Chapter 15 The Tale
The next morning was Friday and I didn't have Herbology. I needed to find Professor Longbottom and ask him about this meeting. After Potions I headed up to the greenhouse and waited for the third years to emerge. I sneak around the glass doors and see him rearranging some pots.
"Professor Longbottom?" I ask.
He turns around, "Oh Ms. Aikron how good is it to see you? How can I help you?"
"Hi, thank you, you too. Uh, I received a letter from Harry Potter yesterday about a meeting… with him… he said you would have details?" I ask sounding dumb as confusion spreads across his face.
"Oh yes! He did mention that I'd be escorting you for a meeting but other than that, I have no other information. We'll have to wait until I get further guidance."
The air escapes. "Oh… the letter said Urgent on it, so I was expecting it to be like today or something."
"I'm sorry, I know that's not what you wanted to hear. We'll just have to be patient. But a little bird told me that the Devil's Snare has caught you?"
"Excuse me, Professor?" I ask perplexed.
He chuckles, "I meant, that you have taken a sudden interest in Herbology? Your quiz scores have definitely reflected that."
"OH! Yes, I find it fascinating and easy to pick up, surprisingly. I never was good with plants when I was a muggle."
"Are you interested in some light reading?"
"Yeah, sure."
He hands me a thick leather-bound book with a scary looking plant on the front. It reads Deadly Concealed Plants and Fungi in Great Britain by Abigail Mason.
"It's a page turner," he winks and smiles at me.
"Thanks, I'll let you know when I'm done with it."
"And I will let you know when I receive word from Harry." He glances at the clock and adds, "And you Ms. Aikron must be off to your next class. Have a good day." I look at the clock and notice I have five minutes to get to Transfiguration.
The weekend went as slow as could be, which in a normal person would have loved but I hated it. I got no update on this mysterious meeting with all the information I've been begging for. What more could they find? A quidditch game between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff was scheduled for this coming Wednesday and the guys kept bugging me to go with them. I've ran out of excuses from all the other games I've missed, so I reluctantly agreed. But at dinner on Tuesday evening I finally got what I had been eagerly waiting on.
Meet me at Hagrid's hut at 6:30pm.
N.L.
I'm assuming it's from Professor Longbottom but why he's writing his initials instead of signing it concerns me. I glimpse at the big clock in the Great Hall and it reads 6:15pm. Shit! I'll have to book it down there. I nod at Selena and Maggie and get up to leave. "Hey, Lina, where are you going?" I hear Kyra ask. "Oh, she forgot she had to get a book for that Defense Against the Dark Arts essay we have to write." I hear Selena cover for me just as I exit the big room.
I make my way out the back and down the big hill to Hagrid's hut trying not to slip on the ice. In the darkness I see a light through the window, as I get closer I hear some hushed voices. I climb the steps to knock but the door swings open just narrowly missing me.
"Oh good, you're here, let's go." Professor Longbottom strolls right pass me and turns to add, "Well, let's go. Isn't this what you've been waiting for?" I jump at that and jog to catch up to him.
"Where are we going?"
"Hogsmeade, for some privacy."
Hagrid comes up from behind and says, "Oi' I nee' tuh see Rosmerta, it's bin a while." The three of us walk down the long, frozen path into the small wizarding village. We pass a few buildings and head into the Three Broomsticks. Madam Rosmerta takes a look at us and points us to the stairs, "Room 5." We climb the stairs and down the dark hallway. Professor Longbottom knocks twice on room five and someone answers, "Come in."
He motions me to enter first and so I nervously open the door and slowly walk in. Inside there's a blazing fireplace that looks like it's been burning for hours warming the room to a toasty 80 degrees. It's quite a contrast to the snowy outside but feels cozy. Witches and wizards are packed inside with a small chair in the center of the room. I instantly turn into a fifteen-year-old girl. Why is everyone looking at me? I should've changed out of my uniform. Did I wipe my face after eating?
Draco Malfoy and another man stand up as I enter. Why is Draco here? I instantly blush thinking about the last time I had pictured him. Thank god it's dim in here. Harry is standing by the fireplace mantel with his arms crossed and a very serious look on his face. Professor McGonagall is sitting in front of a desk, have I ever seen her out from behind of a desk or table? Professor Boot, Hermione Granger, and three others I do not know are all sitting on various things throughout the room. The door closes with a loud thud behind me and I jump.
Hermione stands and begins, "Thank you for joining us Ms. Aikron. I know you have been waiting for my update for some time." I look at her and nod. "My intel has gathered some damning information that you need to hear, Kingsley."
A tall bald black man in neat robes steps forward and bows to me. "Nice to finally meet you Ms. Aikron. I'm Kingsley Shacklebolt. I was the former Minster of Magic until Mrs. Weasley took over a few years ago. Now, I study Ancient History in my free time." I bow my head a little and reply with courtesy, "Nice to meet you too."
"You may want to sit down for this, I have quite a long story." He motions the empty chair in the center of the room and I take it reluctantly.
"About two hundred and fifty years ago there was a princess named Efa. Her kingdom, Coeden, was near Wales. Coeden was a kingdom whose rich fortune came from their land as Living Magic. Per an alliance her father made, she was betrothed to marry King Gestav from a neighboring kingdom, Dukirg, when she turned 17. Coeden was in dire need of protection, with their army nearly wiped out from the previous Ogre war and Dukirg was poor but strong. So, her father made an agreement to marry his daughter to unite the two kingdoms, Dukirg with their army and Coeden with their rich land, both could prosper. But Efa believed this was a foolish hope her father had, since Dukirg was not known for honoring treaties. She thought Dukirg would instead conquer her kingdom and steal their rich magic. Her feelings were cemented when she went to Dukirg and met Gestav. She found him cold, heartless and cruel even to his own people.
So, she ran away to the muggle world and fell in love with a Welshman. When she returned home, she tried to convince her father that if she married a muggle, they could form an alliance with the muggles and be able to hide their magic with them if they were ever attacked. This angered her father at first thinking it was foolish to use muggles, they were helpless to wizards. But he soon realized his daughter's plan was brilliant. Efa visited her lover and ended up having a secret wedding. She soon became pregnant and used a spell to hide her pregnancy until her father ended things with Dukirg." I shift uncomfortably in my seat. Why is he telling me this?
"Efa had a child in secret and left the child with his father to return home to sort things out.
Gestav was a man who got everything he wanted. He was one of the most powerful wizards in the world, the only thing that held him back was his poor kingdom."
"If he was so powerful and such a terrible wizard, why didn't he just conquer a small kingdom?" I ask innocently.
"Because he wasn't stupid. If he had gone and wiped out a kingdom all the surrounding kingdoms would've joined together to destroy him. He had to do it from the inside, thus a marriage contract. So, when he first laid eyes on the beautiful princess, he knew her kingdom was his. Efa's father finally called off the alliance and in turn the marriage which caused Gestav to fly into a rage. This was the ultimate slight for the proud wizard. He commanded his army to massacre Coeden, to kill every man, woman and child. Gestav killed the king and queen but not before they enacted a curse on the kingdom. Everyone and everything in the kingdom were turned to stone. Only he was spared."
"Why only him?" I ask impatiently.
Kingsley looks at me like I was a child and continues on as if I didn't interrupt him at all. "So, he went searching for the princess to end the Coeden line only to find her fleeing to the muggle world. He tracked her down to the Welshman's home and killed her with the killing curse when she was protecting her loved ones. After the battle and everything he was drained and had to flee before the other kingdoms had heard and want to extract justice for what he had done. Does this sound familiar?" he pauses and continues.
"The princess sacrificed her life for her baby and husband. Her husband knew that if Gestav ever came back he would kill them both. So, he buried his wife in a secret grave and fled to a faraway land and was forgotten…mostly,"
"Did Gestav see the baby? What happened to him?"
"Since he murdered the King and Queen, his curse was to live an immortal life without kin nor army. There had been one other instance of this particular curse in history, but it was so long ago it became a myth. For Gestav to end his curse, he would have to end the whole magical lineage. He thought he did when he murdered the princess. But the curse failed to lift. He realized too late that there must have been another Coeden. If he hadn't fled right afterwards he would've known about the child. That child and its blood was the key to releasing the curse. So, he used the last of his magic to go into a deep sleep waiting for the heir of Coeden to return to the magical world and become a full-fledged witch or wizard. For they have to be a whole magical person to take on the power of the kingdom to release everyone."
"Okay, so the baby had magic and passed onto their baby and so forth down the family tree?"
"No, this is one reason why it's called Living Magic. The magic itself wants to protect itself so it went dormant. It wanted to make sure that Gestav was gone before reappearing in the lineage and returning the kingdom to its former glory. It waited for the right heir, someone who was strong enough to save the magic and kingdom."
I get a prickling feeling that I unconsciously scratch on my arm. "Okay… that's an intense story …but why are you telling me it? It's not like Gestav has Death Eaters to help resurrect him or whatever."
No one made a sound for a full minute. Oh come on!
"The Dukirg kingdom was conquered by another shortly after when news about their army was gone. Gestav's people remained loyal and believed he would return. We have several accounts of Dukirg bloodlines practicing dark magic today."
"Circumstantial evidence," I answer back.
"Is it not believable that Death Eaters are mobilizing with these loyalists and why you were attacked for your blood?"
My heart skips a beat as that night rushes over me. If it's true, they wasted their time on my family.
"Efa was a woman, she needed her magic to pass on to someone who could create life not just take it away."
"So, the heir is a woman? That narrows it down to fifty percent."
"Kallina, the welshman's surname was Rayling."
My jaw drops as I stare back at him speechless. I could feel every eye in the room boring down on me. My palms are sweaty, heat is coursing through my veins and I notice I have cottonmouth. A nervous laugh escapes my lips so hard that I have to cross my legs so I don't pee myself. "I really hope you don't think that I'm the heir to Coeden based on a last name? I come from a big family. Any of them could be the heir, I'm not even the oldest in my family."
Hermione speaks up, "Throughout these two and half centuries the magic slept in your lineage. It waited to pick the right one to defeat the King. The magic called to you, it's in your blood. You're the woman."
"Yeah, no. This is crazy, I'm not the one. I'm a 34-year-old student who struggles with second year potions and can't even defeat a Boggart. You have the wrong Rayling."
"I looked through your family tree, you are the first girl to be born as a Rayling as far back as there are records. All other girls in your family were adopted or married in," Professor McGonagall finally speaks up.
"Doesn't mean crap. Boys just dominate in my family," I say with conviction to also convince myself.
"Then let's do a test." Professor Longbottom speaks up and glances at Harry. He steps forward and brings a statue from the side wall to the center of the room. It's a beautifully carved sculpture that looks like a young oak sapling. Its smooth white texture looks as if made from silk or marble. "I'm going to cut your hand and drop your blood on this statue." He looks me in the eye with a soft gaze. "If nothing happens, then you're right, we have the wrong Rayling and you can return to the muggle world like you truly wish and never have to step foot in Hogwarts again. But if anything happens, well, you'll have your answer."
My stomach drops and I feel nauseous. This is it, this is what I've been waiting for. I nod purposely. What if all of this is true? No. I'm not this "heir", there's no way. Please, just let me go home. I take a deep breath as I notice there is absolute silence in the room. Everyone is holding their breath and the crackle of the fire is the only sound. I hold out my hand and Neville slices my palm with a small dagger. I wince as he rolls my wrist and the first drop of blood lands on the smooth rock.
A hurricane like wind shoots right through me taking my breath away. The force brings me to my knees and water to my eyes. I'm struggling to breathe when I feel a dagger thrust into my gut. I let out an earsplitting scream for who knows how long and then the pain is gone like I had imagined it. I open my eyes and realize that I'm curled in the fetal position on the wooden floor. I slowly get to my feet and look up. All eyes are unblinking and mouths open, everyone but Hermione. She has a smirk on her face as she grips her hands in a tight grasp. Where a stone statue once stood, a beautiful healthy green sapling was in its place. The tree was once again alive.
"You are the first female to be born, you are Princess Efa's heir. You are the key to releasing the Coeden kingdom and defeating Gustav. If you don't fulfill your destiny, it may be passed onto… your daughter."
I whip my head around with fire burning in my eyes and my wand is pointing straight at her heart. "Don't… you bring… my kids… into this," I say through gritted teeth. My eyes shift past Hermione and I see Draco standing behind her with fury in his eyes and his hand inside his cloak.
"If Phoebe has magic, she either becomes a witch and faces the King or you keep her in the muggle world. Against her true calling. Same with Samuel. I'm sorry Kallina. This is the only way."
"FUCK YOU! This is coercion. Either face the King and die or make my kids do it? Are you kidding me? You think I can defeat some all-powerful wizard to save some lost kingdom? You have all the Aurors in the Ministry of Magic. You have Harry Potter! Hell, he defeated Voldemort, the scariest thing that set foot on Earth in the last century, when he was 17!" my voice growing louder by the second and my whole body shaking uncontrollably. I look down and softly say, "I am no one."
"You are Coeden's heir," Hermione punches out.
"STOP SAYING THAT!" I see Draco's tortured face and it's my undoing. Then burning tears start streaming down my face. I try to fight them, but I can't hide them. What the fuck is going on? Is this real?
"Let's give Ms. Aikron some air," Harry suggests and everyone stands up with pity in their eyes and walks out except him. He closes the door and turns around to face me. His face looks as if he's in pain when he speaks, and I look down at my feet. "I'm the closest person to know how you feel. You have an impossible burden laid upon your shoulders that only ends in death. You have loved ones that you would die to protect but are you ready to let them go? You have five more school years to learn as much as you can before you become a full-fledged witch. Students will study for N.E.W.T.S. agonizing on whether they'll pass high enough for the career that they want. Thinking that the exams will be the hardest thing they'll face. But you… you're different. Unfair as it is, your destiny was written centuries ago. But like me, you're not alone."
I look up to see him standing before me with a half-smile. "No more will you stress about trivial things such as paying off your loan or detention. Your one goal is to become the smartest, fastest and strongest witch you can be. I have already organized a team to tutor you. I will teach Defense Against the Dark Arts and flying, my friend Luna Lovegood has agreed to help with Charms, Hermione with History of Magic specifically with learning the curse and Gustav. Neville Longbottom with Herbology of course, Draco Malfoy with Potions and-."
"What?" I cut him off.
"Malfoy has agreed to tutor you in Potions. Will that be a problem?"
My mind instantly returns to the last time I had pictured him and I blush again. I quickly say, "No!" Though I did enjoy my lessons with Professor Boot. Wait, is this really happening? "Are you preparing me like a lamb for the slaughter?"
"No, we want- I want to prepare you to fight and to win. There's no horcruxes just a very powerful dark wizard." I sit down in the seat and put my head in my hands. Harry puts his hand on my shoulder. "I wish I could take this away for you, I truly do. But it's not up to me." I let out a huge sigh and slouch back into my seat. "I will be with you every step of the way. Are you willing to do this?"
I look him dead in the eyes. "Can I kill the Death Eater who killed my husband?" Harry pauses in contemplation. "Yes… but it won't bring him back."
"I know, but at least he won't be able to kill again."