Part Fifty Four
The Circle's Request
"How dare you let that miserable half-blood wretch out of your sight?" Voldemort snarled casting the Cruciatus Curse on both Uncle Lucius and the crazy haired woman that Harry knew was Bellatrix.
"I…I'm sorry, my lord. We weren't expecting her to have a portkey on her," Bellatrix said managing to lift her head to gaze at Voldemort.
"Why did you not check her for them?"
"We did, my lord," Lucius said smoothly. "Wormtail was the one that was handling the search. He should have found something."
"Wormtail!"
Harry blinked open his eyes as the dream shattered and he found himself feeling a bit confused. Never have his dreams ended as suddenly as they did today and, as he turned onto his side and saw the time, never at three in the morning. Sighing since he knew he wouldn't be able to fall back asleep, Harry got to his feet before slipping his feet into his slippers and walking out of the room.
"…going to do? It's obvious they took Tonks because Voldemort wished to create another horcrux." Harry paused when he heard his father's familiar voice through the door leading to the library of Prince Manor.
"There is little we can do until Lucius has more information. Do you?" Dumbledore's voice asked.
"No," Uncle Lucius's voice said sounding pained. Harry wondered if that had anything to do with his dream. "The Dark Lord is angry that Tonks escaped his grasp but he is still determined to find someone to create his last horcrux with."
"Do you know where he hid the other ones?"
"I do not know where the diadem is. The cup is in Bellatrix's vault at Gringotts, the journal was already destroyed and Nagini is always with the dark lord. He hasn't had a chance to create the Necklace of Harmonia into a horcrux though."
Harry frowned. What are horcruxes? He wondered silently.
A yawn sounded beyond the door.
"I think we should get some rest. It's three in the morning. We've been talking for quite a while," Dumbledore's voice said.
Harry quickly moved away from the door before jogging back to his room; he had only left the room to get some fresh air but he didn't want to be caught eavesdropping. His father got angry with him whenever he was caught eavesdropping.
Harry lied down on his bed before closing his eyes but sleep eluded him.
The following morning, Harry got out of bed feeling more tired than when he went to bed. Yawning and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, Harry climbed out of bed before glancing at his perch where Hedwig was sitting. Hedwig hooted in soft concern but Harry merely smiled at her before reaching up to gently scratch her feathers.
"Do you want to go flying, Hedwig?" he asked.
Hedwig chirped.
Harry walked over to the window of his room before opening it and Hedwig spread her wings before flying out of the room. Harry closed the window because the howling wind was cold and he was already shivering even though he kept the window open for only a few moments. Walking sluggishly down the steps, Harry stepped into the kitchen before sitting down and thanking Cai for the glass of orange juice she had placed in front of him.
"Are you all right, kiddo?" Sirius asked from where he was leaning in his chair, to Snape's irritation. "You look like you've been run over by a train...twice."
Harry yawned. "I woke up at three this morning and couldn't get back to sleep," he admitted.
Hermione, who was reading from the book she borrowed from Snape's library, glanced up. "Maybe you should try to get some more sleep," she suggested.
Harry yawned again. "I doubt I'll be able to go to sleep anyway," he admitted.
Cai popped up just as Remus stepped into the kitchen. "Master Severus, Aurora wishes to speak with you."
Snape raised his eyebrows. "Aurora? When did she get here?"
"Just now, Master Severus."
"I haven't seen Aurora since my birthday party," Harry said his earlier exhaustion fading in his excitement as he got to his feet. "Can I come with, dad? Please?"
Snape snorted. "May as well," he said getting to his feet. "The mangy mutts and Granger are welcomed to come as well."
"Must you keep calling us mangy mutts, Snape," Sirius growled. Unfortunately, he lost his concentration and the chair tipped backwards causing Sirius to, again, land on his back with a thump.
Harry laughed while Snape smirked.
Remus shook his head with amusement in his golden eyes as he helped his friend to his feet. "You've got to stop doing that, Padfoot," he chided Sirius.
Sirius glared at him.
Hermione put her book down on the table before she got to her feet and she and Harry made their way after Snape as he led the way out of the manor and into the backyard. Even though this was the third time Harry has seen Aurora, the sight of the magnificent Pegasus still took his breath away and he couldn't help but gaze in awe at the winged horse.
"Hello Severus Prince," Aurora greeted Snape with a dip of her head. "And hello to you, Harry Snape and your friend Hermione Granger."
"You remember me?" Hermione asked curiously.
"Of course I do just as I remember Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. I have a very memory. But that is of no moment. I must speak with you, Severus Prince…alone." She glanced at Harry and the others pointedly.
Snape inclined his head before he and the Pegasus walked a short distance away until they were out of earshot.
"Something is not right, Severus Prince," Aurora said softly once they were out of earshot of the children, Black and Lupin. "The dark one that haunts the dreams of my kind has returned and I fear for their lives. The dark one has taken something that has protected our kind for several centuries."
"And what would that be?" Severus asked.
"The Harmony Amulet, better known to you as the Necklace of Harmonia. It does cause misfortune upon whoever wears it but that is only to protect the true nature of the amulet from being revealed. It can reveal the location of the Circle." The circle was a hidden land where Aurora's kind lived and thrived. "If the amulet is cursed in the way I fear the dark one will curse it then the Circle, and all who live in it, will be destroyed."
Severus didn't know the Necklace of Harmonia was connected to the Pegasus Circle; he had learned from Greek Mythology that it was ancient and caused misfortune on everyone who wears it, mostly women. However, this startling revelation made him wonder if the one who wrote the legend about the necklace was a witch who could not tell of the necklace's true purpose. After all, there was always a reason as to why there has been only one Necklace of Harmonia in existence and no one knows everything about it. They only know what they read in books and myths.
"You helped me once before, Severus Prince, and I plead for you to help me and my kind again. The necklace must be returned to the Circle before it is cursed and wipes out the majority of my kind," Aurora said.
Severus pursed his lips together in thought, eyes narrowed. "There is little I can do to help, Aurora," he said apologetically. "I cannot get close enough to the dark one to take it as he would kill me on sight. I may be able to get someone who can get closer to him to help but even he may be unable to take the necklace without losing his life in the process."
"I fear we are running out of time," Aurora said softly lowering her wings and her head until her nose was touching Severus's forehead; a sign of absolute trust. "Please, for the sake of my kin."
"I will try but I cannot promise you anything," Severus said hearing the deep sorrow in Aurora's voice as she spoke. She truly feared for the lives of the Pegasi who live in the Circle.
Aurora lifted her great head. "I thank you, Severus Prince, and I hope that you will be able to do something to help the Circle. If you succeed in this, Severus Prince, then you shall have the Circle's aide when it comes time to defeat the dark one once and for all."
Severus inclined his head once and watched as Aurora spread her wings and pushed herself off the ground sending up a cloud of dust before she flew off into the sky. Severus watched her go before he turned around and walked over to join his son, his son's friends and the mangy mutts.
"I still can't get over how beautiful Aurora is," Hermione said as she watched Aurora fly away.
"What'd she want, dad?" Harry asked.
"That is none of your concern, Harry," Severus replied walking toward the manor before stepping into it. "Now I do believe we have breakfast to eat."
Later that day, Severus found himself thinking about Aurora's words. He knew very little about the Circle, only what Aurora told him after he and his mother saved her life, but he knew they were ancient Pegasi who carried the old magic within their veins and were sworn to guard muggles and wizards discreetly and let no one know of their existence. Aurora was the youngest member of the Circle but she insisted that she carried a lot of weight in the Circle even though she was indebted to a wizard. She had informed Severus on one of her visits that the Circle didn't trust her because of the debt she owed the wizard but she managed to convince them that Severus would be able to help them someday.
And it would appear that someday was today.
However, I do not see how I can get the Necklace of Harmonia back from Voldemort without getting myself killed. But I can't just let the Circle die because that would lead to the destruction of the majority of the Pegasi population, Severus thought. The only thing he could think of that would help Aurora is if Lucius can get close enough to Voldemort to take the necklace. However, Severus knew that if Voldemort caught him, which he will likely do, then Lucius would be killed.
There has to be another way, Severus thought but, for the life of him, he couldn't think of one. Closing his eyes, Severus found himself wondering if it would be at all possible to switch the spell placed on the necklace to protect the Circle to another item. If he knew what the spell was then possibly; however, he would still have to get his hands on the necklace even if only briefly.
Severus's eyes snapped open as an idea came to him. It was risky, a Gryffindor plan if there ever was one, but he had no other choice. But first, however, he had to make sure that it could be done and that meant he would have to get into contact with Aurora again.
And soon for Severus feared Aurora was correct.
They were running out of time.
The following day, Severus woke up early and made his way into the forest although he was unaware that he wasn't the only one awake. He kept his wand at a ready just to be on the safe side but he moved quickly and soundlessly through the forest until he came to a clearing that lay next to a cliff overlooking the English Channel. It was the spot Severus knew he would likely find Aurora as it was near the entrance to the Circle although Severus did not know the exact location of the entrance.
As he had guessed, Aurora was there, sitting on the ground with her wings pressed against her side. Severus put his wand away before moving to stand next to Aurora but at a respectful distance from the magnificent creature. Aurora didn't move her head but Severus could tell by the way she fluttered her wings slightly that she knew he was there.
"Yes Severus Prince?" She said breaking the silence.
"I believe I may have come up with a way to solve your problem, Aurora," Severus said plunging straight into the heart of the matter.
"Oh?" Aurora turned her gaze to Severus.
"Yes. Is it possible for the Circle to remove the spell from the Necklace of Harmonia and place it on something else before the thing can be cursed? I doubt I will be able to get it away without costing someone their life."
"It is possible, Severus Prince," Aurora said. "But I cannot agree to this without the Circle's permission."
"Can you take the idea to them?"
"Yes. However, they do not trust humans, wizards in particular, and I do not think they will believe me if I try to assure them your intentions are for the best. The only thing I can think of doing is proving to them you are worthy and your plan will help us."
Severus thought about the Pegasus's words for a long while. "And how would you do that?" he asked.
"We will need to test you to make sure your intentions are without influence and you truly wish to help us. Everyone who are currently staying at Prince Manor as well as of the person who is to retrieve the Necklace of Harmonia to remove the spell from it will have to take the test."
"Why everyone from Prince Manor?'
"The Circle will want to determine if the plan was influenced by anyone with an agenda of their own and, because of how well protected your home is, anyone who lives in it will have to be tested but no one else since they would not have been in the manor when you came up with the plan," Aurora replied.
Severus frowned. "What exactly does the test determine?"
"It determines if you are worthy enough to be listened to by the Circle and if you truly wish to help the Circle and defeat the dark one once and for all."
"And what does it entail?"
"I cannot say. If you wish to put forth your plan to the Circle then all of you must pass the test."
Severus was silent for a long moment as he thought about Aurora's words. "If it'll prevent the Circle's deaths then I agree to it," he said. "I will speak to the others who will have to take the test as well, Aurora. When shall it occur?"
"Let me speak to the Circle and I shall get back to you on that," Aurora said.
Severus nodded before he turned around and glided silently back into the forest knowing that Aurora would not be able to open the entrance with him there. He made his way back to the Manor before slipping inside it. To his surprise, he found his son sitting at the kitchen table with a glass of orange juice in his hands.
"Morning dad, where'd you go?" Harry asked curiously.
"Good morning son. What makes you think I went anywhere?' asked Severus as he sat down at the table.
"I woke up and saw you leave. I was wondering where you went."
"I will tell you later."
Harry frowned before nodding. "All right," he said although it was obvious he was still curious.
Sirius sat in the living room glaring at the occupant of the room that he liked even less than Snape. Lucius merely met his gaze unflinchingly and Narcissa just looked uncomfortable since she was caught in the middle of the glaring contest. The other occupants of the room included Remus, Harry, Hermione and Snape.
"So what's this about, Snape?" asked Sirius breaking the silence that had befallen them.
Snape briefly described the words he exchanged with Aurora. "The Circle is an ancient order of Pegasi," he said, "and if the Necklace of Hamornia is cursed then the Circle will be killed. That would mean the deaths of millions of innocent Pegasi. Aurora came to me hoping I would help her again after my mother and I healed her last time. She was hoping I would be able to get the Necklace of Harmonia away from Voldemort," Lucius flinched, "before he…curses it. However, the only way to get the Necklace of Harmonia is to send Lucius to get it and that could cost him his life."
"Would that be such a bad thing?" Sirius sneered and was rewarded with a smack upside the head delivered by Remus and a kick to the shin delivered by Harry. Lucius smirked at that while Sirius glowered at both Remus and Harry as he rubbed his head and shin.
Snape glared at him. "Yes, it would be a bad thing, Black. However, I came up with a plan that may protect Lucius's life. All it would entail is Lucius getting close enough to the necklace to remove the spell the Circle placed on it. However, the Circle will not be inclined to listen to it because of their distrust of wizards and muggles. Aurora informed me yesterday that the Circle has agreed to test all of us to make sure we truly will help them and are not doing this for our own personal gain."
"All of us?" Lucius asked warily.
"Yes. Me because I came up with the plan, everyone who is currently staying at Prince Manor to make sure they are not influencing the plan for their own personal gain, and Lucius because he is the one that, I hope, will try to take the necklace for a brief time."
"Ugh, a test," Harry groaned before glancing at Hermione. "'Bet you'll like that," he added not unkindly.
Hermione smiled slightly. "Maybe," she admitted. "But what's the test about?"
"It's not one you can study for, Miss. Granger," Snape said. "I don't know exactly what the Circle will do however."
Harry was silent. "Does Voldemort," Lucius flinched, "know what the necklace protects?"
"Not likely," Lucius said eyes guarded and Sirius knew that was only because he wasn't supposed to talk about his spying duties in front of Harry although Sirius was positive Harry already knew.
"The test will be tomorrow morning," Snape said. "Aurora gave me the impression that it will not take long however."
Sirius was silent for a long moment. "What happens if we don't pass the test?"
"Then they will not listen to my plan. I hope we all pass the test because I cannot think of an alternative to save the Circle and we are running out of time."
A/n what do you think?
Blaze: like what I put in this chapter? And for those of you (i.e. one person) who wanted Aurora to return, here you go. The test will come in the next chapter
Darth: what's the test?
Blaze: I'm still working out the details as well as trying to figure out what to do or my Star Wars stories
Darth: ah okay
Blaze: please review and I will post the next part as soon as I possibly can but I doubt it'll be anytime soon.
