Angel of the Apocalypse

Chapter Seven: Padfoot and Moony

            Gavin walked over to Ginny's room and knocked.  When she didn't answer, he did it again.  "Ginny," he said louder as he knocked on the door.  He pushed the door open and shook his head because she was careless enough not to lock the door.  Honestly, how hard was it to lock a door?  "Ginny," he called again as he looked into an empty room.  He frowned and went downstairs.

            "Have you seen my friend?" he asked the innkeeper.

            "She went out for a walk, Sir," answered the innkeeper.  The village was in a buzz because the news of Hogwarts had traveled there already.  The villagers were also semi interested in the two teenagers who arrived without parental guardians.  The village girls thought that Gavin was so handsome like a prince out of a fairy tale, while Ginny was like his little sister.  Gavin went outside to go look for her.  It wasn't safe for her to be alone, even if there wasn't anyone who was after her.

            Using his senses, he followed the signal that Ginny emitted as the Angel.  He stopped when he saw her standing at the end of the village looking frightened.  "What do you see?" he whispered.  Ginny looked like she had jumped mile as she looked at him.

            "It happened here.  This is where the Potter house was," said Ginny as she looked around her.

            "Why are you here?" asked Gavin.

            "I felt like coming here," said Ginny softly.  "Something made me come here." 

            Gavin said after some silence, "You have come here because you were drawn here.  Something is here that you need to take into account when you make your final decision."

            "All I see is pain and fear in these ruins," said Ginny in a scared whisper.  "I can see what happened that night.  I can see him."

            "Him?  Voldemort?  You people are so frightened of him that you can't say his name.  This is exactly what Voldemort wants.  You people say that you can't let him win, but by not using his name and denying the fact that he may not be as powerful as all of you think.  By doing those things, it lets him win," said Gavin. 

            "You don't know!  You don't know what it's like to be held against your will like that.  You don't know what it's like to have your life being sucked out of you.  You know what's happening is wrong, but you can't stop it.  You've never had to face off with any form of him," said Ginny all in one tiring breathe.  She looked terrified. 

            Gavin looked surprised.  "What happened to you?  You sound like Voldemort personally attacked you," he said.

            Ginny wrapped her arms over chest.  "I did.  My first year at Hogwarts.  I was writing in a diary that once belonged to him.  He wrote it when he was sixteen and left an imprint of himself.  A memory.  It consumed me and almost killed me.  I almost killed some of the students, including Hermione," she whispered.

            "Almost?  How?" asked Gavin.

            "With the beast known as Baslik.  It's a large snake that can freeze people or kill them depending on how you look at it.  If you looked at it directly, then you'd die.  If you found away around it, it froze you.  Each time I let it lose, I take over again and locked it back in place, but he got stronger than me in the end.  I think I'm the reason he got stronger, not Harry," said Ginny.

            "You fought for control.  He weakened you, but he couldn't kill you.  And you know why now.  If you could fight him then, even if it was just resisting him, then you can control you powers," said Gavin.

            "You still don't get it!  Voldemort may have taken some of my power.  So, what if he was just a memory!  If I have the power to destroy the world, then he has some of it!" shouted Ginny in fear.

            The pain flashed through her body again.  She clutched her heart and sank to her knees.  She looked around her.  Her eyes flashed gold and everywhere around her pulsated.  The ground started shake underneath them.  Gavin grabbed hold of her to stop her.  Tears came down her face.

~*~

            Harry found himself admiring everything about the Archmeid.  After breakfast with Moira, she told him he would start his lessons at ten and was free to look around the house.  He thought that the place was very homey considering how large and spaced out it was.  Everything looked so familiar somehow. 

            Moira took that hour away from Harry do something that she planned that wanted to do since her returned to England from Australia.  She walked down the path to the family graveyard.  She stopped in front of her grandparents and said a small prayer.  Prayers were spells that even Muggles could use.  She continued down her path and found the graves of her parents.  The last set of graves she visited was her cousin's and his wife's.  "He's here. You probably already knew that," said Moira softly.  "The attack at Hogwarts is unsettlingly.  So, many people are hurt."

            "Something strange has happened.  And it has to do with the disappearance of Ginny Weasley and Gavin Skyler.  My instincts tell me that Gavin is something else.  Something that doesn't belong here," said Moira.  She turned and walked back the path to the study and found Harry already waiting for her.  She gave him a smile which he returned.

            "Are we going to do all the packets?  There's so many of them," said Harry.

            "Of course, I don't want you to be behind when we come back to Hogwarts," said Moira.

            "All right, Professor Kelly," agreed Harry with a sigh. 

            "Let's get started," said Moira with a smile.

~*~

            The ground shook beneath them as Gavin used his powers to over come Ginny.  The sounds of panic once again filled Ginny's ears.  She gripped her ears shut to stop the screaming and the pain she could hear.  Gavin held her tightly as he cast another sleeping spell over her.  He lifted her up in his arms.  It was no longer safe to stay at Godric Hollow.

            He apparated back to his room in the inn.  "Let's go Pendragon.  We have to get out of here," he said.  The little dragon nodded and jumped on to his shoulder.  The people outside were trying to see what the damage was.  He could hear them muttering as he walked passed them.  It was a good thing that the innkeeper demanded payment before they could use the rooms. 

            "Do you think You-Know-Who did this?" said someone in a hushed whisper.  Gavin continued walking.  They were going to have to get out of England all together.  He realized as he got far enough away from the village to transform Pendragon to fly out of there.  He held Ginny, passed out in his arms, as he steered Pendragon.  Luckily, he didn't have to worry about it that much because Pendragon knew what he was doing.

            By dawn, they were well over the English Channel as they traveled far above the clouds and far away from the United Kingdom.  Ginny regained conscious.  One would think that she would be used to waking up after being passed out in different place, but she shouted in surprise, "Where are we now?"

            "Can't you tell?  We're in the air.  We had to leave before the horsemen came," said Gavin over the beat of Pendragon's wings. 

            "Oh.  This is my fault again," she whispered.

            "I'm getting a little tired of you blaming yourself, Ginny.  Just remember, everyone's going to be judge.  I don't think the places we'll be going to are accidental.  We're being guided there," he said.

            "I thought you were my guide," said Ginny.

            "I am.  That's why I'm telling you things.  If I wasn't your guide, I wouldn't be talking at all," Gavin. 

            A sudden gust of wind calm, and Ginny braced herself by tightening her grip on her own hands.  Gavin held her tightly until it was over.  Ginny opened her eyes.  For the first time, she got to see everything. 

            "It's beautiful," said Ginny in awe.

            "Yes, it is," agreed Gavin.

~*~

            At around noon, Harry was more than happy to take a break.  He never realized how exacting a teacher, Moira was until he had her all to himself.  The advantage of having the other students with him was Moira would turn her attention to them.  Harry had her undivided attention.  Binky came in after a while and announced that they had two guests waiting for them at the front of the house.

            "Come on Harry.  Let's take a break for some lunch," said Moira as she dusted the chalk off her hands.  Harry jumped up at once.  "Okay," he said happily.  Moira sighed and followed him to the front.

            Two men were waiting for them at the front hall of the house just near the staircase.  One of them had dark hair that was long and tied into a low ponytail at the nape of his neck.  He was dressed in plain wizards' robes.  His eyes were dull, but came alive the moment Harry came to them.  The other man had brown hair and tired hazel eyes.  And his robes looked shabbier than the other one.  He had bags underneath his eyes, but looke otherwise healthy.  He gave a kind smile to Moira and Harry.

            "Sirius!  Professor Lupin!  What are you doing here?" asked Harry excitedly.  Sirius gave Harry a short hug, while Remus said hello to Moira.

            "We're here because Moira asked us to come.  It's been ages since we've been here, Harry," said Sirius with as smile. 

            "How are you, Moira?" asked Remus.

            "As well as can be expected, considering what happened at Hogwarts.  Harry's fine though.  We've been doing our school work, haven't we Harry?" asked Moira.

            Harry gave Sirius a look.  It was supposed to be a pained look, but he was a master at hiding those looks.  Sirius gave a laugh, "You're having too much fun torturing Harry, Moira."

            Moira shrugged her shoulders.  "It's still easier than trying to help you with Potions homework," she said back to Sirius. 

            "Are you both staying here?" asked Moira as she turned her attention to Remus.

            "We will if you don't mind having a werewolf and a convicted felon over here with your valuable," said Remus. 

            "Come on Harry, why don't you show your godfather what you've been up to?" he asked as he walked away with Harry.

            "When are you planning on telling him about who you really are?" asked Remus as soon as they were out of ear shot.

            "When I'm good and ready.  Stop telling me what to do, Moony," said Moira with a sigh.

            "What happened to you, Moira?  What happened to the girl I knew before?" asked Remus.

            "She got her life stolen from her," she answered as she walked away from him to join Harry and Sirius at the study.  Remus frowned at her statement.  What did she really mean by that?  He followed after her after thinking about it.

            Moira watched Sirius and Harry interact.  She never thought that Sirius would ever make a good parent, but he was doing just that.  He was looking over Harry's work with some approval and some tips.  "Also, try complimenting your teacher.  She likes that," he advised Harry.  He nodded at the advice.

            "Excuse me?  You're making me sound vain," said Moira. 

            "Come now, Moira.  James got away with it, why not Harry?" asked Sirius.  Harry looked curious, so Professor Kelly really knew his father.  She pursed her lips together.  "Stop giving your godson bad advice.  No wonder you're not married," she said.

            "You're one to talk.  I've been away in prison for twelve years.  What's your excuse?" asked Sirius with a smile on his face.  Moira looked surprised at the moment, but Remus stepped in.  "Stop flirting with each other," he joked.

            Harry tried to hide his sniggering, but couldn't.  The looks on Moira and Sirius' faces were priceless.  "Shut up, Moony," said at the same time in annoyed voices. 

~*~

            Pendragon landed on a sandy white beach.  It was gray and rocky, but Ginny knew where they were again.  "We're in Normandy," said Ginny knowingly.  A cold wind whipped along their shoulders.  Ginny pulled her cloak closer to her body.  The wear of traveling was starting to show on her clothes.  She wanted something clean, even if it were Muggle clothes. 

            "Well, where ever we are we have to find some shelter," said Gavin.  Ginny nodded.  She hoped that the Horsemen didn't know how to cross the English channel.  "Gavin, I just thought of something," she said.

            "What?"

            "What are the Horsemen exactly?  I mean what are they."

            "I don't know for sure.  All I know is that they're native to your world.  They're a modified and controlled form of some other being."

            "What being?"

            "I've read up on it in the Restricted Section at the library back at Hogwarts during my spare time.  The Horsemen are evolved forms of the beings known as Dementors."

            "Oh, no.  That's bad.  The Dementors are the ones who guard the wizards' prison, Azkaban.  They suck people's happiness away.  How did you get into the Restricted Section of the library?"

            "I teleported in.  There's nothing in this world where I can't go.  I simply have to will it.  Believe me, the Horsemen are more dangerous than the Dementors.  Luckily, there can only be four of them."

            "Why four?"

            "That's what the number is.  That's what the prophecy says.  There's also Muggle documentation about it.  The Book of Revelations is in the Bible.  The only thing that the book didn't gather was the Angel's arrival."

            "And that's me."  Ginny turned away from Gavin because she didn't want to talk about it anymore.  Gavin took off his cloak and put it on her.  They walked along the beach, and Ginny had the sinking realization that they were no where near a wizards' town or village.  She knew that they were in Muggle territory.  Great.  Just great.  I'm here with Mr. Personality who probably knows even less about the Muggles than I do.  I should have paid better attention when Dad was talking about them.  I'm so hungry.  I'd like a change of clothes and some sleep.  I probably should blame myself for that last part.  I should have gotten some sleep at the inn back in Godric's Hollow.  I should also stop all this mental whining.  It's not going to do me any good, thought Ginny.  She straightened her shoulders and walked ahead of Gavin and Pendragon as if she knew where she was going.  "Do you know where we're going?" asked Gavin out loud.

            Ginny thought that she was going to fall over.  "No, but it's better than standing here all day like sitting ducks," she said with a shrug.

            "What's a duck?" he asked.  Ginny shook her head and sighed.  They continued walking towards anything they could find.

            They reached a large Muggle city eventually.  Ginny's confidence faded away and she was now sticking closely to Gavin.  He used his magic to make Muggle money appear out of thin air.  The Muggles took it without much thought and gave him change.  They all looked at the clothes that Gavin and Ginny were wearing and thought that the garments were strange.  They immediately went to a Muggle clothing store where Ginny got a pair of khaki pants with a tee-shirt and a pair of sneakers.  Gavin came with a pair of jeans and a white dress shirt.  Ginny didn't realize how slender Gavin really was.  He wasn't that much taller than her.  He looked about the same height as Harry Potter.  Actually, he had some of Harry Potter's features.  They both were slender, borderline skinny, the same height, and they seemed to have the same body type.  She hadn't notice before.

            "Well, do I look normal enough?" asked Gavin.  There was something else she noticed, Gavin's hair was a little longish, but it looked like he kept his ears hidden underneath.  She wondered what his ears looked like.  Ginny stepped forward to look at him and pulled some of his hair back behind his left ear.  To her surprise, they were just round and normal like everyone else.  "What did you do that for?" he asked in surprised voice.

            "I was just wondering about them.  I've never seen your ears before," said Ginny. 

            "Well…you haven't seen any of my other private parts, would you like to see them?" joked Gavin.

            Ginny blushed at his joke immediately and stammered, "L-let's go.  You win."  Gavin started to laugh out loud.  Pendragon was in the bag that the clothes came in with their cloaks, but Ginny and Gavin bought coats just the same.  They went outside and found a hotel to stay at.  Gavin decided to get them a two bedroom suite and to get something to eat as well.  He was feeling hungry these days.  Maybe it was the fact that he was on human soil.  Ginny at first thought that he wasn't like normal fifteen-year-old boys, but the more time she spent with him, the more she realized that he was just like any boy.  She felt her exhaustion catch up with her.  Her powers were exerting her body even more so.  Ginny fell asleep the moment she hit her pillow in one of the suite rooms.

            Gavin hoped that they could rest for a while there.  Pendragon was sleeping in the balcony underneath the sunlight.  He wondered why he always like the human world so much.  His father, Lord Erolos Skyler, was an inner lord of their realm.  As a child, Gavin knew that he was different from other children.  His father didn't let him play with the other children that much, and when he allowed it, Gavin was teased for having rounded, human shaped ears and worse they kept calling him something he couldn't understand, "Halfling."  His father told him it was nothing, but his nursemaid told him it meant that he was something special.  She told him that he could go into the golden sunshine without getting his skin burned and he had a strong immunity to iron.  Normally, his people couldn't go near iron without feeling sick, but he could.  Lord Erolos Skyler rarely showed his son a lot of affection, and Gavin was his only child.  He also said nothing about Gavin's mother and simply said that she had passed away when he was born.  Gavin always felt an emptiness inside him about that.  He had everything and more than most children in either world from his father.  The only thing he lacked was the affection of his parents.  Aira was his nursemaid as a child, and she was also a friend of his mother's.

            When Gavin was twelve years old, Aira took him aside and told him something he was never supposed to learn.  Aira told him that his mother really didn't die when he was born.  She explained to him how their people reproduced.  They were magically creatures so they used magic in their joining ceremonies.  During the act of sexual intercourse, a spell is recited that bounds the partners in a binding spell.  The spell couldn't be broken unless one of the partners passed away.  Gavin's father never remarried, so Gavin knew that his mother had to be alive.  Aira told him about his mother a little bit, but he made her stop because he didn't want to hear any more and he didn't want her to lose her job.  From what Aira told him, his mother was lonely except for Aira and his father.  The king didn't approve of his father's marriage to her, nor did Gavin's grandfather.  His father was ordered to divorce his mother, but with the binding spell in place he could only exile her from his lands. 

            It was very hard for Gavin not to hate his father after finding it out.  When he confront his father about it, his father demanded to know who told him about it.  Gavin refused to let his father dismiss Aira for tell him.  He threatened to leave for the human world permanently, which left Lord Sklyer with no choice, but to follow what his son said.  Gavin knew that his father was afraid of not having an heir, so Gavin had some leverage in his dealings with his father.

            Futhermore, Gavin realized something as he spent more time in the human world, he realized that he was half-human.  He finally figured out why his ears were round.

AN: You knew that was coming didn't you?  I set that up to be like that.  Why would Gavin's people be so interested in saving the human world?  Well…it doesn't hurt if your wife is human and your child is half human. 

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.  He and everything from the books belongs to J.K. Rowling, but you already knew that.  Also, the concept of Gavin not getting burned and being immune to iron belongs to Josepha Sherman and her wonderful books about the land of Faerie.  ^_~