Disclaimer: This story is written for the purposes of my own amusement and, hopefully, that of my readers, and no profit of any kind is being generated by it or by either of its prequels. All characters and history belong to J.K. Rowling and to whomsoever she has licensed her creations at the present time. I own the plot and the odd original character, nothing else.
Sorcerors' Endgame A Harry Potter Fanfiction by Penpusher Sequel to "By the Pricking of My Thumbs"Chapter Fourteen: The Oldest Place
"We are getting close; I can hear faint conversation."
Katia's voice had sunk to a murmur. The darkness was almost impenetrable; the other four wizards had cast light charms to illuminate their way, but the Mexican woman was still refusing to use magic. Lucius and MacNair jeered at her, and their obvious contempt made it more and more difficult for Katia to drag any kind of respect for her authority out of the other two Deatheaters or even, Merlin preserve her, the three muggle heavies.
Lucius Malfoy stood closely by her side. She resisted the urge to shrink away from him, although his nearness repulsed her almost to nausea. With her jungle-trained senses, Katia could tease out the difference between the normal nightly noises of the forest and the murmur of human conversation. Lucius had no such abilities.
"I can't hear anything above this infernal din." he responded irritably, his breath gusting in her hair.
"That is because you are deaf and blind to the natural world." the girl responded, with no particular inflection in her voice. "Trust me as one who knows; those whom we seek are ahead of us, probably only by about five hundred yards." Lucius frowned at the unsympathetic description of his lack of skills, but brightened at the prospect of some serious evildoing in the very near future.
"Five hundred yards, you say? Splendid. MacNair!" he hailed his chief henchman and they put their heads together in swift discussion. Katia glanced disdainfully in their direction, but gave no sign that she was in any way bothered by her exclusion from the council of war. She returned to her lookout duties. Presently, the two senior wizards called their companions over to explain their strategy. Katia listened, but offered no response.
~oo0oo~
The next mirror was cracked and stained. At first, it was difficult to distinguish anything behind its murky surface, but gradually Ginny found she could make out a location that seemed vaguely familiar. Back came the memories with a rush of blood to her head. She gritted her teeth, refusing to faint, scorning to look away. It was only what she had expected after all.
Harry stared impassively at the glass as a scene he had imagined all too often at his darkest moments was played out before his eyes then he turned his head and stared at the ground.
"I will not see." he muttered between his teeth.
"You must." Ginny's voice was calm but implacable. Harry looked up sharply.
"Why?" he said resentfully.
"Because if you don't there will always be a part of me that remains distant, separate from you. You will never know what really happened or how I truly felt about it – and you will never fully trust me." Despite her paper-white face and trembling hands, Ginny's voice was level and composed. For a long moment their eyes locked, then Harry bowed his head and returned his gaze to the mirror.
He clenched and unclenched his hands as the pale, cold fingers ran through long, red hair, over smooth shoulders and further down; as Ginny herself, like an automaton, loosened her own clothing, lay down upon the unmade bed waiting passively. He watched motionless until the mirror became blank, then in unreasoning rage, raised his fist to smash it.
"No, Harry, don't!" Ginny caught his hand in both of hers and forced him to look into her grief-stricken eyes. There he saw it all. All the pain and anguish, all the humiliation, the shame brought to her by that ill-concocted enchantment. Her horror at her own actions, her memories of lust, of driving passion for someone whose very existence should have been abhorrent to her, her ambivalence and confusion over her true feelings for Draco; gratitude for his having spared her, pity for his resulting suffering, curiosity and fear as to his motives, a certain fascination with the unanswered questions about him. And more.
What's this? thought Harry. Dobby? You used Dobby to help Draco escape from his father? Why?
A life for a life, Harry. was the despairing reply. I owed him a debt for sparing me.
And Harry understood. With a surge of grief as great as her own, Harry reached out to enfold the girl in his arms, embracing as he did so the knowledge he had tried to deny. There was a strange shift, a rippling in time and space, as though reality had somehow stepped up a gear.
"Thank you." she said quietly. He nodded, smiling.
"You're welcome." Their surroundings stabilised. There was no further need for conversation; another mirror hung in plain sight.
~oo0oo~
Ginny approached the mirror with some puzzlement. Things were starting to get a little more serious. They'd gone through the childhood sins, the various romantic entanglements, her confusion over her near-rape – what more lay in store for them? Were there more deeply buried secrets in Harry's mind; things she had to come to terms with?
This mirror was Spartan, full of hard edges and stainless-steel angles. Ginny peered into its depths, having no idea what she might be shown, what fresh horrors it could heap on her. She wrinkled her forehead in puzzlement as a scene began to materialize, the only hint as to the nature of its contents being a soft gasp from Harry.
A mountain-top, bare and barren with the odd scrubby tree and patch of heather. The wind was bitter and there was little shelter. Two figures stood on a narrow ledge, one tall with dark, messy hair which kept blowing into his bespectacled eyes, the other, shorter but stocky with light brown hair. He seemed to be burrowing into the rock at the side of the mountain.
"Nearly there!" the brown-haired wizard gasped. His head and shoulder were jammed hard against the cliff face; his arm was extended deep into a fissure. He was struggling to extend his reach; Harry was holding him steady.
"Got it!" the man withdrew his arm slowly and carefully to reveal a gloved hand clutching what looked like a blackened and decaying mass of sackcloth. Oblivious of their precarious position, the two wizards excitedly bent their heads over their find. Tearing aside the rotting layers, the brown-haired wizard suddenly revealed something burnished bright, glowing with a keen radiance. Slowly, reverently he held it aloft.
"The Amulet!" The dark-haired one made no attempt to touch the thing, merely stared at it with wide green eyes.
It was a necklace made of pure, untarnished gold. More of a collar than a chain, the object was fashioned from decorative panels of gold carefully linked together to sit perfectly over the neck and shoulders. In the centre panel glowed a deep red stone as large as a bird's egg.
Exultantly, the brown-haired wizard held the artefact up to the sky, his face alight with triumph. The other man tried to reach for the necklace, but lowered his arm in faint puzzlement as his companion whisked it out of his reach.
"Not this time, Harry." he whispered. "At least, not until I have become attuned to the jewel. Then I might let you look at it – for a moment or two!" Harry's mouth set in a firm line.
"Jacob, you've read enough about this thing to know." he replied. "The Amulet has immense powers, but there is no morality in the thing. It is neither a force for good, nor for evil, but can be used by both sides."
"Don't lecture me, Potter!" the other snapped irritably. "I've heard enough of your lectures to last a lifetime!"
"However," Harry continued, as if his companion had not spoken, "its tremendous power has a corrupting influence on any wielder. I have long suspected that you pursued this thing for purposes very different from my own. Tell me, Jacob; what do you intend to do with the power it will give you?" The brown haired wizard smiled almost lazily.
"Why, take revenge, Harry – what else?" The dark-haired one nodded.
"Revenge." he replied quietly, as though he were speaking of their next meal. "Yes, I should have realised. But somehow I thought you were big enough to work through that."
"Work through it?" Jacob's face twisted with a mixture of disbelief and scorn. "Harry, you don't 'work through' something like that, for Merlin's sake! You don't forgive and forget the torture and murder of your parents for witchcraft – trial by fire, they called it! – the suicide of your older sister and your own banishment from the only place you had ever called home!" Harry shrugged.
"I had to." he replied simply. Jacob nodded, rising fury evident in his face.
"Oh, yes!" he replied. "The Famous Harry Potter, the great white hope of the magical world. The rest of us poor squibs have known your story all our lives! The deaths of your parents, then of your fiancé, your valiant battle against the Dark Side – oh, yes. I had all that forced down my throat since babyhood. Well, not everyone is as forebearing, as forgiving as you seem to be, perfect being that you are. Some of us want payment for services rendered. And together with this," he held the jewel up before him with an exultant grin, "I will extract that payment."
"On a helpless village of primitive people who knew no better?" Harry was struggling to keep him voice calm. "What kind of justice is that? Are you going to slaughter their women and children too? Flamel's Stone, Jacob, half of them weren't born when your parents were killed!"
"As if that matters!" Jacob was shouting in fury, baring his teeth. "'The sins of the fathers shall be visited on the sons'. That's what the muggles say. It sounds eminently suitable to me." He paused, examining the artefact carefully for a clasp then looked up once more.
"All that is required, Harry," he continued, "all I have to do is put this collar around my neck – just lower it over my head – and the process will begin automatically. After that – boom!" He giggled happily. "The village of my family's slayers goes up in smoke!"
"So," Harry stepped closer, looking him directly in the eye. "These people hurt you, yes? So you kill them. That sounds like Voldemort's philosophy to me. He killed people because they got in his way, because they annoyed him, because he didn't like them. Okay, so who's next, eh?" He paused, glaring hard a Jacob.
"Who else will you decide wronged you in the past and doesn't deserve to live?" he continued. "A rival in love? A teacher? An ex-girlfriend? A whole country full of people whose religion you object to?" Harry shook his head.
"Jacob, I'm sorry." he said more quietly. "I should have seen earlier that your eagerness for me to accompany you on this quest sprang from very different motives to those you professed. If it hadn't been for you, I would never have taken the old legends seriously, and the Amulet would have been left here, possibly forever." Harry sighed.
"I can't let you do it." he said softly. Jacob stared disbelievingly then gave a short bark of laughter.
"Just try and stop me!" he responded and with that he ducked his head, slipping the heavy collar around his neck. His exultant shout slammed back again and again in echoes from the surrounding mountains. Immediately the huge red stone began to glow, its rosy light etching the lines of triumph in Jacob's face. Harry lowered his eyes in pain and grief.
"Forgive me, my friend." he murmured quietly, and then he struck.
Suddenly and without warning, Harry drove his fist into the other's stomach, hard and with deadly accuracy. Jacob doubled up with a rush of air. As the other man's head came down, Harry ripped the collar from his neck, bringing his knee up to take him under the chin. The impact was like a pistol shot: Jacob reeled, already only semi-conscious. His body teetered, recovered then tipped slowly over the precipice, tumbling soundlessly into oblivion. Clutching the Amulet, Harry sank to his knees, leaning so far over the ledge an observer could be forgiven for thinking he was trying to follow his victim into the abyss.
"Forgive me." he whispered.
Ginny gulped, swallowing bile. This had not been easy to watch. She had always known that there was a streak of steel in Harry that made him utterly ruthless in some situations, but this was something else. This was murder.
She turned to him, her mouth opening and closing soundlessly. She simply had no words. Harry sighed.
"That is one episode in my life I try very hard not to remember." He said quietly.
"I can see why!" Ginny bit her tongue; she had not meant to sound quite so tart. Harry looked down at his shoes, shuffling his feet.
"Yes." he said eventually. "It can't be easy, finding out that your lover is a murderer."
"Are you?" There was a long pause then Harry gave a sigh and ran a hand through his hair.
"Technically, I suppose I am." he finished quietly. Ginny raised her large solemn eyes to his and waited patiently.
"Jacob was a student of mine." he began. "Well, actually he was on an exchange from another university. He was Caucasian, but had been born in China, in a remote village where his parents had been missionaries. They were killed when he was just ten years old. He had an elder sister, about sixteen, already at university, who committed suicide a few years earlier." Harry paused for a moment to take himself back.
"Jacob was – a very compelling sort of person." Harry continued. "I learned very early on that his parents had been killed by the villagers they trusted, for witchcraft, but what I didn't know was that Jacob himself was responsible for the events that led to their trial and subsequent sentence. They were muggles, you see, and they had no idea what their son was. After their deaths, the Chinese authorities came to take Jacob away, but luckily for him, he was spotted by a very low ranking diplomat, part of the entourage surrounding the Australian Minister for Magic." Harry smiled. "He was very fortunate indeed – diplomatic relations with China are quite difficult, and there are few visits of this type. Anyway, the Aussie Ministry pulled a few strings and took Jacob back to Sydney. He told me it was something like waking up from a nightmare – and sometimes like falling into one!"
"How did he make the adjustment from a primitive Chinese village to modern-day Australia?" Ginny was clearly absorbed by Harry's narrative.
"Very easily – or so it seemed." replied Harry. "He was extremely intelligent – English was his first language, but he spoke a number of different Chinese dialects. The villagers had used him as an interpreter. It took him longer, though, to accept his magical talents. To do so, he had to come to terms with his involvement in his parents' fate at the hands of the villagers."
"And did he?" Harry nodded.
"Eventually, yes." he replied. "He seemed very well adjusted when I met him. Except on this one issue; he wanted to go back to China. He was convinced he knew the whereabouts of a very esoteric artefact called Aurora's Amulet. It was said to be capable of conveying enormous powers on its owner, both destructive as well as beneficial. Jacob's research indicated that it owes its existence to the Norwegian wizard Thonar. Reputedly, he stole the central jewel from his rival, Wodan, and fled with it to the earth's most northerly point. Once there, he wove an awesome piece of magic that trapped the power of the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, into the jewel. In doing so, he forfeited some of his own power, but he also managed to trap a portion of magic belonging to his rival, Wodan. Oddly enough, when Wodan finally caught up with him, instead of fighting to the death, they became allies, and Thonar had the stone set into a great golden collar of singular design. It became his trademark, and he was never separated from it, even for a moment. After his death, Wodan searched for the Amulet for years, but failed to find any trace of it." Harry paused for a moment, reflecting. Ginny frowned.
"I assume Jacob persuaded you to go with him!" Harry nodded.
"Yes." he replied, and shrugged vaguely. "What can I say? I was very new at the job, and ambitious; I needed one major find to help push me into the top league where I could compete with the big boys." He sighed. "I was also inexperienced with people. I allowed myself to be persuaded over what was, in all honesty, my better judgment. I ignored my misgivings and threw myself into the project with a whole heart. It was only when we actually reached China that I started to suspect Jacob might not be entirely balanced about the project." Harry turned to look into Ginny's eyes and spread his hands helplessly.
"I had no choice but to go on." he said. "By this time, Jacob knew as much as I did, and there was no way I was going to persuade him to walk away from it. If I hadn't gone with him, he would have found the thing on his own, and Merlin knows what would have happened." Harry pushed sweaty hair back from his forehead.
"Ginny, I truly believe he was capable of wreaking just as much havoc on the world as Voldemort ever did – and I set him on that path! What he would ultimately have done, there is no way of knowing now, but I just couldn't take the risk." Harry fell silent, gazing sightlessly at the floor.
"So you decided he had to be stopped – permanently?" Harry frowned, shaking his head violently.
"No, no. You're not listening!" he tried to explain. "I never intended to kill him. I – I'd never killed anyone, before or since. Even though I've been involved in some nasty situations involving broken bones and the like, there's never been any question of lifetaking. I spent a few sleepless nights going round and round in circles; you see, I reckoned I knew what he would try to do with the Amulet. I also knew he would kill me without a second thought if he so much as suspected that I would try to stop him."
Ginny stood in complete bewilderment. Until a few moments ago, she had been prepared to swear on anything holy that Harry would never hurt a fly. Or had she? Her forehead wrinkled in concentration.
Wasn't that one of the reasons she loved Harry as much as she did – as she always had? Because he was prepared to go the extra mile, hang on just a little longer, put in just that bit more for the sake of what he held as true? Harry had never in his life done anything by halves. He had defended her physically on more than one occasion, and he had never hesitated to use force when necessary – but only when there was no alternative. He had seen more evil and wickedness before he left Hogwarts than the average Auror would encounter in their entire working life. Surely his instinct over this deluded young wizard was sound? Wasn't it?
Ginny looked around. Harry stood unmoving, face turned towards the floor. Tears trickled down his cheeks, dripping silently onto the flagstones beheath.
"He wasn't just a student, Ginny." he whispered. "I loved him. I loved Jacob – like the son I believed I would never have. Oh, I know there were only a few years between us, but the horrors we had seen had affected us in directly opposite ways. I was older than my years, staid and unwilling to take risks. Jake was – mischievous, irresponsible. It was as though he had spent all his life with adults, and was only just beginning to appreciate what childhood really was. And for all I know, that speculation could be accurate." He took a shaky breath, his lower lip trembling.
"I couldn't let him do it, Ginny." Harry's voice was almost a whisper. "All those innocent people – women and children! He would have killed them all, and for what? Would their murder have brought his parents back? His sister? I killed him, Ginny. Your lover is a murde …" Almost violently, Ginny pulled him into her arms, smothering the word before he could fully vocalise it.
"Whatever you've done, you belong with me!" she whispered fiercely. "Don't ever forget that. But Harry, everything you did was for the best. I believe in you – I trust your judgment. You saved those people – and the rest of us too – from a terrible fate!"
"That my lack of judgment was, in part, responsible for in the first place!" Harry replied wryly, searching vainly for a handkerchief. Ginny shook her head, feeling in her pockets. Pulling out a vaguely clean scrap of linen, she dabbed at his tear-stained face.
"That poor young man." she murmured, gently wiping away moisture.
"Indeed." Harry sighed sadly. "So much promise, so much talent – wasted."
"And the Amulet now resides in Gringotts, I suppose?" Harry nodded.
"Too dangerous to be anywhere else." he replied. "It turned out to be so powerful that only a few people were made aware of its existence. The Ministry intends to keep it that way."
"So after all that, you never did get the boost to your career that you wanted?" Harry shrugged.
"It got me noticed by some high-up people," he replied diffidently, "and to be honest, by that stage, I really didn't care. Jake was dead and gone, and a large part of my life seemed to die with him. I became pretty much convinced that I was a jinx on anything or anyone I touched. I slunk back to LA with my tail between my legs and went into hibernation. Not long afterwards, Neville got the job with Gringotts and took an apartment fairly near to mine." A ghost of a smile settled on Harry's lips.
"I think it was his total helplessness that winkled me out of my shell." he commented dryly. "He was so inept I couldn't believe he'd got the job on merit – I kept asking him in a roundabout way who in his family had pulled strings for him!"
"Oh, Harry!" Ginny was starting to smile. "I must admit, I never thought Neville would be responsible for bringing you out of a depression; it's much more likely that he'd push you into one!" Harry gave a laugh; a pale and feeble attempt, it was true, but Ginny took it as a sign that he was prepared to go on, despite the cost, and even in the face of whatever further horrors the corridor of mirrors might hold.
As he blew his nose and pushed his wayward hair away from his face, Harry was not so sure.
~oo0oo~
As soon as he laid eyes on the next mirror, Harry knew he could not go through with this one. Huge, square and gilt-framed with a carved phoenix at the top, Harry was immediately reminded of Dumbledore – and of Sirius' revelations.
Recent events had descended upon them far too quickly for Harry to think about the ramifications of that bombshell. On seeing the mirror, with the certain knowledge of what it contained, Harry realised that he had not buried the information in his subconscious as he had thought, but had merely set it aside. He had tried to deal with the problem by refusing to acknowledge it. He had persistently failed to confide in Ginny because to deny the existence of such great treachery was an easier route than to face up to its implications. He shook his head.
"Ginny, I can't do this." She stared at him, a frown gathering between her eyebrows.
"But Harry – you don't even know what it will show!" He shook his head.
"Oh yes I do." he replied, too quickly. "I know precisely what it will show – and I can't go through with it, I'm sorry." He turned away, staring at the floor. Ginny's lips thinned.
"Harry, whatever it is you have to face up to it," she told him, "and so do I. How can it be any worse than what we've already been through?" He turned to her, his mouth working, his eyes panic-stricken. Ginny felt her stomach clench with dread.
"Ginny," Harry managed, eventually, "it will destroy your world, all your beliefs! This is something I learned quite recently, but I could never face telling you, let alone anyone else. Please – we have to let sleeping dogs lie. This one has got to stay where it is." She was shaking her head.
"If we don't go the whole way, we might just as well have never started this." she told him firmly. "Harry, I don't care what it is – I have to share it with you." Without further ado, she stepped up to the mirror, shaking off his restraining hands.
"NO!" Harry pulled her away, turning her to face him. He swallowed, calming himself visibly.
"Okay," he said, "okay – you have to know. That's – alright. But I'm going to tell you. Me. I'm not going to let some damn mirror show you. I'm going to do it – like I should have done in the first place. Oh, Merlin, help me!" He paused, shaking. Her huge brown eyes stared into his frightened green ones with calm certitude, then suddenly Ginny knew. She gasped with horror, the blood draining from her cheeks.
Dumbledore betrayed us? Oh no, Harry, anything but that!
I'm sorry – Sirius was absolutely sure of his facts. There can be no mistake.
There must be something that was overlooked – I just can't believe … Harry, he spent his life fighting evil!
The best of us can be suborned.
Perhaps Sirius …
Don't even think it, Ginny!
There was a shocked gasp. Harry opened his eyes, unsure when he had closed them, to see Ginny holding a hand over her mouth.
Do that again.
Do what?
That.
You mean talk to you? What's special about that?
You're not talking, silly.
Oh, no? So what am I doing then?
There was a profound silence.
~oo0oo~
"A word in your ear, Mr. Black." The dark-haired wizard looked up from where he had been brooding silently.
"Please – call me Sirius." he responded, getting to his feet. "What is it Mouse?" The muggle smiled, scratching his head awkwardly.
"Well, Sirius," he began, "it's like this. I don't understand what's goin' on here. That's no surprise, seein' as I ain't any kind of a wizard, but I do got some kind of a nose for danger. An' I'm tellin' you, I can smell danger so strong it stinks to high heaven!" Sirius stroked his unshaven chin thoughtfully.
"Mouse," he said eventually, "at any other time, I'd tell you to leave Divination to the experts – but right now my own antennae are buzzing like a hive of bees. You're right – of course you're right! – but what can we do? We don't know where or when they'll strike, and we can't leave here without Harry and Ginny." He sighed.
"We're sitting ducks," he finished gloomily, "and there's not a thing we can do about it!"
As though he had been listening for his cue, Lucius Malfoy strolled calmly into the clearing, wand at the ready, wearing a sickeningly triumphant smile.
"Afternoon, Black." he said carelessly. "All present and correct, are you? Or do we have to take the place apart before we kill you?"
"Fred!" yelled Sirius, instantly diving for the ground and reaching for his wand in one movement. Backing towards the others, wand brandished threateningly, Sirius felt his heart sink; they were surrounded.
The little group of wizards clustered around Syrinx, instinctively trying to protect her. However, they were gravely outnumbered, and their opponents appeared to have considerable muggle backup into the bargain.
Sirius' horrified expression became thoughtful as he glanced quickly around, sizing up the enemy. Lucius Malfoy was potentially a powerful threat, but rumour had it that big business and all the trappings of the high life had sapped his skills somewhat. MacNair was a familiar and detested presence; Sirius could not suppress an involuntary hiss of disgust on recognising him. The next two wizards were unfamiliar to him, but his breath caught in his throat at the sight of the last.
"Katia!" he breathed, unable to tear his eyes away from her face. This was very bad news.
"Sirius." She nodded coolly, but the hatred in her eyes was like fire. I'm dead. Sirius thought bleakly. She took a step towards him then paced backwards and forwards in a slow, leisurely fashion.
"It has been a long time," she said quietly, "unless you count that last little encounter in the deep interior of Yucatan. You weren't quite yourself then, as I recall."
"No, I wasn't," Sirius replied staring her down, "and if my memory serves me correctly, neither were you, having just been arrested at the time." Katia flushed and immediately abandoned her calm demeanour.
"I should have killed you when I had the chance!" she snarled. "If I had only duelled with you, you would be food for maggots now!" Sirius nodded solemnly.
"Only too true, I fear," he replied, "but for the fact that I would never have stood still and let you do it. I'd have taken to my heels and headed for the hills as soon as you drew your wand." Katia sneered.
"Coward!"
"Not exactly." Outwardly calm, Sirius was beginning to wonder where this was going. "I'm just fully aware of my own limitations. And I also have a healthy respect for those whose skills are greater than mine, even if they are derived from evil sources." The dark woman spat contemptuously.
"You always were weak." she replied nastily. "You were too spineless, too pathetic to grasp the best offer you ever had. The world could have been ours for the taking – and why not? What did either of us ever owe anyone except ourselves? But no. Instead, you chose to crawl back to the very people who ground you into the dust the first time." She threw back her head in disgust.
"You are beneath my disdain. Even the carrion-feeders, the vultures, have more pride than you!"
"That may be so," Sirius' voice was calm. "but I prefer to let the world go its own way and keep my immortal soul. Oh Katia!" He stared into her scornful face in despair, all his emotional defences collapsing at the sight of her.
"I'm sorry – oh, you don't know how sorry I am that we have come to this!" His voice sank to a whisper so quiet that only the woman standing before him could hear his words. His eyes were dark with regret.
"I loved you once." Her head jerked up sharply at his words.
"You led me to believe you did." Her voice was little more than a murmur, but the tone was bitter. Sirius sighed.
"I told the truth." The naked hate in her face was too much for him to bear; he lowered his eyes.
"If you hope to distract me from my purpose," she told him coolly, "then you will be sadly disappointed." Sirius shook his head without looking up.
"I hope for nothing, not even death."
"Oh, death you will certainly receive, of that you may be perfectly assured!"
"We're wasting time." Lucius Malfoy, bored with an interaction in which he had no part, stepped between them impatiently. He glanced swiftly over the little party, frowning as his eyes lit upon Syrinx. He summoned the three muggle heavies.
"Search them." he ordered peremptorily. "Strip them if necessary." Guru moved quickly to shield his daughter. The largest muggle – a thickset gorilla with a hairline so low it met his eyebrows – frowned at Lucius.
"Strip them – what, you mean everything? Toenails, teeth, hair?" Lucius sighed in an exaggerated fashion and shook his head impatiently.
"Just start with their belongings." he replied. "We'll get to the rest all in good time." As the three muggles began dismantling the meagre stack of luggage, Lucius turned back to Sirius.
"Where are Potter and the Weasley girl?" Sirius shrugged.
"I don't know."
"Do you think I'm stupid? There are many ways of making you talk."
"That's assuming that I have anything to talk about. And incidentally: yes, Lucius, I do indeed think that you have reached staggeringly new heights of stupidity, even for the Dark Side, if you propose to wring information out of me that I simply do not possess." Lucius glared.
"You're lying, Black!"
"I'm telling the truth – but then you wouldn't know the truth if it jumped up and bit you!" Sirius laughed, a strained, tense sound, but nevertheless genuine.
"You forget, Lucius, I'm the only one here who knows what a horse's arse you were at Hogwarts." he drawled, affecting a nonchalance he did not feel. Lucius stiffened; Sirius forced himself to relax.
"Did I touch a nerve there, Lucius? I'm so sorry." He paused then frowned reflectively.
"Actually, that's not true." he said with an amiable smile. "I'm not sorry. I'm not sorry at all, because it's the truth. Lucius, you were, and still are, a total pratt, for all your jumped up family history and your inherited wealth. It was a complete mystery to everyone how you managed to persuade Narcissa to marry you, particularly since at the beginning of our seventh year, she described you as the biggest jerk ever to lift a wand." He grinned, almost enjoying himself.
"Ah, but now I know a little more about how things work in your world, Lucius." Sirius was beginning to feel light-headed. "I've always been insatiably curious – you remember that about me, don't you, from Hogwarts days? – and I made it my business to find out a few things about you. Narcissa was the only Slytherin I ever had any time for, and that wasn't just because she was the prettiest girl in our year. There was more to Narcissa than just her looks, although I expect you never even came close to finding that out!"
"Enough!" Lucius was purple with rage. He raised his wand, his lips already forming the beginning of the killing curse. Sirius steeled himself for oblivion; well, at least he'd gone out with a bang.
"That's very interesting. Very interesting indeed." The familiar nasal drawl cut through the atmosphere like a scalpel. "I fully appreciate your desire to decorate the scenery with Black's entrails, but perhaps, when you've finished, I could trouble you for some information on the subject in question – father!" Lucius froze. Slowly, his wand still raised, he turned to face the slight, blonde-haired figure who had appeared as if from nowhere.
"Draco?" he whispered uncertainly. His son smiled.
"The very same." he announced with totally unnecessary bravado. "Strictly speaking, I should have AK'd you from where I was hiding in the bushes, but there were a couple of minor points which argued against that plan of action. Firstly, as you well know, I have a certain difficulty with that particular spell," Lucius guffawed rudely. "and secondly, I would really prefer to have you alive, at least for the next few minutes, so that you can enlighten me on an item of recent family history." Lucius raised his eyebrows.
"Oh?" he queried sardonically. "And what piece of our glorious heritage might that be? Most of our doings are covered in tedious detail in the comprehensive volumes of family history housed in the Malfoy Manor library, you know that." Draco shook his head, still smiling faintly.
"The information I seek concerns two individuals, both deceased, whose deaths occurred within the last decade." His level gaze did not falter for one moment. "My mother, Narcissa Malfoy, and my sister, Aurora Malfoy." Draco paused for a moment to regroup, then continued in a voice that could have cut steel.
"I have very good reason to believe that you know rather more about their deaths than you have ever admitted, either publicly or privately." Lucius did not miss a beat. He raised his eyebrows politely and smiled.
"Really? I should be very interested to learn of your sources – especially as I have no idea what you are talking about." Draco sneered.
"It's no use trying to hide, father." he replied derisively. "Not after you rang the alarm bells yourself."
"What?" Lucius was surprised. Draco raised one eyebrow.
"You mean you didn't realise? My dear father, your damage limitation exercise merely served to add fuel to the fire." he grinned. "I suspect you're regretting taking such drastic action with regard to Cavendish: he certainly knew too much, but muggle lawyers who have a working knowledge of magic are very difficult to find." With obvious effort, Lucius strained his mouth into some semblance of a smile.
"Now, now, Draco." he began in a would-be genial tone. "You're overwrought, half-starved and exhausted. What you need is a good rest with someone to look after you, pamper you, sort out all your troubles. What do you say? Shall we let bygones be bygones? You can come home, have your old suite and your old job – no recriminations. I've missed you, lad; it's been lonely at Malfoy Manor on my own." Draco's jaw hung slack with amazement; he made a show of closing it with one hand.
"Well, now I've heard everything!" he muttered.
"Come home, eh?" he said out loud. "To my old room? Surely you must mean the one in the dungeons, where I was manacled and shackled to the wall – eh, father?" He laughed, a high-pitched, brittle sound.
"I'll give you the same answer I gave Pettigrew when he tried to strike a deal with me." Lucius' eyes narrowed but he said nothing.
"I told him it was pointless because there was no way you would ever take me back." Draco smiled easily. "I told him that even if you swore an oath to preserve my life, I would still refuse to have any further dealings with you. It's not that I don't trust you, father dear, it's that I would prefer not to wake up one morning with your oath between my shoulderblades." Lucius frowned mightily.
"You're being a good deal too clever for your own good, boy!" he snapped. "Pettigrew's in a high-security muggle prison now. I suppose you helped to put him there, eh?"
Despite the tense situation, Fred blinked in puzzlement and tried to exchange a glance with Sirius. Where did Lucius get that little piece of information? He thought curiously, but the argument between Draco and his father was rising in intensity, and Fred filed the snippet of information away for later perusal.
"I really don't know what you're talking about." Draco's tone was polite but bored, with more than a hint of steel. "Frankly, father, I would have dismissed this whole thing as my imagination working overtime – if you hadn't left a trail of death and destruction behind you that made the war against You-Know-Who look like a Sunday School picnic." Lucius smiled savagely.
"I wondered if you were trying to meddle in things that are none of your concern, boy," he snarled, "Now I'm sure of it. You got more than you should have out of Cavendish – I'm glad Pettigrew's wand slipped."
"I want the truth!" Draco's voice was slipping higher with tension. "I'm tired of playing games, father. You may have disowned me, but you owe me an explanation of why my childhood was such a disaster. What happened to my mother and sister?"
"I owe you nothing!" Lucius had lost his temper. "You are a worthless, pointless piece of garbage! I spend my life training an heir to follow in my footsteps, and what do I get? A useless, bungling waste of air who can't even cast an accurate enslavement curse. Get out of my sight! Never offend my presence again! Avada Kedavra!" Lucius almost threw his wand in Draco's direction, so keen was he to rid himself of this persistent nuisance. Draco, however, had been on the balls of his feet for quite some time and threw himself to the ground. The curse bounced harmlessly off a tree, burying itself in the packed earth. Rolling behind a bush, Draco took careful aim.
"Conflagrato! " He shouted. A stream of orange fire belched out of his wand; Lucius screamed as the flames scorched his left side. MacNair leaped quickly to Lucius' aid. Battle was joined.
~oo0oo~
The next mirror was fully six feet high; its frame was heavy, but plain, unadorned mahogany. With a mixture of curiosity and trepidation, Harry and Ginny peered carefully into its depths.
Harry gave a startled exclamation and took a step backwards as a familiar figure in a decorative dress swam into view, smiling as serenely as ever.
"Good day to you, Harry Potter, Virginia Weasley." said a well-known voice. "You have done well to get so far. Throughout history, few have achieved as much."
"The Fat Lady!" breathed Ginny, staring with wide eyes. The figure bowed, smiling gently.
"In a manner of speaking." she replied composedly. "Now that you have reached this point in your journey, I am able to speak with you directly."
"You are the guardian of this place?" Harry asked. She shook her head.
"Not exactly." she responded. "I am a part of the Old Magic. I take this form because it is familiar to you and for no other reason."
"Just a moment." Harry held up his hand. "Please. I have often wondered since coming here – the Old Magic of Bali, the High Magic of Stonehenge – are these things related?"
"They are the same," said the Fat Lady nodding, "or rather, they are both part of the one. Mortal wizards give them these names that they might understand them on their own plane."
"So we're on a different plane right now?" Ginny's voice quavered slightly. The Fat Lady smiled reassuringly.
"Yes," she said, "but you are quite safe. You are here to achieve a Joining – something that has not occurred with any great strength since the days of Merlin and Morgan le Fey. Individually, your talents are very great, although you, Virginia, have yet to come into your full powers. In order to achieve a workable Joining, there must be nothing hidden, nothing kept back. This is something you have already learned by traversing the corridor thus far. Your knowledge enables me to speak with you now."
"What must we do to achieve a full Joining?" It was Harry speaking again. The Fat Lady bowed her head.
"You must continue with your journey." she replied. "The images will come very much faster now, and you will find your minds expanding as the memories of another life are played into your consciousness. Do not fight the process! The more resistance the Old Magic encounters, the less complete will be the Joining between you." Ginny was shaking her head.
"Is there no kind of preparation we can perform that will help us?" she asked. "Frankly, I'm scared. I'm terrified of what's going to happen, and I'm even more frightened of the consequences!" The Fat Lady's features softened.
"You are wise to admit to your misgivings," she told her, "and because you have asked this of me, I am at liberty to give you some small assistance." She paused and fixed both of them with a strangely intense gaze.
"You have already disclosed many inner secrets to each other," she told them, "but not your deepest and most tightly held ones – the parts of you which you perhaps do not understand yourselves. In both of you there are places that have yet to be breached. If you continue down the corridor, you will expose those areas to each other, revealing things you would perhaps rather remained hidden forever.
"The decision to take this path is not an easy one." she continued. "Your journey through this place may be long or short, wide or narrow, easy or difficult, happy or sad – or indeed all of these things. Should you leave the corridor before the end, your Joining will only be partial and will be so until the ends of your lives. There is only ever one opportunity to complete this process. What is achieved here is final. Fare you well, travellers; have courage." The Fat Lady bowed her head in benediction.
~oo0oo~
Harry had almost reached overload. It was as though the whole of Ginny's life, joys and heartaches, successes and failures, problems and resolutions had been downloaded into his brain at great speed. He was reeling with informational indigestion and his emotions were on a seesaw. Not only was he now in possession of Ginny's life history, he also shared her emotional reactions to each event, day to day, as it came. He felt as if his entire character had been read like a book from cover to cover, and then interleafed with a different book, changing its meaning utterly.
He had also been obliged to face up to and accept some of the less desirable traits in his own character, and, more to the point, to do the same for Ginny.
Ginny's pitiful lack of self-confidence was exposed to him in all its frailty. Her tough, self-sufficiency was revealed as the fragile shell it had always been. Beneath it was a mixture of a certain selfishness – the result of being the youngest in a large family and, to boot, the only girl – and also a general suspicion of the world, a reluctance to trust fully. Harry uncovered an intense disappointment in, and resentment against, the difficulties she had experienced in her magical development, and a compensating over-valuation of her musical talents that, while certainly worthwhile, were in no way comparable to her abilities as a sorceress. There was resentment, too, of Harry's own massive powers, as though his legendary gifts somehow downgraded her more modest achievements.
Heavily protected and most difficult to fully expose was her confusion over her feelings for Harry. She was still aggrieved, even now, at his desertion of her, his denial of his love for her for so long. Her bitterest emotions were reserved for her fears that she was still making the running, despite Harry's apparent devotion. Her knowledge that magic would always be the most important thing in Harry's life had eaten away further at her self-image until it formed the subconscious hope that the Joining would in fact fail. This way she would neither have to compete with Harry, nor face having the true inequality of their relationship exposed.
Yet harder to bear was facing up to his own character defects. Harry had never realised how his calm detachment had appeared to others until he was faced with it, with no opportunity to reason it away or hide behind it. His essential solitariness made getting close to him a difficult task, he now realised. His initial embarrassment at the massive scope of his magical talent had hardened into an aloofness which compensated for a constant feeling of failure, an inability to measure up to his own exacting standards. To others, he realised, this came over as the kindliness of a genius trying to descend to the level of normal people and not quite managing it.
Harry was essentially a one-woman man. He had been sincere and indeed serious about Cho Chang, but their relationship had entered waters it should have been content to bypass. Their physical liaison had progressed further than their emotional commitment and consequently when she died, Harry had been left with guilt as well as sorrow. His love for Ron as a friend had made him overlook the very real feelings he had always nurtured for his little sister, made him dismiss as brotherly what were in reality the emotions of a lover. Harry's guilt over Cho's death had been transferred very early on to Ginny; the danger that had been a way of life for him for many years suddenly seemed uncomfortably close to home. Having become accustomed to protecting her, Harry could see the difficulty he had always felt in accepting Ginny as his peer. A small part of him also wanted the Joining to fail, so that he could carry on protecting her himself and not expose her to the dangers an equal relationship would necessarily entail.
He cried out in the agony of self-knowledge, then found himself holding Ginny close to his chest, as though if he let her go she would disappear forever. He kissed her hard, feeling her fervent response through to his bones, then reality shifted once again.
The Fat Lady smiled serenely.
"Welcome once more." she said. "Your Joining is complete."
"Just a moment." Ginny pushed loose tendrils of hair from her face. "Do you mean that it's absolutely complete, or that we have just gone as far as we can?"
"It is fully complete." replied the painting composedly. "You have attained the first true Joining for over two thousand years. This is good news both for the Old Magic and for the rest of the wizard world. I must now return you to where your friends and companions await you." She bowed her head once again.
"Wait, please!" Harry sprang forward urgently. The image looked up.
"Is there something else you wish to ask me?" she enquired serenely. Harry nodded. He swallowed on a dry mouth and cleared his throat. Instinctively knowing what to do, Ginny put a hand on his arm.
"Albus Dumbledore." she began, with no preamble. "Harry has shared this secret with me willingly, but we are no nearer any sort of resolution. I believe that you can help us here. Why did he not destroy Voldemort when he had the chance?" Ginny! Harry's mental tone was filled with suffering; his mouth twisted and he looked away.
The Fat Lady gazed at Harry's unresponsive form with sympathy.
"The ways of magic are sometimes very difficult to fathom." she murmured. "Listen to me, my children, and I will explain as best I can under these difficult circumstances. I have only a very little longer here with you. Time flows differently in this place, but nevertheless I fear for the safety of your friends. The strength of your Joining depends upon your absolute trust in each other and in the Old Magic. I hope there is enough time."
Fixing them with her eyes, she began to speak carefully and rapidly, a slight edge of urgency to her voice.
~oo0oo~
One of the backup Deatheaters threw an ice curse. By chance, it weaved its way past both Guru and Fred, heading straight for the helpless Syrinx. Instinctively, Sirius leaped in front of the Seeress, neatly deflecting the curse into the bushes. Katia stared wide-eyed at Sirius, then looked suspiciously beyond him at the beautiful blind girl he was protecting. As her eyes narrowed, Sirius could see her jealous thoughts as clearly as if they were written in the air between them. He wanted to deny any peculiar attachment to the Seeress, to protest the purity of his motives. The logical part of his brain found the idea ridiculous, but the split-second pause proved his undoing. As quick as lightning, Katia threw a stun spell at him which caught him a glancing blow, sending his wand spinning into the undergrowth. As he dived for it, she levelled her attack on the powerless Syrinx. Even while knowing exactly what was happening through her prescience, the girl could not suppress a terrified scream.
"Liquefacio!" Fred roared in fury, pointing his wand as though it were a loaded gun. Katia deflected the acid curse almost contemptuously, countering with a burst of raw power that lifted Fred clean off his feet, flinging him hard against the trunk of a tree. A deep groan escaped him and he collapsed to the ground. Syrinx gave a cry of dismay. Katia turned to her for a third time and found herself staring into a pair of dark, implacable eyes set in a wizened, brown face.
"I am her father," Guru told her calmly, "and you may not harm her." Katia nodded.
"So be it." she said between her teeth, and flung an expertly-crafted dismemberment curse at him. To her surprise, he neither deflected nor avoided the magic, but generated a wall of mist around his body that seemed to soak up the power, altering its nature until the old wizard could absorb it into himself. She nodded, a new respect dawning in her eyes.
"Not bad, old one." she told him. "Perhaps you are a worthy adversary after all." She raised her wand once more.
Sirius, scrabbling frantically around in the undergrowth, at last recovered his wand. He made as if to get to his feet, but suddenly ducked for cover as a whirlwind vaulted over his head and began to wreak mayhem amongst Lucius' muggle companions. Peering more closely, Sirius paused just long enough to see Mouse headbutt one of them to the ground, stamping firmly on his crotch. Sirius winced involuntarily and turned back to his own situation; it was obvious the three muggle heavies didn't have a prayer.
Lucius Malfoy seemed to have come to the same conclusion. Taking a moment out from his rather hit-and-miss battle with Draco, he aimed his wand at where Mouse was efficiently taking out the last of the three muggles with a volley of karate kicks.
"Stupefy!" he yelled, sending a stream of light into the melee. Unluckily, his hasty aim proved true and Mouse collapsed senseless, but Sirius noted with satisfaction that all three muggles lay unmoving in various uncomfortable positions.
There was no time for sightseeing, however. As soon as Sirius regained his footing, he was fighting for his life against a furious onslaught from MacNair and one other wizard. He bit his lip; at least Draco was keeping Lucius busy, but the odds were not good. Four against two – and one of those was Katia, the most powerful witch it had ever been his misfortune to meet. Abruptly, the unknown wizard gave an agonised cry and stiffened. His eyes rolled into the back of his head and he pitched forward like a fallen tree. Both Sirius and MacNair paused, exchanging startled glances. Sirius then watched in amazement as the other backup wizard, puzzled by his colleague's collapse, moved over to offer assistance. He stretched out a hand then arched his back in agony and fell bonelessly over the other's body.
MacNair cursed loudly, eyes darting here and there, trying to trace the source of the interference; in one fell swoop, the odds had been evened up, and MacNair was always uncomfortable in a fair fight. Propped against the trunk of a tree, scarcely even able to see straight, Fred managed a feeble cheer at having taken out two of the opposition. His jubilation did not last long; MacNair threw a confusion charm at him and turned back to his battle with Sirius.
"I'll kill you, Black, if it's the last thing I do!" Lucius Malfoy was beside himself with rage. This little group of incompetents should have been easy meat; his own band outnumbered them five to three, not taking into account the muggle backup. Now a surprise attack from that unknown black guy, plus the unexpected appearance and defection of Draco had thrown his carefully-laid plans into total confusion. Not to mention the tirade of insults Black had heaped upon him – witnessed by his colleagues and employees, no less!
Having let rip with a bolt of lightning that sent his son and heir somersaulting senseless into the undergrowth, he threw a vicious poison gas curse at Sirius, chortling with glee as the latter dropped his wand, clutching his throat and making choking sounds. MacNair raised his wand to deliver the killing curse, then took one look at Lucius' expression and lowered it once more. Lucius was the leader of this particular little jaunt, and MacNair did not relish the thought of being in his bad books.
"Crucio!" Lucius increased Sirius' agony tenfold. Nearby, Katia paused in her duel with Guru. The old man was still standing, but his eyes were glazed and it was evident that the prolonged magical conflict was beginning to tell on him. She glanced around then stared, her gaze hardening. Lowering her wand, her face twisting in fury, she stamped over to Sirius' tormented body, swiftly pointing her wand.
"Finite incantatem." she intoned then turned on Lucius in fury.
"Is it not bad enough, our having to use magic in this place at all, that you must compound the crime with an Unforgiveable curse? And for no good reason?" Katia was absolutely incensed. If looks could kill, Lucius would have left in a pine box. "Cease this torture; kill him quickly, or leave him for me to deal with. Finish your business and let us depart as swiftly as possible. I fear for our safety." Her voice was edged with anxiety; her eyes darted restlessly around the clearing. Lucius, however, was jubilant at having exposed what he saw as a weakness in her armour.
"What's this? The Ice Maiden has thawed at last, and for her old crush once again!" he taunted, his mouth drawn wide in a feral grin. "Oh, and just when I thought this couldn't get any better! Crucio!" Sirius cried out again, his body spasming.
"Finite incantatem!" Again, Katia neutralised the spell.
"Don't you listen to me?" she hissed. She turned to where Sirius lay face down in the dirt, breathing heavily through his mouth.
"Flabrato!" Both Katia and Lucius turned their heads as MacNair, ever watchful, threw a wind curse into the undergrowth. Draco gave a cry of despair, his wand spinning out of his hand as he was picked up by a vicious blast of air and flung heavily to the ground. He did not move. Lucius turned away contemptuously.
"What did I tell you back at the hotel, whore?" he turned on the woman, grinning maliciously. "You were as easy to read then as the Daily Prophet. You've never managed to forget Black – that's why you've persisted in this masquerade of chastity. Oh, I wondered why someone as venal as you would persist in slighting me; after all, most of the worthwhile women in the wizarding world would jump at the opportunity to take a shot at becoming the lady of Malfoy Manor. Even my mistresses rarely complain. So it was Black after all!" His smile widened. "That will make it all the more satisfying when I do finally kill him!"
"You – did that for me?" Sirius was on his knees, streaks of dirt, saliva and tears staining his face. "You refused him – for me?" The dark woman tried to look away but found her gaze held by the eyes of the man before her. They exchanged a long, private, intimate moment then, jerkily she nodded once.
"For you, Sirius." she said dully, hopelessly. "For you – and for what could never be."
At this, something seemed to shatter in Sirius. He stared up at her in despair and suddenly all the desperate love and longing caged away for so much of his tragic, misspent life broke free.
"Oh, Katia!" he breathed. "Oh, my dearest love!" She was shaking her head.
"It's too late." she told him tonelessly.
"No, no!" he started towards her, still on his knees. "We can leave Mexico behind us, make a fresh start …"
"No!" she backed away, refusing to look at him. "You don't understand; I have prepared my path in life, I have made my future. There is no going back. I've done some terrible, terrible things, Sirius; things you could never forgive, let alone forget. There can be no future for us – there never could."
For the first time, a smile appeared on Sirius' pain-filled face; small and cracked, it was true, but nevertheless a real smile.
"Nothing is impossible, my love." he said quietly.
"Except your survival!" Lucius Malfoy stepped between them, absolutely in his element. His maniacal grin flashed around all who were in the clearing: the heap of unconscious forms to his left, including the three muggles, the two backup wizards and Mouse; Guru, swaying on his feet but still a going concern; MacNair, his wand gently circling, covering any sudden movement; Syrinx, standing mute, her hand in her mouth to stifle her screams; Fred, propped up again a tree trunk, his wand goodness-knew where, blearily taking stock of the situation; Draco, out cold, only his feet visible; Sirius, knowing he was facing his own death, trying to get to his feet; and Katia, her black eyes frightening in their intensity, her teeth bared with hate.
Lucius stepped forward, waiting just long enough for Sirius to realise he was facing his own death. The black-haired wizard struggled to his feet, sweating with effort.
"Go on then." he muttered between his teeth. "You sadistic bastard, damn your eyes!"
Lucius Malfoy smiled a very unpleasant smile. He lifted his wand almost negligently, and flicked it towards Sirius.
"Avada Kedavra!" he announced with consummate carelessness. Green sparks burst from the tip of his wand, arrowing in on his helpless victim. Sirius closed his eyes in the face of death.
Which never came.
What came was a dull thud followed by an agonised gasp. Sirius snapped his eyes open to meet Katia's terrified ones as she leaped in front of him, taking the deadly curse in her back. Everything from then on seemed to happen in slow motion. Her wand arced gracefully out of her hand to land unnoticed on the forest floor. The tension in her body gradually dissipated as each muscle freed itself from her conscious control. Slowly, slowly she crumpled down onto the forest floor, until she lay, face downwards, like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
"Katia." whispered Sirius in disbelief, then louder, hoarsely. "Katia!" He flung himself down at her side, lifting her, turning her body to cradle her head against his chest.
"My love – oh, my dear. What have you done?" he whispered in anguish. Slowly, almost lazily she opened her eyes and smiled a genuine, peaceful smile.
"Only you, Sirius." she whispered. "Always you." It flashed inconsequentially across Sirius' brain that she must have been a truly remarkable sorceress to block the killing curse, even for those few seconds, for now she was fading. She lifted a tired hand to caress his cheek one last time, then her smoky eyelashes fluttered shut and the hand dropped nervelessly to the ground.
"Oh, for Merlin's sake!" Lucius was becoming impatient; he lifted his wand. Sirius looked up from Katia's body, his eyes wide and empty. The depth of despair staring out from his soul was so intense that even Lucius Malfoy gave pause. Sirius opened his mouth to speak, but there were no words. Lucius pointed his wand once again.
Suddenly, a startled scream from Syrinx alerted everyone.
"The Tree!" she cried pointing, her sightless eyes wide with terror.
The huge tree was glowing with an inner light, a radiance that seemed to emerge from the very earth itself. As they stared, it formed itself into an orb, floating away from the tree, growing larger by the moment. Now it was changing, assuming a vaguely star-shaped appearance that morphed swiftly into the crude outline of a human figure. Almost as soon as it had achieved recognisable form, the shape seemed to duplicate itself, sliding into two figures standing with joined hands. One was tall and straight backed, the other smaller with long, flowing hair.
Syrinx spoke quickly and urgently.
"Listen to me, all of you. Put down your weapons! Wands, guns, muggle things – everybody, whoever you are. If you have ever trusted me before, trust me now. Drop your weapons!"
The group stared at her uncomprehendingly. Fred, still groggy from the effects of the attack but as nearly a going concern as makes no difference, was the first to break the paralysis, instantly dropping his wand to the ground. Guru followed suit a moment later. Fred looked from face to face.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" He demanded. MacNair gave him a contemptuous stare.
"Do you think we're mad?" he responded. "We've got you at our mercy. Why should we drop our weapons just because some crazy woman says we should?"
"Please!" Syrinx turned her sightless eyes on the dark wizard. "Whoever you are, whatever your allegiance, you must believe me! There is great danger here. Your only chance is to disarm. Please believe me." MacNair laughed scornfully and turned to where Lucius was readying a final curse for Sirius.
Sirius, however, had not been idle. His own wand had flown out of his hand some time ago, but Katia's had landed somewhere near him, he remembered. While Lucius was distracted by the light, Sirius scrabbled around in the dust, trying to locate that elusive piece of wood. Yes! His fingers closed around the base – only to find his wrist immobilised in an iron grip and the wand grabbed and hurled away. He looked up and was horrified to see Guru's impassive brown face.
"You must believe her!" His breath was rasping. The old man was close to collapse, but he held on to Sirius' wrist with the strength of ten. Sirius had no choice but to be still and wait.
As they watched, the glowing figures raised their arms in perfect unison, pointing their fingers at the group in the clearing. A swathe of intense white light sheared over the entire forest so swiftly as to be gone in the blink of an eye. Abruptly, all birdsong, all animal noises, all movement of vegetation ceased. Total silence reigned, but for a strange, high-pitched humming.
Sirius, Fred, Guru and Syrinx watched in silent awe as the taller of the two glowing figures turned to them and began to speak.
"I am a part of the Old Magic." he said. His voice was clear, like silver bells, but quiet as though he spoke directly into the ears of each individual person. "I am able to speak to you directly through your two friends because they are pure of heart and mind." The smaller figure began to speak.
"Some others present here have defiled the laws of this place and used weapons and evil magic in my presence. This cannot be tolerated and has been punished."
"The two who sought the aid of the Old Magic have achieved their aim." The first figure spoke once again. "Their Joining is strong and will serve them well throughout their lives. Return to your homes in peace – your prayers have been answered. This place is now closed to you."
Gradually, the unearthly light dimmed, faded and died altogether, leaving Harry and Ginny standing rigidly, still hand in hand. As soon as the light was completely withdrawn, they both collapsed to the forest floor.
There was a shocked moment of immobility, then Syrinx darted from her place of retreat over to the two figures on the ground. Taking Harry's hand, she felt quickly for a pulse, noting with relief that it was slow but steady. Smoothing his hair back from his face, she was reassured to see his eyelids already flickering, on the brink of waking. Fred was checking over Ginny in a similar fashion. Still groggy from the confusion charm, he at least managed to envelope her in a bear hug as soon as she gained consciousness.
"I thought we'd never see you again!" he whispered to her with more genuine emotion in his voice than he had felt for years. Smiling with relief, he looked back towards Syrinx.
"Is this the correct timeline?" he asked her. She nodded firmly.
"The very one. Thank goodness!"
Guru took slow, exhausted steps towards where Sirius was holding the unresponsive body of his former lover, rocking her gently, face buried in her hair. Looking down at the younger man, the old priest laid a comforting hand on his shoulder, closing his eyes in sympathy.
"I grieve for you, my friend." he said softly. At first there was no response, then slowly Sirius raised dry eyes to him and shook his head.
"There was never any hope," he replied in a curiously flat voice, "not really. It was just a dream. One that I could never quite outgrow, unfortunately." Guru shook his head.
"She gave her life for you." he said. "Perhaps her immortal soul is not now as damned as she thought." Sirius nodded without smiling.
"Perhaps."
Mouse groaned, holding his head. Blearily, he surveyed his surroundings then sat up straighter.
"Hey man," he said to no one in particular. "We won!" His wide white grin flashed around the assembled company.
"Uh, I don't want to put the dampers on this well-deserved self-congratulations party, but I was just wondering where MacNair had got to. And my father, of course. A small matter and fussy of me, I know, but I'd be happier if I could be sure my back was safe." Streaked with dirt and white as chalk, Draco staggered back into the clearing, absently brushing traces of earth from his torn robes. The others looked about them in surprise.
All trace of Lucius Malfoy was gone.
Of MacNair too there was no sign, nor the two Deatheaters, nor the three muggles, all of whom had been unconscious on the forest floor for most of the battle.
Syrinx was pragmatic.
"They brought evil into this hallowed place." she said severely. "The Old Magic will not stand to see its dictates flouted, and its judgment is harsh."
"But what about the muggles?" argued Ginny. She alone had felt some sympathy for their fallen enemies. "They could hardly have known the consequences of using weapons here. And besides, if any of you had been holding a wand at the time the enchantment took place, you would have suffered the same fate."
"This is true." Harry was nodding. "You all – even you, Guru – forgot yourselves in the face of danger so far as to use combative magic in the heart of the Holy Place. I am astonished that Syrinx let you get away with it, knowing what she did."
But the Seeress merely levelled her blind eyes towards Harry and gave a small, satisfied smile.
~oo0oo~