way the woman was holding her hand and smiled.
"You were one of the dragons weren't you?" Mariska laughed, a beautiful bell like sound that didn't belong in the throat of a killer. Mahari knew that now, that this woman in front of her was the dangerous one. The one she had to look out for. Killing was her life, sparing lives was something she had to think about.
"I knew you were observant when I saw you. I must admit, the way you use your sword caught me off guard. I deserved to almost lose my hand. If I had not caught you with my other claw, I would have declined a healer's help to regain my lost one. But my reflexes were better than your sword."
"Only because I was surprised."
"A poor reason." Mahari bristled, and yelped as she fell to her knees. The blood lapped at her waist, and suddenly she couldn't breathe. Struggling to her feet, she suppressed the urge to scream. Why was she being held in a container of blood? "But no matter, I had your sword destroyed."
"Liar." Mariska's nostrils flared, and she smiled nonetheless.
"What makes you think I'm lying?"
"Because you don't have the capability to destroy my sword, and I know that. No fire on this planet can destroy it. The only way that it can be destroyed is if you hopped on a spaceship and threw it into the sun. Starfire is what you need. Any more lies you want to tell me?"
"Arrogant black bitch, aren't you?" She asked, pacing again. Mahari no longer tried to follow her, her anger calming her down so she could evaluate her options. "I must say, when I found out what you were, I wanted to skin you alive and study you. It's not often that you come up against a myth."
"Forgive me if I'm not flattered. You put a few holes in me, and that puts me in a bad mood."
"But you're here, alive. Not a scratch on you, and no damage to your armor. Yes, I know it's armor. How it is able to adapt is beyond me, and yes, we tried to remove it and was less than successful… but I know armor when I see it." Mahari smiled coldly and was glad that she hadn't found all of her weapons.
"Then you know that you cannot hurt me."
"I don't think its impossible. See, I live in a country where history is accurately written down, even if it's unflattering. Our records date back thousands of years, to beyond the birth of Christ. And your people were there. They were studied, and written about and observed. And their faults, weaknesses and strengths were documented. I don't do anything without thinking it through. You're a vegetarian right?"
"Vegan." Mahari's heart was beating overtime, causing her to feel slightly faint. This woman knew something, she felt it in her bones… and it wasn't good news for her.
"Did you ever wonder why you weren't allowed to consume a diet of flesh?"
"The flesh makes you weak."
"In more ways than one…" Mariska ran her finger through a bubble of blood that managed to find itself on the lip of the plastic container. "The sidhe were so called "peace loving creatures" but they were… how do you say… rowdy?" Mahari nodded. That was definitely true. "They had susceptibility… a weakness for bloodshed. It scared them because they shunned absolute power. The illusion of power was easier for them to handle. Or at least some of them.
"The Blood Lust. The Hunger…. it too flows through your veins… and it weakens you. It causes a Sidhe to lose all ability to access the higher brain functions. They're just mindless fighting machines. Turn them loose on anything, even their own kind, and they will not stop until all is dead."
"That's not true." Mahari said, but even to her own ears her voice sounded false. Her grandmother never told her anything about this, but… but something like this should have been mentioned.
"You know inside of yourself that I am not lying. I can tell it in your metal colored eyes. Your people were gifted with a terrible beauty. Worshiped and fawned over, and they crushed and subverted all who tried to rise against them, all who wanted to be free. What a paradox… to belong to two very different races… one who was the slave and one who was the slave master." Mahari launched herself at the woman in anger, and found herself slammed to the other side of the container, forced to her knees again. "Temper, temper."
"You bitch! You lie!"
"I do not lie. Ask her! Ask your grandmother!"
"She wouldn't dare!"
"She was there, so she would know. But you're afraid to ask, because she'll tell you the truth, and won't make it a pretty little picture that you need it to be. So sad it is. But now, you'll be out little weapon. You'll be the cause for all the mayhem. The bait." Mariska's eyes lit up as she said this, the glee giving her a girlish air.
"You like killing people." It wasn't a question.
"I do."
"Then why don't you try and kill me?"
"You're too valuable alive and my employer has paid me a handsome sum to make sure that you say alive. Your work isn't done yet."
"I want to get out of this thing." Mahari gestured at the plastic tub she was sitting in. It took all of her nerves to stay calm as the feeling came back in her legs so that she could once again stand.
"I could care less what you want. You will do as we say. We cannot have you in any more cells…. Not until we understand what you did." Mariska turned as the door behind her was opened slowly. Bellatrix breezed in, face livid.
"What are you doing in here? And why is she in the blood? We still have to use that!"
"Then we will get more." The Russian scoffed, turning her back on Bellatrix. Bella's nostrils flared and she grabbed the woman's shoulder and spun her around, finding herself staring down the shaft of a wand. "Now I told you I have a problem with people touching me." Mariska said again, a faint smile frozen on her lips.
"And I told you, the next time I catch you pulling your wand on me, I wanted you to use it. But not before you feel this." Mariska's smile fell as she felt the tip of Bellatrix' wand tip poking into her ribcage. "How about you put that away? You'll be dead before the curse leaves your wand."
"This isn't over."
"But it is. Have two armed guards posted inside the cell with her, and get her out of the blood. If the Dark Lord found out what you had done with it, he would kill you."
"He might kill you, but he actually values me." Bellatrix scoffed and shook her head.
"Do as I say, and meet me at the Throne Room. We have to prepare." Mahari watched both witches leave the room, and the heavy door swung closed yet again as she pulled herself to her feet unsteadily.
> > > > >
Xantha materialized in the lobby of the Ministry of Magic building with a determined expression on her face. This was something that was going to take a bit of finesse, and if she had any luck, awe would do what her words could not. She looked over at Anderson, her lady in waiting for over three hundred years, and with a short nod the woman walked forward to the first person who seemed to work here. The man's eyes flickered over her clothes and invariably landed on her rather ornate circlet. A sweat broke out on his forehead and he rushed off towards a lift, no doubt to alert a superior.
Anderson had a smile on her face as she walked back. "He asked if we could wait here, and someone will be along to escort us shortly." Xantha shook her head in distaste.
"If I were the queen of some country on earth I would have been ushered to a room, instead of asked to wait in the lobby. I wish they would keep playing with me. I've reamed people through with my sword for less. Sidhe nobles at that."
"Yes ma'am."
"You're amused, aren't you?" Anderson shook her head quickly.
"This situation isn't amusing at all your Majesty. But the look on your face is."
"Stupid humans."
>
Tedros smiled and closed the mirror and handed it to Parvati. "She's here. I don't know what she's doing, but she's here."
"Great!" Ron pumped his fist and immediately came down from the high he was experiencing as he looked over at his best friend. Hermione had his head in her lap, and was just rubbing his head as he smiled into the space in front of his eyes. "What are we going to do with Harry?"
"She'll know what to do." Tedros said confidently. The door opened to their cell and everyone stood, but no one recognized the pale redheaded woman that passed through silently, dressed in a blue gown and matching silver cloak with delicate embroidery that hadn't been seen on this planet in quite some time.
"Who are you?" Dean asked suspiciously. She didn't look like a ministry official, nor an Auror, nor did she answer until she spotted Tedros.
"Prince Tedros, there you are."
"Anderson? What are you doing here?"
"I accompanied your grandmother. She's… talking to Minister Fudge at this very moment. I was asked to make sure you're okay." Tedros nodded briefly and threw a look over his shoulder. Various people had interesting looks on their faces after hearing his title.
"If you could drop the Prince, I'd appreciate it." He whispered, and Anderson nodded with a small smile.
"I understand. But you know your grandmother is a stickler for protocol in public."
"Don't I know that. She's wearing a crown isn't she?"
"Of course she is." Anderson looked over Tedros' shoulder and frowned. "What's wrong with Mr. Potter?"
"I don't know. He was stuck with a plant that's making him a little loopy." He followed her over to Harry, and checked his vitals with a grim expression. "Do you know of anything that can be done?"
"Yes. I'm going to sit him up." She moved him to a sitting position and with a quick jerk, pushed his head to his shoulder with a sharp crack. Everyone jerked and started talking at once, threatening bodily harm to Anderson until Harry blinked and looked around.
"What in bloody hell was wrong with me? I heard all of you, but I couldn't say anything. I tried bloody hard too, but then I gave up because no one heard me." He looked around and rubbed his neck. "What?"
"You were poisoned." She said reassuringly. "It was blocking quite a few neurological processes." Harry looked at Tedros questioningly.
"It made you unable to think."
"Oh. Man, I feel like I've been sleep!"
"Effectively you have." Anderson rose again and smoothed her gown once more. "If there isn't anything else, I'll be going. Prince Tedros, a moment if you could." He followed her to the door. "I think you should tell everyone that confidence in an unoccupied room isn't the same as an unseen spy. All should consider a change of clothes." Without another word she let herself out of the door that was just a second ago, quite locked.
Tedros turned and looked around at the D.A. Behind him. "I believe the best thing would be for us to change into our uniforms… for some reason I believe my grandmother might be up to something."
> > > > >
"Do you mean to tell me that I cannot see the Crown Prince of my own kingdom?"
"Ma'am your kingdom isn't recognized as a sovereign nation, let alone your people recognized as anything other than myth."
"I will burn that word from your mind if you say that one more time." Queen Xantha said calmly, staring back at the man in front of her.
"Ma'am-"
"Let's get one thing straight. It is not "ma'am", it's your Majesty. Honestly, you have no sense of decorum… and I thought the English wrote the book on how to respect dignitaries."
"Until my Minister deems it appropriate, you are to be treated like everyone else." Xantha looked at the man in front of her, and narrowed her eyes.
"What is your name?"
"My name is irrelevant."
"I'm sure it is, Steward Wintrigham." He looked at her in shock as she reclined in her chair. "I know you took this job because you were able to use your ability to lie and kill. You were able to make a name for yourself by not using your name at all. Only two people in the world knows your name, and you killed one and gave a memory charm to the other. Your brother who is in a band, and your mother, whom you put out of your misery. Am I correct?"
"How did you find that out?"
"That is irrelevant." Xantha leaned in close, and Steward found himself leaning in as well, almost against his will. "I know things about you. What you've done, what you've been asked to do and what you've done on your own to make sure that no one else finds out what has happened." A fear he had never felt before froze up his spine, and Steward leaned back again, a calculating look in his eyes.
"Can you read my mind?"
"No, I can smell your life on you. You're despicable." She smiled. "Get in my way, and I will be sure to make the last few hours of your life absolutely and painfully unimaginable." Minister Fudge walked into the room and Xantha brightened her smile to one of someone who was totally unconcerned with events transpiring around her.
"Queen Xantha, welcome." The Minister wasn't stupid. Xantha was a person he didn't want as a permanent enemy. Anything he could get her he would, within reason.
"Minister Fudge, I do believe I have been insulted and pandered to at every turn. I don't appreciate being withheld from my grandson, especially since your government isn't in the habit of regarding me as a dignitary."
"My lady, apologies for everything. I don't mean to keep you from your grandson. He will be released to you immediately. I'm sure you'll want to take him to America as soon as possible."
"I'm almost sure you'll want us to stick around, incase you're in need of more answers. And I will of course be conducting my own investigation into the disappearance of my granddaughter. You didn't think I would rest easy without putting someone of my own on the case, did you?"
"Your Majesty, I'm going to have to respectfully decline-" Minister Fudge looked down at this mouth uncomprehendingly. Nothing was coming out. He looked at Wintrigham and back at Xantha, panic on his face.
"Now let's get this straight. I haven't killed you yet because that could be misconstrued as a hostile move. I'm going to conduct my own investigation, and you just make sure to say out of my way, because I'll be staying out of yours. Understood? Now I want Harry and Prince Tedros released, and while you're doing the paperwork that no doubt will accompany I would like to see them. Immediately."
> > > > >
"Just Prince Tedros and his attendants." Harry frowned and looked around.
"Pardon me?" The Auror looked at him as if he were stupid.
"Just the Prince, and his attendants." Tedros exhaled noisily and motioned for Ron and Hermione to follow him.
"Harry, if you would. I don't know how many times I've told you to stand behind me. It looks bad if you always precede me."
"Uh… yes your highness." The little show was apparently enough for the man, because he stepped fully away from the door to allow Tedros to walk imperiously past him. Hermione caught on quickly, and followed, Ron and Harry falling into place.