Harry Potter no.5-chapter 7
A.N. Howdy ppl…sorry for the long delay coz I was tied up with many other things such as exams…niwae, review and have fun reading!
"Wowee, this is one cool place, huh Herm?" Harry said in awe, nudging Hermione in the ribs. Hermione nodded fervently. They had traveled for a few hours in the deep, dark, slimy forest and had reached a beautiful clearing, which Quintaz declared as the fairy home. There were fairies fluttering everywhere, glowing in the dark. There were many mushroom shaped houses built in the ground and they looked very cosy. Harry could actually see some kid-fairies playing in them. There was actual furniture inside. "How did you get such huge mushrooms?" Hermione asked Quintaz, who was gazing proudly at her clan. Harry was still trying to spot everything in sight. "Magic…obviously. Anyway, I've got to get you to my dad. That's my house over there," Quintaz said, pointing to a fancy rainbow-coloured mushroom house, which was slightly bigger than the others and was situated on top of a small hill.
Harry and Hermione followed Quintaz to the house atop the hill. As they passed many of the mushroom houses, all the kid-fairies rushed to the windows and pointed at them, evidently very excited. When they reached the house, Quintaz rapped on the door three times. As if it was mechanical, the door opened by itself. "Quintaz flew inside first and turned around. "Come on, before the door decides to close," she said, beckoning. Harry and Hermione were awed and just stood there; until the door began to sway back and forth as if to close any moment. They went in and gasped. Every single volume of air in the house seemed to have some magic tingling in it. Harry and Hermione, as wizards, could feel it and their spirits involuntarily rose. Quintaz, who had disappeared up the small flight of stairs, flew down again. "My father wants to see you," she said, floating up and down in the air, waiting for them to accompany her. "Coming," Hermione replied, tugging on Harry's arm. "Huh? Oh…yeah," Harry blinked as if coming out of a trance and they followed Quintaz up the stairs.
**********************
While Harry and Hermione had been making their way laboriously to the fairy clan's village, Draco and Ron had had a hard time keeping up with Keene. Most of the time he galloped ahead of them and they exhausted themselves trying to keep pace with him, but at times, he galloped away out of sight and they had to stop and call out his name. He would then stick his head around a tree or a clump of bushes and define his act in a matter-of-fact voice, which irritated Draco to the core.
"Okay, I give UP!" Draco shouted, slumping on the ground. He looked up at Ron. Both of their faces were flushed red and they were panting from running so fast. "Keene! That's the last straw, geddit? The last straw!" Draco shouted, waving his fist angrily in the air. "Yeah…we can't keep up!" Ron shouted after him.
They heard the noise of someone sighing and then Keene came cantering towards them, his figure silhouetted in the moonlight. "You humans are very slow," he complained, grumbling and coming to a stop right in front of them. "You think we give a shit what you--!" Draco started saying before he was *rudely* interrupted by Ron. "How long more to go Keene? We're pooped," he said wearily. "Hey! I was in the middle of saying something!" Draco said indignantly, standing up and brushing his filthy but once immaculate robes. Both Ron and Keene ignored him. He might have not existed for all he was worth.
"What is this pooped you are talking about? That word does not exist in my vocabulary. Anyway, we will probably reach there in fifteen minutes at my pace. But since you two are such slowpokes, we will probably take more time. How much longer, I have no idea," Keene replied promptly, looking with disdain at Draco.
"Then lets go, instead of staying in this place," Ron said excitedly. "I can't wait to see the others!" "Speak for yourself. But I agree with you on your first point…then we can get rid of him," Draco replied. "I think you are all right Ronald, but your friend here apparently is not grateful towards the fact that I am in fact wasting my time by bringing you to the fairy clan. I am very sorry, but I will not move until he apologises," Keene said haughtily. Ron groaned. It was going to be a long night.
*******************************
Meanwhile, Harry and Hermione had followed Quintaz into an impossibly enormous room, which was probably bigger than the whole house itself. The ceiling towered over their heads. Even though there was plenty of space, all the furniture was crammed in as if there was a great need for some more space. At the end of the huge room, there was a jolly-faced fairy, who was grinning all over his jolly, pointed face. He was seated in an enormous beanbag and was talking to another fairy, who was younger but somewhat resembled Quintaz's father.
Quintaz cleared her throat to announce their presence. Her father looked toward them and then said out loud in a booming, cheerful voice, "Welcome. Come in, come in…and watch your step!" Harry and Hermione, with much difficulty, made their way precariously to where Quintaz's father and the other fairy, presumably Quantaz, Quintaz's brother, were seated. "Take a seat please," Quintaz said politely, pointing towards the armchairs behind them. A weary Harry and an exhausted Hermione sank gratefully into the armchairs and sat there, waiting for Quintaz's father to start speaking.
"Well, humans, my daughter tells me that you are the two that I foresaw that she would meet. What are your names then?" he said. Harry gulped, nervously. Then, he said, "My name is Harry Potter, and this is my friend, Hermione Granger. What is your name?" "Oh yes, how rude of me, I haven't given introduced myself. I am Quintaz's father, Quittish. This is her brother, Quantaz," said Quittish. Quantaz appropriately stood up, bowed and sat down again. Hermione looked him up and down in amazement that he had such fine manners.
Quittish started talking again, not noticing the look that Hermione gave Quantaz. "If I am right, you two are destined to be great wizards. You—" he said pointing to Harry," are extremely brave and will turn out to be a very powerful wizard when you grow up. In fact, I think you will be a miraseen. I will explain what a miraseen is later." Next, he turned to Hermione and said, "You are very clever and are very powerful too. But I see no mark of a miraseen upon you dear girl. Unlike Harry here, you do not need much training. You will be much of a help in the Great Battle against the Dark Side." He stopped briefly, staring into their eyes quietly. Suddenly, Hermione broke the silence. "Mr. Quittish…umm…actually, I found this prophecy in this book and it was quite like what you said…" and she proceeded to relate the story.
"Well, well, it seems that you have hit the nail right on the head! Must call Dumbledore and tell him the good news. You need to receive proper training at once," Quittish said excitedly, rubbing his hands together. Harry and Hermione looked at each other and then back at Quittish again. Quittish noticed this and asked them what the matter was. "Sir, haven't you heard? Hogwarts, the school Hermione and me are from, was destroyed by Lord Voldemort and Dumbledore's dead. We're not sure about the other students. Two more escaped with us and they are Draco Malfoy and Ronald Weasley. They are on their way here, I think," Harry said haltingly.
"What! Dumbledore dead!" Quittish exclaimed. "You must be joking my dear boy!" Hermione changed his mind by supporting Harry's statement. "Oh god! How are we supposed to give you training now? I'm not as good as Dumbledore…" Quittish lamented. Then, for the first time in the conversation, Quantaz started speaking. "Dad, maybe you could teach them along with the Baley twins. At least they'll be trained up to some extent. Quintaz and I could help too," the fairy suggested. Quittish thought it over for a long time with a worried look on his face. After a few minutes, this look was replaced by a look of pure relief. "Thumping idea, my dear boy!" he exclaimed, excited once more. "We'll make good wizards out of you yet! By the way, if you're wondering who the Baley twins are, let me enlighten you. They are the two most powerful wizards in the world after Dumbledore. They happen to be my very good friends and thus you should consider yourself lucky. We will go to see him tomorrow after purchasing some new robes for you of course. Anyway, where are your two friends? I need to know whether they are the people who are part of the prophecy you mentioned, Hermione."
"Uh, we don't know Mr. Quittish –" said Hermione when a small yellow bird flew in through the open window and perched itself on Quittish's shoulder. It then proceeded to chirp something in his ear. After it stopped, Quittish nodded, beaming. It bowed and flew out of the room. "What was that about, father?" Quintaz asked. She had been silent so far. "It seems your two friends, Draco Malfoy and Ronald Weasley, have almost reached here. They are being led by Keene, a centaur. Apparently they were delayed due to problems caused by Draco Malfoy," Quittish said cheerfully to Harry and Hermione. Harry and Hermione rolled their eyes knowingly. Malfoy was just the type of person who always caused trouble. Then, turning to Quintaz, Quittish said, "I want you to go to the outskirts of the clearing and receive them, Quintaz. Bring Keene too. I have a few words to say to him." As Quintaz was departing, Harry and Hermione asked Quittish for permission to go with her. Quttish granted them his permission and then disappeared along with Quantaz in a flash of light.
***********************
Draco, Keene and Ron were finally moving along the forest paths. Draco had finally given in and had apologised to Keene, but since then, he had been very sulky and was not uttering a word to Ron, let alone Keene. Just then, Keene stopped and sniffed the air.
"We're almost there! I can smell fairies!" he cried, turning and facing the two boys. "Oh wonderful…on top of being able to travel at a fast pace, you have a very good sense of smell now," Draco said, his voice oozing with sarcasm. Keene ignored him, though he shot Draco a very disgruntled look. Ron, who had run in front of Keene, and had not heard a word of their conversation, gave a great shout. "Draco! Keene! I see some huge mushrooms! Come and look!" "That's where the fairies live. They are my –" Keene started saying when he was interrupted by Draco. "Come on slowpoke! Last one there's a rotten egg," Draco shouted.
All three of them raced crazily towards the fairy village. When they had just reached the outskirts of the clearing, they stopped short. In front of them, was a marvellous sight. A beautiful, sparkling fairy was floating up and down in the air and right next to her, stood Harry and Hermione.
After standing stock still for a moment, Ron rushed up and hugged Harry and
Hermione tightly. Draco looked on, with an expression of half-sadness and
half-jealousy. The others were too occupied to notice. Only Keene noticed, but
said nothing. After a noisy greeting, the fairy waved her arms for silence.
"For the benefit of the new comers, my name is Quintaz. My father, whom your
friends have already met, wants to see you, as you may be part of the great
prophecy. All will be explained when you go to see him. Come with me," Quintaz
said. Then turning to Keene, she said," My father wants to have a few words
with you. Please come along."
Keene agreed, and together, they proceeded to the house on the hill. During their journey, Ron filled the others in about his adventures, tactfully leaving out the part when he and Draco had made friends because Draco was within hearing range. The others filled him in too. Draco was completely left out. He lagged behind the others, walking with his arms folded and with a surly expression on his face. Keene and Quintaz were up front, whispering to each other. Before Harry and Hermione could tell Ron about the prophecy, they had reached the house.
Quintaz again opened the door and let them in. Instead of asking them to wait downstairs, she led them upstairs and opened the door to another room. This room was smaller than the other one. It was also filled with mismatching furniture and was very cramped, although there was plenty of space. Quttish was sitting with Quantaz again and they were talking in hushed tones.
When they entered, Quittish looked up at them, seemed startled for a moment and then, spreading his arms wide, said, "Hello Draco Malfoy and Ronald Weasley. Once again we meet, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. Come, come, take a seat…"They made their way precariously towards Quittish and Quantaz and once again, there were introductions. Quantaz and Keene disapparated immediately after the introductions were given. After this, there was a comfortable silence and at last, Quittish himself broke it. "Welcome to the Fairy Glen, Draco and Ronald. I would like to get to the matter at once, without beating around the bush…though you may be glad to know that Voldemort cannot penetrate our barriers," he said, pausing, while Ron flinched at the sound of Voldemort's name. Draco had no expression on his face; none at all.
Quittish continued. "I presume that you do not know about the prophecy of which your friend, Hermione picked up in a book?" he said with raised eyebrows, questioning them. "No," both of them said in unison. Quittish then proceeded to inform both of them about the prophecy and told them about Hermione's theory. After he had finished, Ron had an amazed expression on his face and on Draco's there was an expression of mere disbelief. "Let me get this straight…Granger read in this book that she's heir of Ravenclaw, Potter is the heir of Gryffindor, Weasley is the heir of Hufflepuff and I'm the heir of Slytherin?" Draco said incredulously. "For starters, we're enemies!" he continued, leaving out the fact that he and Ron had just become friends. Both Ron and Draco did not voice their amazement that part of the prophecy was true; the Heirs of Hufflepuff and Slytherin were to be the first to form a friendship.
"It is merely a hypothesis, my dear boy. You do not need to get so agitated. You may want to know that I perceive that all of you are going to have deep bonds with each other in the near future. I cannot know whether you indeed have the markings of Salazar Slytherin's heir, unless you are willing to let me penetrate your mind. Harry and Hermione's destinies are clearly there. They are radiating it off their bodies right now and as I can sense it, I am able to perceive that they are the true heirs of Godric Gryffindor and Rowena Ravenclaw. But as for you and Ronald, it will be much harder to get this information. Are you willing to let me see?" he asked Draco and Ron. "Wait, who is the imposter that you said was part of this prophecy?" Ron suddenly burst out, before Draco could say a word.
Hermione answered. "I think that it is Vicky, Ron." There was silence at this statement. Draco opened his mouth to say something, but Quittish interrupted him. "Well…it seems to fit perfectly then. You will definitely meet this Vicky…she will try to trick you but never mind that now. There are more compelling matters at hand. For instance, Ronald, Draco, will you let me find out if you are the heirs of Helga Hufflepuff and Salazar Slytherin, right here, right now?" he said impatiently, his once jolly face, grave.
They thought about it. Finally they agreed. Quittish was delighted. He rubbed his hands together and beckoned to Draco to sit on an armchair that was nearer to him. "Sit still and do not move a muscle…close your eyes and let your mind wander," Quittish instructed, taking hold of Draco's right palm. Draco did as he said. There was no sound from the others. The room was silent. Draco closed his eyes and went off into a trance-like state. After a few minutes, Quittish, who had also been closing his eyes, opened his eyes and grinned like a Cheshire cat. "Yes…I think that you are Salazar Slytherin's heir. You are a miraseen like Harry and have many of Salazar Slytherin's qualities, except for the ability to see the future and the ability to speak to snakes. Incase you may want to know, a miraseen is an extremely powerful wizard who can perform wand-less magic and can summon a person to them at will. With proper training, you and Harry will definitely turn out to be more powerful than Salazar Slytherin, and that is saying something. Some miraseens include, Slytherin, Gryffindor and Voldemort. You will work together with Harry in the Great Battle and together, you are almost indestructible…if and only if you receive proper training," Quittish said, before turning to Ron.
The same sequence followed for Ron and when Quittish opened his eyes, he had a look of relief on his face. "We have found the fourth heir. You are Helga Hufflepuff's heir, Ronald. You are a seer, meaning that you have the ability to look into the future. On top of this, you are powerful…but not a miraseen. You will be very helpful in the Great Battle. You can do many marvellous things with your mind alone. For instance, you can transport things to any place you want it to go with just one thought…but this needs much concentration, which only proper training can grant you."
Then turning to all of them, he said gravely, "I hope that you fully understand the grave responsibility that rests upon your shoulders. The whole of the wizarding community is at Lord Voldemort's mercy and the four of you have to stop him. This is, obviously, difficult, but not impossible. Training wins half the battle, but the other half is only obtained through, hard work, perseverance, team work and focus. Never lose focus on your goal. The people who will be helping you in your training are the Baley Twins, who are extremely powerful, Alastor Moody, the great Auror, Sirius Black, and myself. I do not trust anyone else." "And I know that Sirius Black is innocent Harry. Dumbledore told me…he said I would be in need of his help," Quittish added when he saw Harry, Ron and Hermione's mouths open simultaneously. Draco still regarded Quittish calmly and did not even blink when he uttered the name 'Sirius Black'. Harry noticed this and grimly came upon the conclusion that Lucius Malfoy told his son a great many things but behaved otherwise outside.
Quittish continued after a short pause. "Also, I would like to warn you to keep a close watch on Draco here," he said, as the others, including Quintaz, turned sharply to look at Draco. "As you might know, his father is one of the Death Eaters, Lucius Malfoy, to be precise. I have no doubt that he will know what we are up to in the course of time, and might steal his son away to benefit Lord Voldemort. Draco, being a miraseen, is very powerful and if he chooses, he can be a great asset to the Dark Side. Only Harry will be able to control him but the chances are 50-50. So I would like all of you to keep a close watch over him. I will certainly play my part to help you in your surveillance but Lord Voldemort has proven to be more cunning than I have ever expected. The rest will be told to you later. As for your living arrangements, you will stay here, in this clearing, occupying two mushroom houses. Ronald and Hermione stay in one house, with separate sleeping quarters and bathrooms whereas Harry and Draco sleep in one. These two houses will be adjoined. Whenever you want to exit your quarters, you have to make sure that someone accompanies you. If not, the consequences may be disastrous. Quintaz will be on hand. She will appear when you call her. She will now lead you to your mushrooms," he said. "I bid you, goodnight," so saying, he vanished from the room.
"I have got to sleep with you!" exclaimed Harry, glaring at Draco. "Believe me Potter, I have absolutely no wish to know you're sleeping habits either," Draco said coolly. "Come on, Harry, don't let him get on your nerves. At least our houses are adjoined. You've just got to sleep with him, that's all…anyway, there's not time for arguing, Quintaz is calling," Hermione interjected, pointing to Quintaz, who was hovering near the door, waiting for them to follow her. "You've got one clever friend Harry. Cleverer than you anyway," Draco sneered, walking ahead of Ron, Hermione and Harry, but not before he glanced at Ron and mouthed goodnight. Ron mouthed the same thing back at him, without Harry and Hermione noticing and then resumed his conversation with them, leaving Draco to walk ahead with Quintaz.
Quintaz led them to their mushroom houses. On the way, Ron told Harry and Hermione about his new-found friendship with Draco. Harry exclaimed vehemently, but whispered back a reply. "You and him? Friends? I didn't think that was possible Ron. Well, that fulfils the prophecy anyway. He's gonna try and make friends with Hermione now," Harry said, glancing sideways at Hermione, who had gotten much prettier over the holidays. "And I'm going to make it easier for him, so don't tease me about it. He's really lonely and plus, we've got to work together with him to defeat Voldemort, and who knows, he might turn out to be nice after all!" Hermione declared and rushed hurriedly in front to join Draco, leaving Harry and Ron to gape after the girl who had slapped Draco Malfoy in her third year.
~End~
