The Casting Stone

by Thing1

4/10: And in then end....

16. The Casting Stone 16

The Casting Stone 16

I've got the flu – again. Not fair! And this time with the sore throat & the shakes and…listen to me whine; sorry…houseful of ruddy doctors & all I get is soup, Theraflu, and lectures on not abusing antibiotics. Bloody hell!

And LOL! Seems Mattel is putting out some game featuring 'Casting Stones'! Get out! Listen to this -

Wannabe wizards will be able to cast their own spells in a new Harry Potter game from Mattel.

Based on the game Harry and his friends play in the JK Rowling books, Casting Stones will be available in shops this autumn to coincide with the November release of the film Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

…The set includes fake stones that are thrown like dice, two spell cards and a pouch that doubles as a casting mat onto which players throw the stones.

Um, what game from the books is this based on? All they seem to play is Quidditch, chess or 'exploding snap'; now, while I'd love to get my hands on that…. Actually, remember 'snaps'? Little paper balls filled with flash powder? I destroyed the ceiling of my bedroom w/ those in high school – anyway, we're trying to find some so we can …well, you can imagine.

Draco's POV continues – While in my AU Draco has discovered that Noel Coward is a rather amusing Muggle, I doubt very much he'd be bothered with Muggle music, or any music for that matter (except the second movement of Beethoven's 9^th Symphony…v. Draco, what? I blast it over the house even as I type). However, I have one song that has been my key inspiration for Draco in all of this. I'm not suddenly throwing song-fic into my cannon, but I thought I'd just mention, because someone did ask – Nina Gordon's 'Horses in the City'. Just perfect.

Summary: Draco and Malcolm get out of the underground complex in a rather unorthodox manner, and meet back up with some of their party. But the Caretaker did tell them that time was short, and as night falls, the temple comes to life. Then we find out who the Caretaker really is. No, we haven't lost some of our key players….

***

Draco stood in front of the wooden doors, thinking about his next move. We've travelled a great distance; this could well lead into another one of the buildings, but it could be somewhere I really don't think we should be. What if this enters into the truly enchanted part of the complex? He tried to keep his face neutral, as he could see out of the corner of his eye that Malcolm was watching him closely, and starting to look a little frightened. Malcolm still held tightly to Draco's hand, but he said nothing, although he had started to fidget slightly and Draco could sense that he was getting anxious. Don't worry, Malcolm. I'll get you home if it's the last thing I do. Draco sighed to himself. It may well be.

"Malcolm?"

"Yeah?"

"I think we need to go forward, through these doors. But we could go back and try the other…." Draco stopped as Malcolm shook his head and frowned with a rather worried expression.

"No, please; I don't want to go back there."

Draco looked at Malcolm closely, and then said very quietly, "Did the woman who took you from your grandfather hurt you at all?"

"No."

"Malcolm, are you telling me the truth?"

Malcolm seemed a little indignant at this. "Yes."

Draco smiled slightly at the tone in Malcolm's voice. Not a young man given to courteous falsehoods, it would seem. What did I expect?

"Alright. Stand back, would you? I need to get a close look at this."

Malcolm let go of Draco's hand and stepped back a few paces. He looked a little nervous as he did this, but did smile quietly when Charles and Elvira shuffled over to him and leaned against his legs. Draco turned his attention to the doors and started to test them for curses and hexes. They did not seem to be harbouring anything dangerous, but were sealed very firmly. Draco experimented with a few opening spells, but the doors remained firmly shut. Blast. Perhaps they only open for people they recognize; how do I get around that? Draco stood there glaring at the doors for a few more moments, before he heard Malcolm speak up.

"Draco?"

"What, Malcolm?"

"We don't have to go back, do we?"

"No. I'm thinking, that's all."

"Okay." Draco had to turn and glance back at Malcolm, hearing for the first time a slight tremor in his voice.

"We'll be with your mum and dad soon."

Malcolm just nodded and stared at the floor for a moment, crossing his arms tightly; then he sighed and looked back up at Draco with a very firm set to his mouth and eyes. Strong thing indeed.

"I wish I could do magic and help you," grumbled Malcolm.

Draco had to smile a little at that, and shook his head. "Soon enough, I promise," he drawled, turning back towards the doors.

Draco started to inspect the walls around the door closely. But there were no markings, no writings, and no hints. Draco stood there trying to think of what he might possibly try next…and then jumped back as the doors unexpectedly swung slowly open of their own accord. At the same time, all the torches in the corridor flared up, and illuminated the space vibrantly. Draco was somewhat taken aback by this, but decided not to waste time wondering what had just occurred. Quickly he reached for Malcolm's hand and they walked forward through the doors.

They came into another of the large rooms that seemed to make up the underground complex; but where the corridor had been bare, this place was covered with more of the amazing reliefs found in the structures aboveground. Draco quickly scanned the writings on the two brightly decorated columns he and Malcolm stood in front of at the entrance, but there were no spells, only prayers to Set and what seemed to be a long list of names. Greek names; how odd. This temple was built long before the Greeks got here. Is this something that was added later? Draco could not spend time wondering, though, and didn't know enough about the art anyway to be able to really date when it was done. He knew there were subtle stylistic differences that showed over time, but that was Black's expertise, not his.

"Come on, Malcolm."

They moved a little farther into the room, Malcolm gazing at the intricate decorations with an intrigued look.

"What's all this?"

"Stories from long ago. Sirius will tell you all about them, I'm sure."

A huge lantern hanging in the centre lighted the room. As they walked forward, Draco was again surprised to see that the columns in this room were arranged in a circle, not in the straight lines of the other Egyptian structures they had seen. That's a Greek style, isn't it? This must be newer than the rest of this place. They stopped just at the outer edge of the far side of the circle of columns and stood facing the only other structures in the room. Draco was bitterly disappointed to see that there were no obvious doors anywhere.

Two large cisterns were built against the far wall side by side. The one on the right was being filled with clear water from a pipe that seemed to be made of a pale yellow and white rock emerging from the wall. The water made almost no sound as it fell, more slowly than it should have been. Draco stepped up and peered into the cistern, but could not see any bottom to the well in the darkness. The second cistern was identical, only this one was being filled with white sand, pouring out of an identical pipe with a gentle but unsettling hiss. The griffins started to chatter and gurgle suddenly, hopping about in a rather agitated fashion. Draco was about to snap at them again, as he found their nattering rather grating. But before he could say anything, he suddenly froze and looked back out the doors to the corridor they had just left. Very faintly, he could hear footsteps in the corridor.

Draco pulled Malcolm quickly with him behind one of the doors and held a finger to his lips. Malcolm nodded, and moved closer to Draco, gripping his hand with a firmness that Draco found unsettling. It might be the others; it might be Professor Lupin, or Potter… Draco moved so he could look carefully through the crack between the door and the wall. He didn't dare call out, not knowing who might be coming towards them. Although the corridor was now brightly lit, and straight, he still couldn't see anything; but the footsteps were becoming more pronounced. They stood there, not moving, for endless moments, Draco praying to himself that at the very least this was a human coming towards them. Time is running out, Malfoy. What are you going to do? The only way out is down that hall…or down those wells.

Draco turned to look back at the cistern filled with water. It's very likely that this empties into the ossuary, right? We can swim down it easily; I should be able to charm Malcolm…the sand is impossible. Or is it? Malcolm reaching up to tug on his shirtfront drew him back to the moment. He glanced down at the boy, who was now getting upset. He put his arm around Malcolm's shoulders and tried to smile at him, pulling him closer to his side.

"Don't worry." He whispered, then looked back to see if he could see anything in the corridor now. Please, let it be Professor Lupin…even Black.

At that moment he was finally able to make out a figure at the far reaches of the corridor. It seemed human, at least, and Draco held his breath, waiting to see….

"Malcolm?"

Draco pulled Malcolm away from the door and brought his wand up quickly. There was no mistaking that voice.

"Malcolm!"

Draco cried out 'claudum!', and the doors instantly swung shut with a loud bang. Pettigrew is not getting his hands on Malcolm again.

He cast a strong locking charm, then moved to the cistern of water to peer into it again, preparing to cast some fireballs into the water to see if he could catch any indication of an opening or a passage. But as he moved closer to the water the griffins became frantic. They leapt onto the edge of the cistern filled with sand and shrieked. Malcolm now looked very frightened, and turned to glance over his shoulder at the doors, which had just given a small shudder. He's trying to get in.

"Draco…."

"I know Malcolm. Come here."

Draco reached down and picked Malcolm up, holding him tightly with his right arm, preparing to cast a breathing spell and getting ready to jump into the water. But the griffins did not let up, and started to flap their wings now in addition to their hopping and screaming. Draco hesitated and looked at them closely. They don't want us to go into the water. They want us to jump into the sand…. Draco knew he only had seconds really to make up his mind. Malcolm wrapped his arms around Draco's neck and buried his head on his shoulder. Draco could feel him start to shake slightly and forced himself not to become too caught up in Malcolm's distress, which he could feel now like a blanket being pulled around him.

Suddenly Draco remembered something that Jack had said back on the island. People prayed to Set for guidance; and he sent them messengers to help them. Messengers with wings. He stared hard at the griffins, which were still caterwauling and thrashing about, looking at him with very determined expressions. And the Caretaker – 'interesting gifts' that should 'serve me well'. Oh gods, let this be the right choice.

Draco stepped away from the cistern of water and moved to stand on the edge of the cistern of sand. He forced himself to focus, chanting as powerful a protective spell as he could remember, and shifted to wrap his other arm around Malcolm as well, holding him as tightly as he dared.

"Malcolm? Hang on very tight, and close your eyes, got it?"

Malcolm just nodded and tightened his grip. Draco took a deep breath, and jumped into the sand.

He felt instantly like they had been caught up in a maelstrom; wind whipped them and sand stung them as it swirled around with a violent ferocity. A terrific roar filled Draco's ears, turning into a long, unmistakeable howl. Draco was startled to realize they were in fact moving up, not down into the well, as he had anticipated. He thought, as he clung even more tightly to Malcolm, that he was simply disoriented, until suddenly they fell heavily onto stone and Draco opened his eyes, astonished to see sky above him. He gasped for air, and then quickly grabbed at Malcolm who was struggling against his chest, trying to stand.

"Malcolm, are you alright?"

"Yes," he choked, coughing from the sand and dust covering them and still hovering in a faint cloud around them. "Where are we?"

Draco couldn't answer as he started to cough violently himself, trying to gently get Malcolm off of his chest so he could get a proper breath, but not willing to actually let go of Malcolm. Get up, Malfoy; Pettigrew was right there and he'll follow.

"Malcolm!"

Draco blinked and shook his head, as sand fell from his hair and eyelashes to sting his eyes, and he tried to focus again in the intense sunlight of the outdoors. He moved to stand, shifting onto his knees and pulling Malcolm behind him, away from the voice, raising his wand…he fought to see anything as his eyes stung more painfully and filled with tears, and held tighter to Malcolm who was now struggling to free himself from Draco's grip.

"Malcolm! Don't!"

"Sirius!"

Draco let go instantly as he heard Malcolm cry out Black's name, his voice filled with relief and happiness. Draco was still unable to focus fully but now saw dark shapes running towards them across the flagstones. He still held his wand up, his arm shaking, but he felt that it really was okay even as he was forced by the pain to squeeze his eyes tightly shut. It's just Black and the others…. Draco was aware of hands reaching to grab at him and thrashed a bit until he recognized Liz's quiet and calm tones speaking to him.

"Draco? Be still; let me try and clean you up a bit."

"Liz?"

"Yes; just be still…."

"No! Pettigrew! He's just behind us!"

Draco recognized Black's customary growl at the mention of that name and managed to open his eyes slightly. They still stung terribly and tears burned his face, but he could finally see again, though his vision was badly blurred. Liz was kneeling next to him, and Sirius stood just behind her, holding Malcolm closely. Malcolm was looking at Draco with a worried expression, but held tightly onto his godfather's shirt, saying nothing. Looks okay…he's just fine…. Fred and George Weasley stood next to Sirius, also looking at Draco with rather tight expressions. They were back in the courtyard where they had started, a few feet from the gigantic statue of Set.

Draco tried to focus on Liz, but he felt very ill all of a sudden. "Liz," he gasped as calmly as he could manage, not wanting to scare Malcolm, "Pettigrew was just behind us, back there; he'll come here, we need to move…"

Liz pulled him to his feet and waved her wand quickly in front of his face. Draco felt as if he'd just been doused in water, and blinked, his vision finally clearing.

Sirius gave him one last dark glance, then turned all of his attention to Malcolm. Draco saw Black kiss the boy on his temple and wrap his arms around him tighter, stepping away from the others as he spoke to Malcolm.

"My little marauder! I'm so happy to see you! I love you, Malcolm, are you okay?"

Draco understood that Sirius was deliberately taking Malcolm away so that he could tell the others why he was alone; why Professor and Mrs. Lupin and Potter weren't there. They didn't come back?

"Draco? Where are the others?"

"I don't know," he said in the same quiet and controlled tones as before, but he heard his voice shake a bit. He glanced over at Black, not wanting Malcolm to hear this any more than Black did, but they had moved away and were speaking quietly together. "We were in a corridor, outside the room where I found Malcolm. The Caretaker, he is here; he led us to Malcolm then vanished. Just as I opened the door, though, someone attacked us. The roof caved in. There were rocks and sand pouring down; I only just got the door to the room open, and found Malcolm. We followed another passage out. It took us to some sort of temporal distortion, which took us here. Pettigrew followed us, though; he was right behind us when we got out."

Draco felt disoriented and was frustrated that he didn't sound very coherent even to himself, and he knew what had happened. George Weasley came forward however, and seemed to have understood.

"Is it possible that they're trapped down there?"

"I don't know. They should have been fine, in the corridor, as long as they moved back far enough. Maybe they tried to find another entrance to the room I went into, because they knew Malcolm was there. There were two doors leading out of it, but the second one seemed to be beyond the door I came in. They only could have reached it if they made it past the cave in, not got trapped…behind it."

George looked at his brother, who nodded, then looked at Liz.

"We'll go back down."

"No."

"Liz!"

"No; not alone. We need to get Malcolm out of here, then we'll all go get Remus and Katie and Harry."

Draco looked over at Sirius and Malcolm, now standing a ways off, seeming to discuss something.

"She didn't hurt him," said Draco softly, staring at the small child Sirius held to him so carefully. So cherished…. so real and so important. To be anything he dreams of being…..

"What's that, Malfoy?"

Draco turned away and started brushing the dust off of his trousers and shirt, keeping his gaze fixed on his boots as he did this. "Malcolm says mother didn't hurt him."

Liz astonished him by reaching forward to brush his hair off of his face and lift his chin so he had to look at her.

"Draco, I never thought she would. You are too important to her. Do you understand that?"

Draco stared at her for a moment, then jerked back from her touch, wincing at the ache he felt from having landed so hard on the stone courtyard. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then opened his eyes again to look at Liz.

"My mother, and her motives, are none of your concern. Particularly now that we have young master Lupin back with us. Do we understand each other, Miss Harker?"

Liz watched him, her expression closed and quiet. Then she nodded once and turned from him to move back towards Sirius and Malcolm.

"No, Draco. I don't think you understand at all. But thank you for getting Malcolm back to us." Draco glared at her back, and then looked at the Weasley twins.

"Why are you back here? It hasn't been five hours has it?" Draco glanced at the sky, still bright, but showing the first signs of twilight. The shadow stretching out behind the huge statue of Set had grown longer, now reaching the bottom of the steps to the structure directly behind it. Draco looked at the odd figure; it's long snout and long square ears were unlike anything he'd ever seen. But this statue was so finely carved it looked as if it might just suddenly step from the dais it stood upon, reach down, and….

"No. We reached a dead end and had to come back. Sirius was rather unpleasant company on the trip back, I can assure you."

"I can imagine."

"Let's move away from here. You alright, Malfoy?" asked George, starting off in the direction Liz and Sirius had gone.

"Why is my health such a constant topic of conversation? I'm walking, am I not? You do not see any obvious cuts, contusions or other injuries, do you? Well?"

Fred gave a smirk and shook his head. "Nobody's asking about your health Malfoy, they're asking how you feel."

"Oh, bloody hell, Weasley. We've got to get Malcolm out of this horrific place, find Professor Lupin and finish this wretched business. I can not fathom how you all function with such pointless distractions clouding your focus and no doubt impacting your better judgement."

George looked over his shoulder back at Draco and winked.

"That was quite a mouthful, Malfoy. I guess you feel fine. Sorry to have bothered you."

Draco bit back what he was about to say and instead looked down for…. Oh my god; the griffins. Charles and Elvira were nowhere to be seen. Draco had thought that they'd just have followed him, as usual. But there was no sign of them. Are they trapped in that place? Surely not; they have their own ways of getting about I can't begin to fathom. They have their own magic…. But Draco suddenly felt cold, and hesitated in following the others. Wretched creatures! Pettigrew wouldn't have bothered with them, would he? And how could I possibly go back…. Listen to yourself, Malfoy! They're just a pair of rather tiring…. No. They'll be fine. I know they will. They followed us from Greece, they've been through wards and spelldoors and gods know what before you ever met them. They'll be back. But Draco had a bad feeling that maybe that might not be the case. Perhaps, if they were just messengers sent for a purpose, they had now served that purpose in getting himself and Malcolm out of that chamber, and that would be the last of them. Draco was astonished to find that that idea upset him very much, but he forced himself not to think about it. They'll be back.

They reached the others who had moved up to the top of the steps in front of the building they had all entered a few hours earlier. Malcolm and Sirius seemed to be having an argument. This should be interesting.

"Where are mummy and daddy?"

"They're just back in another one of these buildings, Malcolm. Why don't you and I go and wait for them…."

"No."

"Malcolm!"

"No! Why isn't daddy with you?! He's always with you!"

"Oh, not always…." Draco couldn't help but smile thinly as he listed to Black trying to reason with a very determined and rather perturbed looking three and a half year old. Good luck. I can bet who'll win this one.

"Something's wrong."

"No, it's …. Alright, Malcolm; listen to me. Yes, something is wrong. You're not a baby and I won't treat you like one. So you have to listen to me and what I have to say. Deal?" Draco was rather surprised to suddenly hear Black change tactics like this. He had assumed that Black was just too soft when it came to Malcolm, but it appeared that once again he had underestimated him. Malcolm looked at Sirius and nodded, but said nothing else. Even Liz looked a little surprised at Sirius' sudden change in approach, though.

"This is a very dark place, but I think you know that. I know, and you know, that your mum and dad don't want you here. They want you safe, and away from this place, and we don't have a lot of time to debate this. I want you to go with Liz where you will be safe and wait for us like a good boy. I will go and get mum and dad and bring them back. Do we understand each other?"

Malcolm looked at Liz for a moment, then back over at Sirius. He gave a hesitant nod and a small sigh.

"Do I have to?" he said, his voice now starting to shake a bit.

"Yes."

Draco saw a few small tears run down Malcolm's cheek, but he just nodded and turned to go stand next to Liz, trying to smile at her. Liz reached down to pick him up and looked back at Sirius.

"I'll take him to the camp. Let me know if…."

Before she could finish, however, there was a sudden rush of wind from the far side of the courtyard, so strong Draco felt as if he would be blown off of his feet. He grabbed at the pillar to his left and instinctively flung an arm across his face to try and protect his eyes. He moved around the pillar to try and get some shelter, and was able to look about for the others. Sirius was opposite of him holding tightly to Liz and Malcolm, also seeking some sort of protection from the winds behind the other pillar. The Weasleys were standing shoulder to shoulder ahead of him, closer to the entrance of the building, and had apparently cast some sort of charm to hold the winds off of them. They seemed to be yelling something, but Draco could hear nothing, but he could tell by their expressions that something seemed to be behind him in the courtyard. He took his wand and cast his own spell to protect himself from the wind and sand, then leaned to look over his shoulder back at the courtyard. His blood turned to ice at the sight that met him.

The statue of Set was in the centre of what seemed to be a violent sandstorm. Most of the statue was obscured, but the unnatural head was clearly visible, resting almost majestically above the chaos. There appeared to be a multitude of figures streaming across the courtyard now, their dark shadows only just visible through the sands. They weren't tall enough to be men, but Draco couldn't make out any details, though he had a sudden feeling that he knew exactly what they must be. More and more shadows seemed to appear, the ground growing dark with them. The storm continued to blow, its intensity steady and unyielding. The sky was growing darker and darker; Draco had discovered that twilight did not last long in the desert, and it wouldn't be long before the sky was completely black, with only the stars and the waning moon visible. We haven't been here that long have we? Or is time different here? In such an enchanted spot, it may well be.

Draco jumped as he felt a hand on his shoulder, and spun quickly only to see that Fred and George had managed to move up next to him. Fred looked at Draco with an expression that seemed to ask if Draco had a clue as to what was happening, but he just shook his head and looked back out at the courtyard. As quickly as it had started, the storm finished. The roar of the winds died down; but a chorus of yips and howls that grew steadily in their intensity replaced it instead. I knew it.

As the sand and dust settled, Draco saw that the courtyard was covered with hundreds of the black jackals they had seen earlier on the island. They all stood facing the statue of Set, their heads back and their empty, bitter sounding cries filling the air. He was mesmerised by the sight, and started when Fred suddenly grabbed him and pulled him in the direction of Sirius and Liz. They all looked at each other, not sure as to what to do next. They couldn't apparate here inside the wards hiding the temple complex, and there was no way around the courtyard. Draco looked at Malcolm, now held tightly in Sirius' arms, who stared at the jackals for a few moments, then turned back to Sirius and reached up to pat him on the cheek. Sirius smiled at Malcolm and returned the gesture, then held a finger to his lips.

After what seemed an eternity the jackals stopped their calling all at once and, as a group, turned to look the doors to the huge building directly behind the statue to the left of Draco and the others. A few seconds passed, then four huge caldrons appeared around the statue and burst into flames, illuminating the assembled unnatural company in glittering firelight. Draco looked at the sky, now in the last moments of twilight; deep, dark blue, but no stars had appeared yet. It can't be night…not yet….

The doors of the building the jackals gazed at flew open. As they caught the light of the fires, Draco realized that they, like so many of the other doors in this place, were made of solid silver, only covered with wood on the outside. A figure appeared in the doorway, or, rather, an amorphous shadow that glided without a sound through the doors and down to the top of the steps leading into the courtyard. It grew in size, towering over the jackals and finally taking a clear shape. Draco recognized the Servant of the Lord of the Northern Sky immediately.

The figure of a man with a jackal's head hovered for a few moments, then raised its hands, palms facing out, and looked out over the sea of dark bodies.

"The doors," it whispered, in a voice so cold and dark Draco shuddered, "are opened."

The jackals began to cry out again, but stayed where they were. Draco now turned to move next to Sirius.

"We've got to get out of here, Black. Gods only know what is happening, but I think your rat may have found what he was looking for."

Sirius nodded at Draco and reached in front of him to pull Liz closer. "I haven't a clue as to what we need to do next. Those aren't just wild dogs down there, I know you can feel that. There's something else as well. Ideas?"

"We need to find Remus & the others, so why don't we just try and slip in there?" said Liz, pointing at the doors to the building behind them but not taking her eyes off of the courtyard. "They don't really seem to care we're here. I think Draco's right; and they have other things on their minds just now."

Fred and George joined them.

"Um, I'm seriously hoping you three know what's going on here, but I'm not really curious about details at the moment. We should get inside now and find the others," said Fred, trying to keep his tone light and giving Malcolm a quick wink. Draco saw Malcolm give Fred a rather sour look, and then he shifted in Sirius' arms to hold Sirius more closely. Draco caught Liz' eye and nodded.

"Let's move, right now. I think Malcolm's not the only one who would benefit from meeting back up with the Lupins and Potter."

Malcolm sat up a bit and looked at Draco.

"Harry's here too?", he said in a surprised tone.

"Of course he is, Malcolm," smiled Liz, reaching over to stroke his back as she gestured for the others to start moving slowly towards the doors. "Let's go see him, shall we?"

But as they moved the jackals stopped calling. George, still looking at the courtyard, grabbed Draco's arm to stop him going forward and whispered, "don't move!" in a hushed voice. They all stopped and looked carefully back out at the jackals, who had now turned to look at them. Five wands were slowly raised, and Draco wondered what the others would try to stop these beasts. He had no questions; they would die if they tried to get up here.

But the jackals did not advance. Instead, they started moving backwards slowly, their sharp eyes still looking at the humans on the top of the steps. Then Draco saw that they had cleared a path between where he and the others stood and the building the Servant of the Lord of the Northern Sky had come from. And the Servant was moving towards them along the now clear pathway.

Although he was no longer as large as he was when he had risen at the top of the stairs, the Servant still towered over the others. Bigger than Hagrid, thought Draco in a detached fashion. Finally he came to a halt at the bottom of the stairs in front of them.

"Follow me. Now."

The voice was an icy dead whisper, but it resonated in Draco's ears. Draco looked at Black, wondering what his response would be to this. Sirius did seem to hesitate, then he glanced at the others, handed Malcolm to Liz, and stepped forward.

"Why should we follow you?"

"You have no choice."

Draco saw the familiar flush of Sirius' rage colour his cheeks, but Black said nothing else and stepped forward again, now only a few feet from the huge figure, who cocked his ears at Sirius and seemed to smile, although Draco thought that may be a trick of the light on its muzzle.

"Take me. Let the others go."

The Servant gave a small chuckle and turned to move back towards the far building.

"Come with me. All of you."

Draco could tell that there was no debate on this subject. The air was thick with enchantment, and he knew the others could feel it just as much. They could walk, and follow the Servant of their own free will, or they would be brought after him, and that would probably be unpleasant. Draco stepped forward and moved to stand next to Black at the bottom of the steps. The Weasleys moved to stand on either side of Liz, who still held Malcolm, and they stepped off the stairs into the courtyard.

Draco couldn't help looking at the animals that stood only inches from him. Their sleek and elegant lines shimmered in the firelight, but their eyes seemed deadened. There was almost no reflection in them as they watched him carefully. Draco could feel an intelligence here, a sense of real self and place, but no hope. Abandoned. Trapped. A wrong choice.

They were about halfway across the courtyard when the Servant suddenly stopped, and turned to face them. Draco felt a slight sense of panic when he realized that the figure's attention was on Malcolm.

"Let the little one walk for himself," was all he said, in the same deadened whisper.

Sirius looked ready to kill at this, and stared at the Servant, who shifted his gaze to stare at Sirius with an equally intense look. After a few moments, Sirius broke the stare and glanced at Liz, giving a small nod. Liz set Malcolm down, but took his hand and smiled quietly at him. Draco saw Malcolm raise his eyebrow at her and then look back at the Servant. Fearless. Why shouldn't he be? He knows that these people will never, ever, let him down. He's not to be sacrificed; for anything.

They all walked forward, and followed the Servant into the building he led them to. The air here was thick with the scent of incense, not the tired dank smell of the other places they had been. Flowers were strewn on the floor to the side of the walkway they moved down, still following the Servant. The Servant moved through the colonnade in the entry, and passed through a huge set of ornately decorated doors, and then vanished. Draco hesitated for a moment, glancing at Black, but they met each other's gaze and decided to continue forward.

The room they entered was on a scale Draco hadn't thought possible from looking at the outside of the building, but he had to remind himself that they were in an enchanted space, and really none of them had any idea of what it might be like. Draco wondered, for an instant, if Black's map could be of any use in this situation, but it was a moot point now. He looked to the far end of the room and saw that there were two figures there, at the top of a set of steps that led to a raised platform. Black started forward towards them, and Draco jumped to keep even with him.

Seated on an ornate chair on a platform at the far side of the hall was the Caretaker. Jack was standing next to him, shaving the Caretaker's head carefully and not paying the others any mind. The Caretaker had his eyes closed when they walked up, but opened them after a moment and smiled, though he didn't move, not wanting to disturb Jack. When Jack stepped back to rinse the blade he held in a basin near him, the Caretaker looked over to his left and gave a small wave of his hand. There was a 'pop' and immediately Draco saw Remus, Katie and Harry appear a few metres away, looking very disoriented.

"Daddy!"

Draco saw Remus and Katie jump at the sound of Malcolm's voice, then run forwards to them, reaching towards Malcolm. Draco stood there, trying to figure how the Caretaker had simply brought them to this spot; moving people, summoning them, was an almost impossible feat. Only the most powerful of wizards could do that, and it was, really, forbidden by law to do so. Draco could not help but feel slightly stupid for thinking that the Caretaker cared at all for English wizard laws. At least they're safe? thought Draco, watching as Remus grabbed Malcolm and pulled him into his arms, Katie next to him, moving to hold both of them. But he was too distracted by what the Caretaker had just managed to keep his attention on the Lupins. He turned to face the man on the platform, watching him closely, trying to fathom how this man could have such power. We are in far deeper than we can manage.

The Caretaker, who had been watching the Lupins with a faint, but cold, smile turned very deliberately to look at Draco. They stared at each other for a few moments, and then the Caretaker stood up in an elegant fluid manner and moved to the edge of the platform, looking down at the others. Everyone turned to look at him. Draco saw Remus push Malcolm into Katie's arms and move to stand at the front of the group, the same feral anger he had felt from Professor Lupin in the corridor when they had met with the Caretaker earlier that day rising from him. Nothing was said for a long time, until Remus broke the silence.

"I suppose I should thank you for returning my son to me."

The Caretaker raised an eyebrow and smiled sadly. "You think this is over, young one?"

"No. How did we get here?"

The Caretaker gave a small huff and waved an impatient hand. "This matters? Focus, young one. Things are happening as we speak. We have been called here; a question is to be posed to us. Your old friend; he thinks…well, he thinks he has found something wondrous. Something invincible. He has no idea what he has called out of the sand. Those with him? They are just as blind. Except…."

The Caretaker turned his gaze to Draco and looked at him. "You. Your mother; she understands. But…."

The Caretaker stopped speaking and shook his head, then turned to Jack and waved his hand. Jack came over to stand next to him. Draco was surprised to see that, for once, Jack looked rather coherent and calm.

"Jack, wait here, won't you?"

Jack nodded and stepped back, folding his arms carefully and looking into space, making no sound. The Caretaker then walked slowly down the steps and came to a halt a few feet from Remus. Draco saw Sirius move to stand next to Remus and the Caretaker seemed to roll his eyes slightly at this, but looked beyond them towards Malcolm and Katie.

"Hello again," he said in an amused and detached voice.

"Hello," replied Malcolm, in a rather pleasant tone for the circumstances.

"You are unharmed, little one?"

"Yes, thank you."

Draco and the others glared at the Caretaker, but he only chuckled at their rather indignant attitude and stepped closer to Remus and Sirius.

"We met a while ago," he said, casually. "Charming child. And very strong. Through that doesn't surprise me."

There was another long silence, and Draco had to struggle against the urge to just try and destroy this man who was playing with them. Don't do it; it'll just get us all killed; you're no match for him. Even Potter isn't, I would bet. Draco watched Harry carefully, but Harry had moved very little since he had been summoned here, and had a blank expression Draco couldn't fathom. As if sensing Draco was watching him, though, Harry turned to look at Draco. Enough history between them told Draco that Potter seemed to be of the same mindset that he was. Neither of them moved, though both were ready to fight in an instant. Draco gave a slight nod to Harry, letting him know that they were focused on each other; as they decided to move, to fight, they would back each other up. Harry gave his own nod, before glancing back at the Caretaker, who had now stepped again slightly closer to Remus and Sirius, but still kept his focus on Malcolm.

"I didn't have the chance to ask before, little one. What's your name?" said the Caretaker, in a very casual tone.

"Malcolm." Draco saw Katie tighten her grip on Malcolm as he answered the man, and take a step back even as Remus and Sirius stepped closer together and blocked the Caretaker's path further.

Draco and Harry looked at each other, each questioning what the Caretaker meant. He didn't help take Malcolm, did he? He did tell us where he was….

The Caretaker smiled and nodded at Malcolm's response. "Ah! Good English name; from Mael Coluim. Yes, I remember him. Feisty."

Draco may not have known Egyptian, but his Gaelic was excellent. Follower of St. Columbus…this man remembers an Irish Muggle from the fall of the Roman Empire? Who….

"What's your name, " Draco heard Malcolm say, in the same casual and friendly tone. But as he said that, Draco had a realization. Everything seemed to fall into place; all of the odd moments, all of the suggestions, all of the explanations. Unbelievable, but….

"Demoncles," whispered Draco, hearing the disbelief in his own voice even as he said the name. The Caretaker smiled and gave a slight bow.

"Indeed," he said in a tired voice. "Demoncles."