The Greatest Gift
Chapter Four; Testing Limits
~ Friends don't expect you to be perfect. In fact – they are utterly astonished when you are.
Pamela Dugdale ~
The tallest Astronomy Tower was strictly out of bounds except for classes, so being there at half eleven at night was risking a minimum of a few months' solid detention or possible expulsion.
But getting caught was the furthest thing from their minds right now.
Remus was shaking with a combination of excitement and nerves as Sirius prepared the spell. Sirius slowly drew a large circle of salt onto the stone floor with his wand and placed an assortment of candles around the edge.
'What's all that for?' Remus asked, trying not to sound too nervous.
'The salt's just for protection, standard practise for most spells hundreds of years ago.'
And we're going to use one because?'
'No harm in it. Anyway, this spell is pretty ancient so a circle of protection is sorta expected.' Sirius nodded to his notes that were lying beside them. 'Even if something goes wrong at least we won't get hurt.'
'Great, that makes me feel a lot better,' Remus muttered. 'And the candles?'
'You want to do this in the dark?'
Shaking his head, Remus flicked his wand lighting the candles, the small flames casting eerie shadows across the flagstone. Luckily there was no wind tonight, just a clear sky, bright with stars. The moon hung overhead, not quite full. Remus could feel it, even during the day, the feeling growing stronger as the moon moved into its final phase, and then weaken as it began to wane once more.
Sirius knelt in the circle, checking his notes. He swallowed repeatedly, shifting nervously.
'Ready?' he asked.
Remus nodded, entered the circle and knelt in front of him.
Between them was a small cauldron containing a catalyst composed of a variety of herbs. A strong smell of cinnamon, mugwort and aconite emanated from it.
Carefully, Sirius took a glass vial from inside his robes and poured a dusty grey powder from it, into the palm of his right hand, then passed to Remus so that he could do the same. Now they were ready to begin.
Sirius started to chant in Latin, holding his hand over the cauldron. Remus joined in, mirroring his actions. With a slight nod from Sirius, both of them tipped the powder onto the catalyst and pressed their palms together as thin wisps of smoke began to rise from the cauldron, drifting in a wide spiral pattern.
Taking a deep breath, Remus began to chant again, his heart pounding in his ears.
'With these words the spell is spoken,
Wards are down, the barriers broken.'
A large mushroom shaped cloud billowed silently out of the cauldron, engulfing them. The candlelight flickered through the hazy mist.
Trying not to cough, Sirius took over the chant.
'Pierce the gloom to lift the veil,
Release the souls but hold the scale.'
The clouds surrounding them started to spin, like they were sitting within a cyclone. The light beyond it flared, the clouds glowing fiery red and orange. Heart pounding harder than ever, Remus looked into Sirius' face. He couldn't remember the next part of the spell! His mind was simply overpowered by the drumbeat of his heart.
Then he realised that it wasn't just his heart he could hear. Sirius' heart was pounding just as loudly, and as fast. Louder and louder, the thundering pulse drowned out everything.
Their bodies quivered slightly, their palms still held against the other. Sirius raised his eyebrows in a silent question. You okay?
Numbly, Remus gave a small nod, the words coming back to him, whispering them to the wind that surged soundless around them.
'To turn about the inner space,
The newfound vessel shall embrace.'
'Joined together, soul and mind,
Animagus form to you I bind!'
At Sirius' words, a surge, like a powerful river, started to flow through them, through their hands to one another, through the very air around them.
Mesmerised by the feeling, Remus almost forgot to continue the chant. A slight nudge from Sirius jerked him out of his reverie and he blurted out –
'Joined together, soul and mind,
Lycanthrope curse –'
His mouth went dry.
Sirius couldn't say a word for fear of breaking the spell. Remus, come on! He gave Remus' hand a slight squeeze. Come on, you can do it.
In a voice, barely more than a whisper, Remus uttered the rest of the spell.
'- to you I bind.'
As they'd practised, they shouted the final couplet together.
'Life force elements now translocate!'
But something was wrong.
Sirius' eyes were different. From dark brown they shifted to darkest black, and judging by the look on his face, Remus' eyes had changed as well.
The pulsing beat of their hearts was speeding up, faster and faster, still in sync. The flow between them became stronger. Remus shook with each pulse, a roaring in his ears.
They had to finish the spell, say the final line! Panicking, Remus tried to speak but couldn't quite get the words out.
'Secure … secure the … link …'
Then something ripped through their bodies like a bolt of electricity! Sirius' eyes rolled back into his head, mouth open in a silent scream. Remus felt as though he were being ripped apart from the inside.
A blaze of light flared through his eyelids, a loud crack sounded through the night air like a gunshot –
With a sudden lurch, the connection broke, flinging both teenagers backwards out of the circle. Landing painfully in a heap, both lay still, breathing hard and fast. The light faded to nothing, the cloudy mist dispersed and they were left in total darkness but for the pale distant starlight.
Stunned and exhausted, the two of them drifted in and out of consciousness for several minutes. Finally, Sirius managed to sit up, rubbing his head. Remus slowly got to his feet, staggering slightly, leaning against the wall to steady himself.
They just looked at each other. Not saying a word.
*
'I'm really sorry about that, Moony,' Sirius whispered as they crept up the stairs to the dormitory.
'It's all right. You tried.'
'But it's not all right! I wanted to give you something … special … this year.'
'It's the thought that counts, you never heard that before?'
'Sure, and I think I could do with a Quaffle sized aspirin right about now. How about you? Feeling okay?'
Remus considered.
'Yes, actually. I feel fine.'
Sirius groaned. 'Lucky you. D'you know this is the third time I've hit my head this week? Wonder how many times I can take it before I get a concussion.'
'Shhh!'
Quiet as mice, they sneaked into the dormitory, pulled on their pyjamas and climbed into bed.
'Night Moony.' Whispered Sirius.
'G'night Padfoot.'
Remus soon drifted off into a peaceful, dreamless sleep. Sirius, meanwhile, was starting to feel quite sickly and didn't drop off to sleep until nearly two in the morning.
*
To Be Continued …
*
Authors note
I'd like to apologise for my lack of skill as a poet, that was my first attempt ever, but personally I was rather pleased. Let me know what you think!
MagicisinmyName; I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stray to the edge of Sirius and Remus torture! *steps back a pace* And I'm very happy you agree with me on Remus' eye colour by the way! I refuse to believe they're anything but grey-blue. ;)
Kiara Black; Thank you so much for your reviews! You don't have to hunt me down to get me to write more, reading reviews from people who keep coming back do wonders for motivation!
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