The Wizard Returns

Chapter Seven

-dutchtulips-

Ron, who had a fair sense of direction - that, and the Four Point Spell - was trekking alongside Harry through the jungle, quietly sneaking through and going where the path led them. Hermione, Fred, and George were still poised on the rocks above, spotting for signs of Jaakko's caravan.

Soon the two friends broke out into a quick run, with their weapons at the ready. They were closing in quickly on the mummy's procession, listening in the distance for any of them.

Up ahead, the caravan was responding to unearthly wind. Malfoy, who had been interrupted in his slaying of Jordan, now suddenly yelled out to the minions, "Eyes wide! Weapons up!"

The young Weasley watched as the dark robed men spread out through the foliage, scimitars and wands drawn, anticipating the fore coming battle. One of the minions backed up against a tree, and then looked down to see the skeleton of a pygmy child lying there. He approached it cautiously, and then, without warning, it sprang to life, jumping on the warrior, and sank its spear into the man.

His scream trailed away as he died, alerting Ron and Harry, who were coming up fast, and the remaining Weasleys - explosive launchers at the ready - in the rocks. Now more of the child sized pygmies were reawakening, pulling minions under the tall grass quicker than they had time to scream.

"Where's the boy?" Jordan heard Malfoy shout, seeing a scimitar only a few yards away, slicing through the grass. Horrified, the eight-year-old managed to break free from the grasp of the minion holding him. Jordan bolted through the jungle, not quite sure where he was going, but just knew he had to get away.

Meanwhile, Ron and Harry had bounded onto the scene, taking out pygmies and members of the now awry dark-robed troops, with spells from their wands, strikes from their scimitars, and the hurling of their magic explosives. Warriors were still going down in the grass - the pygmy mummies were still at large - and as for Jordan. . .

He could barely glimpse his uncles and mother higher above the chaos, taking out the dark robed warriors who were a part of Jaakko's caravan, and whom in which, along with Cat-a-la-lina, Jordan noticed had disappeared from sight as soon as the commotion had started. But along with the minions, the eight-year-old boy could also see Malfoy, slowly coming in from the kill.

"Dad!" Jordan yelled.

Malfoy backed the youngster against a tree, and raising his scimitar, said, "Time to remove that bracelet, my good son."

Jordan knew his father was among the bedlam, he'd caught a glimpse of him earlier. "Dad!" He cried out, much louder this time.

The next second, the boy had been swept off the ground and tossed over a shoulder. "Dad!" He breathed thankfully, gripping Ron's shoulder tight.

Meanwhile, Hermione, Fred, and George were still taking out the warriors up above, and where Jordan had just been whisked away from -

Harry raised his scimitar at Malfoy. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" He said, and the two picked up where they'd left off last time, parrying and striking viciously.

Ron was sprinting through the jungle, Jordan still flung over his shoulder. They had basically gotten away from the bedlam now, but as the youngster looked back, he could see two of the pygmies coming towards them.

"Dad! Behind us!" He called out.

Ron spun around and drew his wand, quickly taking out the minute mummies with a quick spell. They exploded, sending bone fragments all over. But Ron and Jordan were already off again, racing through the jungle.

Meanwhile, Harry and Malfoy were still exchanging blocks and blows, their duel in full swing. It seemed to go on and on, the shing of their scimitars hitting each others, until, finally, Harry saw an opening and took it - slashing a deep wound across Malfoy's chest.

Stunned, he fell to his knees while Harry stood over him, saying, "That - was for Hedwig." And then he watched as his lifelong enemy fell to the ground without a word, dead.

One last dark robed warrior was closing in on Harry, his wand at the ready, to take down the Auror chieftain, until - he was shot down by a magic explosive launcher high up in the rocks.

Harry and Hermione curtly exchanged nods, and then he was gone, rushing up through the jungle.

She looked over at Fred and George, who were reloading. "Finish up there, and let's go," she said, slinging the weapon over her shoulder and taking the lead down from the rocks. She dropped down into a small clearing, the twins right behind her.

"Mum!"

Hermione turned to see Jordan running towards her. Beaming, she scooped her son up into her arms and gave him a huge hug. "Jordan!"

Ron smiled and turned to his brothers. "Nice shootin', guys!"

Fred wiped sweat off his brow as George said, "Ghastly work, killing people. Where's Harry?"

"He's gone off the gather the other Aurors. Good luck to him," Ron said, a bit wistfully.

"What were those things down there?" George wanted to know.

"Nothing, nothing. Just the local natives," Ron replied, holstering his wand.

Hermione had just put down Jordan, who was now tugging at them all, exclaiming, "Come on, you guys, come on! I have to get this bracelet off now!"

"Oi, leave it on Jordan, it looks good on you," Fred replied, eyeing the heavy golden armlet on his nephew's wrist.

"No, you guys, you don't understand! He told me it will kill me if I don't get inside the golden pyramid before the sun hits it - today!" The eight-year-old cried.

"Oh, my God," Hermione uttered.

It was faint at first, but then the hissing began once more. The zombies were back, and hungry again. "Time to go!" Ron yelled.

The Weasley party tore off through the jungle, the pygmies hot on their trail. Hermione and the twins hurled their launchers at them to slow them down, and kept running. They dashed into thicker foliage, and somewhere along the way, Fred and George got separated from the bunch.

They hadn't noticed until several moments later. "Where are the twins?" Hermione called out.

Meanwhile, Fred and George collided with one of the dark robed minions and the three started running together, as the zombies were slowly closing in. "Hey, a burial ground!" Fred yelled, pointing.

They all ran for it. "We're safe!" Fred exclaimed. "See those sacred stones? They'll never cross those."

"Are you sure?" The warrior asked.

"Quite!" George jumped in.

But no sooner had said that when the pygmies saw them and sailed right over the ground and jumped on the nearest man - the warrior. One of the little zombies sunk his spear into the man, who instantly died.

"Frightfully sorry, old chap!" Fred yelled, and the twins began to run again.

Just then, Ron, Hermione, and Jordan were racing across a large log, and to the other side where there was another small clearing. Hermione saw the twins bringing up the rear and called out to them, "Hurry up, you two!"

"Wait for us! Wait for us!" George yelped as he and Fred dashed across the log and to safety. Fred took note of Ron, who was fishing inside the front of his robes and pulled out his last magic explosive. He quickly lit it and lobbed across the log where a mass of pygmies were dashing across.

One of them caught it and waved it in the air behind itself as the others followed after, only for it to explode, and so severely that it snapped the log into two and it tumbled down into the ravine, taking all of the zombies with it.

"Nasty little buggers," George quipped.

Hermione, who had been catching her breath, suddenly looked up. Something had caught her eye and she froze. "Ron."

He looked up. From the clearing they could make out, poking over the trees - the diamond tip of the golden pyramid, and to the east, the sun was slowly peeking from under the horizon.

"Let's go, Jordan!" Ron grabbed his son's hand and they tore off in the direction of the pyramid. They ran and ran, dodging the foliage, through clearings and underbrush, as the sun's haze chased them to the pyramid.

Jordan stumbled on the undergrowth. "Dad," he moaned, his stomach cramped in pain, "I can't -"

Ron immediately picked his son up off the ground and tore off once more, zigzagging in between trees, and then reached a small sandy clearing, leading towards the golden pyramid. Ron could feel the sunlight at his heels, and he hurled himself and Jordan through the structure's entryway -

Half a second later, the sunlight sparkled the diamond tip, and the entire golden pyramid flashed with blinding reflected sunlight.

In a heap on the temple floor lay father and son, panting and utterly exhausted. Ron smiled and hugged Jordan, thanking his God. "You know, it's not. . .easy being a. . .dad."

"Yeah, but you do it really good," the youngster replied.

"Thanks," he panted, collapsing again, his arms still around his son.

Suddenly there was a sharp click, and the Bracelet of Arana dropped off Jordan's wrist. He regarded it for a moment, and then flung it away as if the object were not beyond price. Ron watched it sail across the temple, and then embraced Jordan again.

Hermione, Fred, and George, who had tried their best to keep after Ron and Jordan, were now approaching the clearing, and could see that father and son had won their race against the sun.

Hermione let out a breath. "They made it! Oh, thank God."

But there was a sound from behind her, and as she turned around, Hermione didn't have time to react - as a scimitar was plunged into her stomach! She looked up with astonished eyes and into her attacker's, whom was a woman - Cat-a-la-lina!

Jaakko, with some inhuman strength, lifted each Fred and George and hurled them across the clearing. Enraged, they sat up and shook sand from their clothes, and saw their beautiful sister-in-law crumpling over and clutching her stomach. Blood was oozing from her fingertips.

Ron screamed and dashed forward towards his wife, as the reincarnated paramour and regenerated mummy strode away, and up inside the vast golden pyramid.

He dove to his knees and landed at Hermione's side, staring into her lovely face, which was now twisted with pain and fear. A voice sounded behind him.

"She's going to be all right, isn't she, Dad?" Jordan pleaded.

"Fred, George, take him back, away from this. . ."

The twins immediately obliged.

Ron turned back to Hermione, gently pulling her blouse back to see her wound - which was gushing deep scarlet, obviously mortal.

"Oh, oh God. . ." He moaned, staring at the blood. He looked back into his wife's eyes. "What do I do, 'Mione? What do I do?" Ron's face was contorting with agony.

Hermione's eyes were sad as she managed to whisper, "T-take care of Jordan."

Swallowing, Ron held her and smoothed her hair affectionately. "Baby, no. . .no."

She summoned her last bit of strength and said, "I love you."

He touched her face as her eyes fell close, and as a sickness grew in the pit of his being, Ron realized she had died. "Come back, 'Mione. . .come back. . .please. . ."

Jordan, who had be looking on, suddenly hugged his uncles tight, and Fred and George returned it gratefully, feeling the youngster's pain.

~*~

To Be Continued