The Light of Discovery, Part II
Dumbledore needn't have worried about the other half of the search party, as they too had been circling the opposite end of the Costa Rican coast on broomsticks for hours on end. It had already stopped raining, but it didn't appear to do much to quell their moods.
McGonagall led the other division, her daytime vision preceding as typical for someone of her day and age. Seated behind her, a regrettable Snape's eyes also grew darker, though really due to staring at kilometres of ocean.
Had any students joined the search, they'd have expected him to wrap his legs around the broomstick and hang upside down with his cloak spread.
But he knew better, since he'd heard rumors of such activity behind his back within Hogwarts' walls.
On the other broom, an irritated looking Moody was doing his best to catch up. Probably since behind him, Arthur Weasley's face was aglow like a child who'd first been taken to a Wizarding sweetshop.
"Well..." Moody bristled.
"Not even one aeroplane out in this storm," Arthur sighed.
"Never mind the flying scrap heap!" Moody roared. "Most of us haven't been so lucky either! Constant vigilance, I say is what we're missing!"
Moody lunged forward on his broom, slightly knocking Arthur off, barely missing McGonagall who was going unusually fast for a woman of her age.
Once they caught up, McGonagall seemed torn between relief for speeding and irritation over soaring above nothing but crystal blue for hours. Snape, on the other hand, looked as if he couldn't hide any embarrassment, possibly from holding onto her.
"I wonder why you didn't take up the sport in your younger days, Alastor," Snape grumbled.
"Save your breath, Nibbler," Moody barked. "We all want to have our damned stiff bums rested about now, do we?"
Snape looked rather affronted, most likely from being called a "Nibbler", though Moody didn't notice McGonagall's head had been down.
"Alastor, ordinarily I'd reserve such language for the headmaster..." She began.
"Be thankful my wife won't fancy that," Arthur interjected.
"Yes, I'm sure we'd all love to discuss our pretty little foibles with one another," Snape snapped. "Example, the wind blowing through my hair, as I'd suddenly become interested in pressing on."
"Ahem," McGonagall choked. "I'd brace myself, Severus, as looking down, there's going to be of the hair in a minute."
"What are you playing at, Minerva..." Snape drawled.
But he was jerked on the last word, as McGonagall lunged downward, ignoring Snape's grumbling as strands of his hair began whipping him in the eye.
Moody watched them careen towards another green speck, though his one looked more like Isla Nublar turned upside down, as its tail pointed upwards. Also, it was split apart by numerous swirls of blue, flowing in from the opposing corners.
"Constant vigilance!" Moody growled over his shoulder. "Never forget it!"
"Right," Arthur sighed as they followed suit.
But vigilance would become difficult to hold until they narrowed over the northern tip, as would McGonagall's breath.
Mountains arose as they descended, but like the other island, they were the more jagged, green dotted kind. They too spewed hot mist to fog up McGonagall's spectacles or Moody's mechanical eye, the latter of whom seemed more bitter about it.
"What happened to 'looking down', Minerva?" Moody barked.
I never let my age get in the way of my seeker's instincts, Alastor," McGonagall replied.
She might have taken too much pride in saying that, as echoing off the mountains, she missed a faint, yet somehow infernal screech. McGonagall might have been used to it, except it sounded too unearthly to be an owl.
"You ought to start now, eh?" Moody bristled.
"What are you talking about?" McGonagall demanded.
"Didn't you hear that?" Arthur insisted.
"What?!" McGonagall cried.
The screech became louder, as if the source of it weren't too far away. McGonagall was ready to duck, but a force behind dragged her down as they felt an unusually large plane brush over their heads. But once their heads were up again, they saw it was no plane;
It was a gliding creature with a pointed head and nose, eagle talons, and bat wings, covered by reptilian scales. More specifically, this was a Pteranodon, nature's first attempt to create fliers, not that any wizards would have known it.
"What is that?!" McGonagall gasped.
"Trouble, it could be..." Arthur peeped, a little too early.
"I suppose your twins take after you there, do they?" Snape demanded. "Certainly not your elder spawn. I'm sure they'd be of no use right now."
"Both they and I have been encouraged to keep my enthusiasm to a minimum," Arthur replied. "But I say we follow it."
"Arthur!" McGonagall cried.
"On the contrary, Minerva," Moody interrupted. "Shouldn't we expect a former nibbler keep a keen eye on his target?"
Snape again stretched his neck out, but Moody and Arthur had already gone after the beast, trying not to tail too close to the wings.
Despite her huffings, McGonagall and Snape pulled up behind them as they noticed Moody and Arthur hovering over what appeared to be some sort of wire mesh fence, sized high enough to dam the river on the opposing side of it.
"What on earth have got we here?" McGonagall gasped.
"Weasley!" Moody barked. "Since you've been known for collecting Muggle toys, perhaps you can identify that which stands below us."
"From my knowledge, it seems to resemble what they call a 'toasty-roller' I think," Arthur pondered. "They strap themselves into a topless train that speeds along down a runaway track like this."
"Yes," Moody drawled. "Pleasing to take a zip on a narrow line between a rock and a hard place, isn't it? Tell me, can it roll on that?"
Moody gestured to the other side of the fence, where stood a dome-like structure up to the height of the fence, made from the same iron frame.
The Pteranodon circled overhead, still screeching, only to be drowned out by a whole chorus of screeches. Sticking their pointed beaks between the bars were a whole flock of Pteranodons, shrieking and ratting their talons like birds in a gilded cage.
But even stranger was that on their beaks and foreheads, many of them had patterns of stripes, virtually identical to one another.
"Couldn't keep in Romania, could he, that son of yours," Snape murmured. "Wanted to extend his fancy breeding to uncharted isles, did he?"
"Such affairs are my own business, Severus," Arthur insisted. "I'll thank you not to invade my familial space."
The Pteranodon they'd chased would also mark its territory, letting out a screech of discovery as it came their way.
"Speaking of which..." Snape gritted. "Fly!"
Both pairs of wizards spun on their tails away from the birdcage, down the river between mountains. But even as their brooms reached maximum speed, the Pteranodon sailed over their heads, as a creature of that size and genetic makeup could most likely outrun them easily.
Snape eyed Moody and Arthur a few meters behind, who still speeded up as the Pteranodon opened its sharp talons, stretching its froglike legs to reach them, missing them by a hair as they tried bobbing themselves up and down.
This must have brought an idea to his mind, especially after he spotted what was ahead of them. He leaned into McGonagall's ear, whispering something inaudible to the others, gesturing to the tips of each wing.
"What the bloody hell?!" Moody roared from behind.
But McGonagall sped forward a good extra metre past the Pteranodon's nose, where she spotted another set of talons, connected to outstretched arms ingrown into the beast's wings. She started zigzagging left and right, into each wing's path before pulling out her wand, aiming it for her mouth.
"You ought to cover certain things up about now, Severus," she advised.
From her robes, she unsheathed a pair of fluffy pink earmuffs, tossing them to Snape. He looked less than flattered to catch them, though he placed them on with flaps down tightly, nonetheless.
"Sonorus," she commanded.
A ripple-shaped bubble emanated from the wand, entering McGonagall's still open trap.
"Come to play!" McGonagall shouted, her voice blaring like an airhorn.
But there was more screeching to be heard from the Pteranodon as it waved its wings faster to try and catch McGonagall and Snape. They kept bouncing left to right for about twenty-six more times, until they made their fourteenth left.
"Over here!" McGonagall shouted, her voice beginning to get raspy.
But this time, they fell off their route and began spinning around as if something had rear-ended them. But they couldn't get their bearings back, as the left wing whacked them rightward as the wings flapped down, taking the broomstick down with them.
They picked up quite a bit of speed as they neared the river's surface by the time McGonagall was able to pull up. She fumbled around for her wand, thankful she hadn't lost it, as she held it to her open mouth again.
"Quietus," she croaked, most likely due to all the screaming from the fall.
The rippling bubble re-emerged from her mouth, sucking itself back through the tip of the wand, which nearly fell out of her hand. Another jolt nearly threw their broomstick on its side, to which McGonagall and Snape looked up again, spotting the Pteranodon attempting a perfect downward glide to catch them.
But they felt another jolt, this time, directly underneath the broom. Following it to the water, they noticed a strange, flat ridge slowly rising up. They skidded off to the right, before realizing it was going higher, revealing itself to look like some sort of aquatic fin.
The Pteranodon must have seen it, since it was gliding back in the direction from which it came. This gave Moody and Arthur a chance to descend, as the beast's leg talons just barely missed the hair off their heads.
"Thank Merlin you both made it!" Arthur panted. "That was admirably quick thinking! Ordinarily, I'd have..."
"Perhaps you should have cast that charm on him," Snape interjected. "It seems he doesn't quite get the concept of speaking too soon."
By now, the fin was completely out of the water, which was bubbling up a few meters ahead thanks to a predatory snarl. The bubbles drained as a crocodilian snout emerged, bearing quite a few pointed teeth, and a couple of beady, green eyes.
Rising from the water was a Spinosaurus, which Dumbledore and the others should have been lucky they didn't encounter, as it was even larger than the Tyrannosaurus.
The Hogwarts professors and Ministry workers backed towards the beast's neck, as they noticed each eye was on either side of its head.
"We're not seeing this!" McGonagall cried. "In Godric's name, we are not seeing this!"
"That beast can swim, no doubt" Moody bristled.
Moody should have thought about whether the Spinosaurus could swim or simply wade. The faster he went or the harder his head moved, the higher the waters of the river splashed.
Just behind the head wasn't even far enough to be out of reach as Snape, the most unkempt of the four, was sprayed with a light mist, individual strands of hair dropping into his face.
"Bet that's refreshing isn't it, Snape?" Moody teased.
"Be quiet..." Snape mumbled.
But a hard splash in the face was enough to get Moody chuckling, though Snape certainly didn't have the pleasure to choke it.
He presented a death glare to Moody, who narrowed his eyes through the river mist to a fainter mound of green in the distance. As the water lowered, Moody had a better vantage point, finding another mountain range in the distance possibly allowing the river to split.
Taking off again, Moody completely missed Snape's expression but hovered to his opposite, where a shocked McGonagall definitely didn't miss him.
"Haven't given us a warning about your age, have we Minerva?" Arthur exhaled.
"A warning absolute," McGonagall huffed. "I mean after all, this isn't the Black Lake, is it?"
"Nip it," Moody growled. "Our ticket out of here is just up ahead."
They continued down the river until they came close to the mountains, at which point, Moody and Arthur sped ahead of the Spinosaurus's nostrils, while it kept bobbing in pursuit of what amounted to a lizard catching a fly.
McGonagall and Snape were at the back of the head, as they hadn't reached the edge yet. But glancing about, they realized the river was leading them into a small pond, surrounded by brush growing at the mountains' base.
Still, they remained behind, as it was only a few meters before they reached it. But that leaves plenty of time for second thoughts and open opportunities.
"Do you think we ought to catch up with them?" Minerva muttered.
"I'm otherwise obligated to join in any wild goose chase, aren't I?" Snape sneered.
Minerva swiveled her head back, having apparently forgotten Snape was there. Still, she couldn't agree more with herself, as both of them could hear a faint crash off in the distance.
"Right indeed," she whispered. "Let's go."
They plunged ahead, just past the Spinosaurus's eyes, yet perhaps this wasn't such a smart move. Once they pulled up, the beast's legs had pulled it up to shore, giving it plenty of dry land to jump around on.
But the crashing only got louder, and had they set foot on land, they would have felt a rumbling not unlike Isla Nublar's. Is was fortunate that they'd swooped up the range, as out of the brush emerged a snout not unlike that of a Tyrannosaurus Rex, slightly greenish, with ridges along the bridge.
Once the party was out of the Spinosaurus's reach, it let out a roar of anguish which was countered by another roar from the Tyrannosaur revealing itself. Before continuing the roaring contest, it too noticed the escape of what should have been its prey.
The four wizards watched as the two dinosaurs continued roaring at each other before the Rex grabbed the Spinosaurus it its mouth and wrestled around with it. It wasn't long before the Spinosaurus broke free, placing the same grip on its opponent before backing into the water.
The party needed see no more as they flew up the mountaintop, yet the overall feel of such experiences hasn't been known to escape anyone.
"A shame none of us have lost our heads yet, is it?" Snape muttered, dryly.
"Indeed not," McGonagall gritted, wrinkling her nose.
"And yet many of his caliber are know for a cruel sense of humor," Arthur whispered into Moody's ear.
This time, Moody huffed as he was about to pass over to the other side, but McGonagall flew to the edge first, holding out her arm. She extended it further to indicate another river on the opposing side, which they also noticed drifted out to sea.
"Stay within the range," she instructed. "We may pinpoint yet a less strenuous exit."
Moody knew better than to let out an undermined growl, following Minerva and Snape across the mountaintops. The range only lasted a few extra meters, but below the edge was perhaps another unlucky discovery;
It was a series of connected structures topped off with curved metallic roofs, surrounded by concrete ramps and platforms. But their efforts may have paid off since there appeared to be an empty car park in which not a single person was caught entering or exiting.
On the other hand, there were blaring searchlights, swirling about the lot, barely missing their feet.
"I reckon this isn't a matter of sheer dumb luck to you?" Moody growled.
"She can tell you all about that, I believe," Snape drawled. "Can't you?"
"Don't flatter yourself, Severus," McGonagall retorted.
"I'd hold it if I were you," Moody suggested. "Shouldn't an ex auror get to know the premises?"
He and Arthur plunged down the ridge, waving at McGonagall and Snape, until they were out of sight in the mountain brush. Once reassembled, they dismounted but still made themselves scarce, as the were nearly caught in the shifting lights.
Out of the brush, they noticed a concrete wedge standing in the pavement with some blue blur printed across it. Moody pulled from his robes a strange looking brass set of binoculars covered in tiny dials and switches. Peering through the strange device, Moody ignored the jab at his shoulder for a split second, until he realized it was Snape's wand.
After he was was handed the omnioculars, Snape took a brief peek of his own before offering them to Arthur.
"Familiar words there, Weasley?" Snape questioned.
Arthur found the wedge to be a sign reading InGen Embryonics Administration in the same font from Harry's letter
"I'm afraid I haven't learned that far yet," Arthur denied.
"As head of the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office, it is your judgement which we must trust, Arthur," McGonagall reasoned. "What do you suggest?"
"Before we misuse, we must investigate," Arthur replied.
"Are you mad?!" McGonagall gasped. "Arthur what could there be in that... that..."
"Care to lend your expertise here, Minerva?" Moody interjected.
"Forget it," McGonagall sighed, holding out her hands again.
Waving her wand, she shrank their broomsticks, placing them in her robes before slipping out of the brush.
They kept their heads low so the light missed them as they entered the car park. Climbing up the portico before entering a dim lit room with a circular desk at the center.
Two computers and a telephone were left astray, thus it had to be a lobby of some sort.
"A fellytone!" Arthur gasped. "If I can just make a call..."
He placed the receiver to his ear, perfectly anticipating when the dial tone. But as his hand reached for the buttons, he felt a hand on his shoulder drag him away.
"Never mind," he sighed.
He noticed it was Moody dragging him away, leading McGonagall and Snape into the corner of the room, which apparently s-curved into a connecting corridor, slightly brighter than the lobby.
Moody's grip on Arthur was lost as he traced the light to a quartet of vending machines, two selling sweets and potato crips, the other two selling soft drinks.
In the center of the row was a half-full water cooler with a red and blue switch intact. Quickly double taking, Arthur pressed down the red switch, his eyes aglow as it released water. A slight heat pulsing off the switch, Arthur drew back his other hand when the water hit it.
Keeping his cry of pain quiet, he pressed the blue switch down, feeling no heat as he drew the water to his mouth.
He was about to call the others over, but spotted a full cup holder hanging from the side of the tank. When he realized it sampled plastic cups, he drew four and filled them with the cool water.
Between his fingers, he carried the cups to the others, who were near speechless. Snape was the first to take, though he remained hesitant.
"Where did you get these?" He grumbled.
"Over there," Arthur replied, gesturing to the machine. "It's really fascinating, isn't it..."
McGonagall and Moody each snatched a cup before continuing down the hall, which Arthur could tell was a sign to get him to shut up.
At the end of the curve, the party stopped at a downward flight of stairs, into a much brighter room filled with more devices unidentifiable to the common wizard. They descended the stairs and took observation on rows of strange vats with dome-shaped hair dryers for covers.
On closer inspection, they spotted a gross of large eggs inside each dome, individually turned by strange mechanical arms hanging from the ceiling.
Filling the silence of curiosity was the whirring of the arms, until a whinging squeal echoed from the back of the room. To some, it may have sounded like the place had an airlock system, but this was definitely not mechanical.
Snape was the first to draw his head back up, but he had to grab Arthur by the shoulder this time.
"Can one just assume any other purpose for all of this..." Snape concluded. "Apart from hatching, obviously?"
He dragged Arthur to the edge of the room, which turned a much shorter corner than the last, where the squealing was louder.
They slowly entered another compound, which seemed like a much more appropriate term given it was filled with ceiling to floor cages of the same wiring as the Pteranodon's. There would also be the same ratting on them as the professors and ministry workers traversed the place. But cages of this scale would suit neither Pteranodon, Spinosaurus, or even a Tyrannosaur.
The squealing blew up into an ear splitting screech, causing the the professors and ministry workers to pull back, gasping as they realized the cages were filled with Velociraptors.
They gently grasped their necks as the raptors went for the jugular, though could just barely get their teeth through the wires.
For a beat, the professors hadn't noticed the the spiked feathers growing atop the raptors' heads or the bumps down their spines. Had McGonagall not been a Gryffindor, she may have fainted instead.
"Never seen one without wings, have we Minerva?" Moody barked.
"A what?" McGonagall demanded.
"A Ridgeback," Moody replied. "What else could it have been, unless the monster books were behind a few decades?"
"It's rather small for a Ridgeback, isn't it?" McGonagall countered.
The raptors must understood that, since they were all hissing like rabid predators. But they must have sensed something else since their heads had turned away from the group. Their nostrils flared and their eyes ticked back and forth as they saw a light pouring in the direction from which the group came.
"What's going on?" Arthur whispered.
"Look..." McGonagall whispered.
She gestured to the corner they had turned, where the light was apparently growing at an unusually quick rate. Bursting through was a trail of white light emanating from the shape of a Phoenix.
"A patronus!" Moody gasped.
"Look again," McGonagall instructed.
There were tiny hints of purple spreading from its stomach to its wings, giving a perfect indication as to who would have cast it. Also, the voice that emanated from the creature's beak may have been a key factor.
"Minerva," it spoke in Dumbledore's voice. "Severus, Alastor, Arthur. I beg your forgiveness, either for my sudden intrusion or however long I've left you searching. But in the last hour or so, it seems our efforts have paid off."
The group sighed in relief, but had to keep their breath short since a patronus message was not to be missed or ignored.
For a beat, they hadn't moved, as in these instances, Dumbledore had an impressive plan already evolved. But McGonagall ushered them forward, as it looked she had one of her own.
"They're diverted, keep moving," she whispered, gesturing to the Raptors.
They ran out of the compound, back through the incubation hall, up the stairs into the lobby with quiet feet. But through all those sharp turns, the patrons message hadn't left them and wouldn't until it was finished.
"This location we've discovered has proven to be quite interesting on our part," Dumbledore continued. "I've dispatched Hagrid, Arabella Figg, and young Sirius Black to search out Harry and we await his reply soon. Should you receive this message at any time, follow it immediately to our whereabouts..."
"I think we've all rested our bums long enough," McGonagall interjected.
Once out of the building, she broke the broomsticks back out and resized them for the others to remount. But even as they took off, they didn't catch the end of Dumbledore's message saying,
"And might I suggest staying alert, as we have encountered some strange yet familiar faces here and we do not need any accidents."