Angel of Apocalypse
Chapter Nine: An Unholy Pact
"The Angel has disappeared, Rafael," said one of the members of the Magi. The leader of the holy order frowned at the news.
"And the Horsemen cannot find her?" asked Rafael.
The rest of the Magi nodded in agreement as they showed him an article of what happened in Godric's Hollow. The mention of a dragon sighting was in the article. Rafael Ali shook his head at the news this time. "Then we have no choice, but to make a pact with the devil himself," he said with a ragged sigh.
"Are you talking about the Dark Lord, Voldemort? I thought you said that it was a bad idea because he could bring the Angel's powers to full," said one of the younger members with a worried look on his face.
"That is why we must come to Voldemort directly. We will be able to control Voldemort more than we can control the Angel," concluded Rafael.
"And if we can't control both?" asked one of the female Magi.
"Then may God have mercy on us all. We cannot laid down and simply die. Not if we are still drawing breath," said Rafael.
~*~
Ginny and Gavin checked out of the hotel that they were staying at in Normandy the very next day. They decided to go and find a more quiet and less populated area, so that Ginny could get some practice in with her powers.
As she dressed for the morning, Ginny tucked the little pendant of an Egyptian cat that her parents bought for her during their vacation in Egypt a few years back. It was the symbol of Isis. The cat was revered in Egypt. The pendant was curved out of obsidian. It was barely an inch high, but the detailing was exquisite. Ginny clutched it through her shirt as she thought about the trip to Egypt; the memory only served to bring a bout of homesickness to her again.
There came a soft knock at the door. "I'm coming," she said; there was no need to ask who it was. Gavin was carrying a small knapsack now with Pendragon sticking his head out of it. "I've taken the liberty of gathering some maps for the journey along with something called a 'compass' to help with the direction we're traveling at," he reported.
"Okay, let's get going," agreed Ginny with a heavy heart. They left the hotel and walked down the street until they reached a spot where they could apparate out of there. Ginny thought about how illegal it all was, but she soon realized that Gavin wasn't doing apparating. It was a form of phasing just like the way he went through walls and other barriers, including magically ones. They phased to an empty field. Ginny looked around her and saw the sea nearby, but they were far away from anybody else. Is this how it's always going to be for me? Do I always have to stay away from other people? , thought Ginny sadly.
"Now, let's see what the extend of your powers really are. You seem to have your telekinesis working as well as your pyrokinesis, judging by what happened during Potions. I have to see if you can protect yourself by creating a barrier to shield yourself with, and I need to see if you can generate the 'Orb of Life,'" Gavin said all this in a brisk, business-like manner.
Ginny found herself staring at him again. He sounded like a teacher at Hogwarts. He sounded like Professor Kelly who was a no nonsense professor. Gavin was reciting what they had to do like it was a lesson plan. Finally, Ginny blinked as if she were done processing the information, "What's the 'Orb of Life?'" she asked.
"That is what you will used regardless what your judgment is," answered Gavin.
"Why don't they call it the 'Orb of the Apocalypse' or the 'Orb of Life and/or Death'?" asked Ginny for good measure.
"I don't know. Look, I'm not the one who names these things," said Gavin as he threw up his arms. Ginny laughed at him and he turned to glare at her with his violet eyes.
"Fine. Don't get your knickers in a twist," said Ginny as she waved her arms in front of her. Gavin nodded and walked a little away from her. He held out his palm and a circle was drawn into the ground with Ginny standing in the middle of it. The next thing that came up, that she could barely see, was a barrier. "This is for my protection. Later on, it won't do much good for me," he told her.
She nodded and shut her eyes again, waiting and willing for something to happen. After several moments, she opened her eyes and looked at him, "Wait, how is this supposed to work?"
"Focus. You can't expect to be able to turn on and off at will yet," said Gavin patiently.
"What have I been doing before? They worked before," said Ginny.
"Of course, but those were random accidents and flukes," said Gavin.
She glared at him for good measure. This was going to be a long day for both of them.
~*~
Deep into the dark inner forest of Scotland laid a place forgotten by time. The forest were filled with all sorts of creatures that even the Forbidden Forest next to Hogwarts didn't hold. Deep into the furthest fringes of the forest, surrounded by small spouts of fire and deadly plants, was a castle covered with vines and thorns.
Inside the palace walls, a small, balding man, known as Wormtail, was looking at his Dark Lord, Voldemort. He looked at him with fear as he always did. His hand was cut off before, but Voldemort gave him a new arm. Voldemort was sitting in a chair with a high back on it. The reports of the attacks gave him much joy. The fact that someone made Dumbledore look like a fool. Snape had reported the whole attack to Voldemort directly.
"There are more report, Milord," said Wormtail in a shaking, fearful voice.
"Well, can you not read?" asked Voldemort with a sneer. He disliked Wormtail, but he knew that he was easy to control. Furthermore, Voldemort had the rest of his Death Eaters elsewhere in high places where they were more useful.
"It's in the newspaper. There was a tremor at Godric's Hollow. They said that there was a dragon in the air," said Wormtail quickly.
"A dragon? Now, we have something," said Voldemort.
The castle began to shake and pieces of the ceiling above them fell on their heads. The great doors that lead to the front of the castle burst open. Voldemort glared at Wormtail. Was it possible that Wormtail was that much of an incompetent buffoon that he forgot to put the wards up?
Voldemort and Wormtail along with several servants who weren't human apparated into the room to find four horsemen dressed in black armor and cloaks on top of black stallions covered with the same black armor with black leather. They stood absolutely still like statues as a group of men and women apparated into the hall.
Voldemort drew his wand ready to strike at a moment's notice. How dare they attack his strong hold like Hogwarts. He raised his wand to utter the killing curse to them, but instead one of them tapped his staff on the floor and uttered, "Expelliarmus!" Voldemort's wand along with Wormtail's flew towards that wizard in less than a flash.
"We do not come here as enemies. We come here as allies," said the main wizard of the group.
"Who are you?" demanded Voldemort. He was impressed with the strength of these wizards. No one could get through the forest alive.
"We are the holy order of wizards. We have been in existence for more than two thousand years. We are the Magi," proclaimed the main wizard as he drew down his cloak. The wizards and witches drew down their cloak hoods as well. None of them carried wands, but long staffs of different kinds of wood.
"What do you want of me?" asked Voldemort in a humbler tone.
"We know that you see power. We know of a source that is beyond what you have yet to see," said the main wizard. "My name is Magnus De La Cruz. I am a first order of the Magi. We are prepared for you to have access to this power source."
"What source is this?" asked Voldemort, expecting a talisman of some kind.
"Someone whom you have encountered before. At least a part of you," said Magus with a smile.
~*~
Ginny stood there in the center of the circle waiting for a sign of something to happen. Gavin had more than enough patience, so he said nothing when her powers weren't working at all. It was easier to cause an accident then to do things on purpose, especially for such a power brand of magic. Gavin knew that there was more than one angel in the world, but Ginny was one of a kind. There can only be one Angel of the Apocalypse.
Suddenly, the rocks on the ground started to shake. Ginny's eyes blasted open and flashed to gold. They filled completely with the golden light so that her pupils and irises couldn't been seen. Her body was lifted off the ground and her hands were in front of her chest with her palms pressed together. Gavin's eyes widened as she pulled her hands apart, a bright golden ball began to form. The ball was released in a blinding fury that caused Gavin to shield his eyes.
When he opened them again, he ran to his pack and picked up a bottle of water. At first, he thought it was foolish for humans to sell water, but he was grateful to have it. He phased to Ginny on the spot and pulled her into his arms. He opened the bottle and gave her some water. Her eyes opened. "That hurt a lot," she gasped as she downed some more water. "I felt like I was on fire," she added.
"The pain should subside as you get used to your powers," assured Gavin. A look of calm came over her face as if the pain was already receding.
"I think we should get a move on," said Ginny after a moment to compose herself. She pulled herself up from the ground. "The Horsemen might find us." She shook her head as she got up. She could feel a burning pain still in both her shoulder blades, but she figured it would subside soon enough.
"You're right," agreed Gavin. "I've been doing some research. Let's go to Greece." He didn't know what kind of place it was, but it looked good because the ancient ruins reminded him of the ones from his homeland.
"All right," agreed Ginny with a nod.
~*~
Moira was in bed waiting for him to come back. She smiled as she saw the blue moon outside. The sky was always in perpetual twilight. The orb in the sky was neither a sun nor a moon really. The sky itself dimmed around it to show if there was a night or a day. Moira was wearing a nightgown made of material finer than silk. She couldn't sleep because he had not returned yet. As she watched the sky just outside her window, she didn't notice the silhouette that crept towards the large, soft bed. The bed was covered with a white, thin canopy of the same fabric as her nightgown.
He pulled opened the canopy to see her looking at the sky. He smiled to himself as his violet eyes watched her face. His long, brown hair was tied back in a long ponytail, and he looked like a god. His ears were fine and had pointy tips just like the rest of his people. He stripped off his clothes quietly. When he was done, he lifted the sheets, startling her. "Where have you been?" she demanded sitting up as he made his way to her.
"I had to finish my meeting with the King," he said simply as his lips captured hers. His hands moved down her soft body as she touched his cool skin slowly setting everything on fire. "I have something to tell you. I've been waiting for you all day," whispered Moira. "Eros."
"What?" he asked as he pulled away from her to look at her eyes directly. He had his arms wrapped around her upper body pressed up against his with her hands on his chest. On their left hands they had matching wedding rings because he asked her about the wedding customs of the humans. After he performed the binding spell with her to make her his wife, he presented her with a matching band that he also wore. "I'm pregnant. You're going to be a father," she whispered as if she were afraid.
Moira woke up from her dream with a jolt. Was that real? She wondered as she pulled herself up to a more comfortable sitting position. She looked down on her hands. It was as if she could feel the ring on her finger. The man in her dreams. He was just too beautiful. He would have looked human, if it wasn't for his ears. His eyes were violet, and his hair was a rich chestnut brown. It straight and part of it hung over one his eyes like a curtain of silk threads.
The eyes were the worst part of the dream. She had seen eyes like those recently. After she had seen those eyes, the visions and dreams of her past came more often and with more intensity. There were even more memories that began to surface. She clutched her hand over her lower abdomen and grabbed at her stretch marks.
She swallowed. The eyes. The eyes that belonged to Gavin Skyler. Her son.
~*~
Voldemort couldn't believe what he was hearing. The Magi were a powerful brand of wizards who didn't use wands, but staff to do their magic. They were more powerful than he was and he knew it, but their proposal held more interest still.
"You mean to tell me that the end of the world is coming?" asked Voldemort. The news wasn't good for someone, like him, who was planning on taking over the world. All that hard work for nothing. All wasn't total loss for him, at least the Muggles and all the Muggle loving fools would be gone. Voldemort was getting a warning from the Magi.
"There is no way to out run the Apocalypse, Voldemort," said Magnus. He had the ability to read people's thoughts.
Voldemort didn't look the slightest bit disturbed by this. "If there is nothing I can do, why did you come here to tell me?"
"Because the Angel is not to full power yet, she can still be controlled. You will have some of her powers," promised Magnus.
"Who is this 'Angel'?" asked Voldemort.
"Virginia Weasley. I believe at least part of you will remember her," answered Magnus.
His answer brought wonderment to Voldemort, then it melted into a smile.
~*~
Ginny and Gavin traveled far above the clouds with Pendragon. They were quiet for most of the journey because Ginny was feeling the effects of using her powers the way she did. She was exhausted.
Ginny had a strange dream again. The sky was crimson like blood and she was hovering off the ground. She looked around her to see face after face. Some familiar, others strangers. They all afraid and uncertainty. Ginny could hear their fearful thoughts in her mind. So many thoughts coming from so many people was making her headache. Suddenly, a moment of sheer clarity came to her in the utter chaos…
"Ginny wake up," said Gavin as he landed Pendragon. They were in some old ruins in the middle of no where.
"Where are we?" asked Ginny.
"Some place where we can be safe for longer than just a few days," said Gavin with a smile. They had landed in an old, ruin villa that the owners didn't bother to tend to, so no one would ever know that they were ever there.
They walked around and saw that parts of the villa collapsed most likely due to earthquakes in the area. They walked until they got to a part of the house where there was dusty furniture. "Now, I really wished I did bring my wand," said Ginny as she waved her arms in front of her face impatiently because of the dust in the air.
Gavin held out his palm again and in the blink of an eye the room was cleaned as if time and dust never came to it at all.
"Well, I think my mother would be impressed with you. My brothers hardly ever help her with the cleaning unless ordered to do so," said Ginny. She walked to the now clean window of the villa and opened it to find the vineyards outside. The vines were growing out of control, but there were beautiful grapes on them and there were olive trees on them. "There's a well out there. I say we should go and get some water, grapes, and olives. I'm not a fan of olives, but that's all the food that's out there," she suggested.
"You should go back to sleep first," said Gavin. "I'll go and get the things. Pendragon will watch over you. And he will not go to sleep himself." He glared at Pendragon when he said that.
Pendragon in his smaller, cuter form flared at him. His nostrils had smoke coming out of them. How dare his owner assume that he slept all the time? After all, he was tired from flying for so long. "Okay, come back quickly. I have a feeling we shouldn't separate," agreed Ginny.
"I'll be right back," reassured Gavin as he went out the door. Ginny went to a peaceful sleep with Pendragon walking circles around her as if daring anything to harm her.
~*~
Voldemort couldn't believe the good fortune that was simply handed to him by the Magi. Yes, he remembered the girl known as Ginny Weasley. His former memory returned to him when Harry Potter destroyed the diary. One of the biggest mysteries Voldemort ever encountered was how Ginny managed to survive the Chamber of Secrets. She was supposed to be died, but she somehow survived it.
The girl had phenomenal powers. She probably didn't even know the full extent of them yet. The Magi told him that before she did, they would have to stop them. Voldemort also wanted to laugh at the idea of the Magi coming to him, and not someone like Dumbledore for help.
The Magi drew out a magical pact that required the his seal on it. Wormtail scrambled to bring the seal that was matched the marks of the Death Eaters. Voldemort sealed the pact himself with the red ink burning into the paper like a brand. He smiled as he handed it back to Magnus De La Cruz, "I look forward for more information. And I also look forward to seeing her again. I had no idea what she had to offer before," he said with a smile that sent shivers down Wormtail's spine.
Wormtail wasn't a brave man or a very smart man, but he had a bad feeling about this deal. However, after so many years of living as a rat, and so many months of directly serving Voldemort, he had learned to hold his tongue.
The Magi left the castle together with the Horsemen, cutting a path through the dark forest. They boarded a boat that traveled on a lake. They uttering of a spell would take them back to the Hanging Gardens.
"Do you think he suspects anything?" asked one of the priestesses to Magnus.
"No. He is a man blinded by his greed and lust for power. He cannot see 'the forest for the trees.' He makes the perfect pawn for what we have to do," replied Magnus. Voldemort disgusted him more than anything else in the world. The man, if one could call him that, was barely human.
Magnus felt ashamed of what the Magi had done. They had made a pact with the living embodiment of the Devil himself. However, there was no time to think of it. They had no choice if they wanted to spare the world of the Apocalypse.
AN: Here's a question to ask yourself at this point: who's really more dangerous? Ginny, Voldemort and the Death Eaters, or the Magi. It's really hard to tell, isn't it? It's like that saying, "The enemy of my enemy, therefore my friend." Of course, do you really think it will work here? And I thought it was time to finally state the obvious: Moira is Gavin's mother. And that makes Gavin, Harry's cousin. Wow, Harry's not getting along with any of his cousins. ^_~ Also, I can't say who gets together with who. This isn't like all the lovey dovey stories out there, some plot points are easy to guess, but not everything is going to be easy. Sometimes things don't turn out the way you plan. This is a coming of age story for Ginny.
Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. The ideas and inspiration for Gavin Skyler and his people is from Josepha Sherman. This includes the effects of the sun and iron on his people.