Angel of the Apocalypse
Chapter Eleven: Angel's Wings
Ginny laid Gavin down on the ground. He was lying perfectly still as if he were already died. Her face was filled with panic.
"Come on, Gavin! Please don't die on me. We've made it this far! I can't go further without you," whispered Ginny as she pleaded.
Pendragon flew over the ring of fire and shrank back down to his smaller form. He was at his master's side. He looked like he was going to cry. Gavin's body started to shake as his thoughts fled away from the human world and back to Seraphim.
The doctor pricked four-year-old Gavin's arm with a needle. He whimpered as the doctor drew blood. Gavin saw his very noble looking father standing at the doorway. The doctor, Sir Reguich, was testing Gavin's blood for something. The put a drop of it on a piece of glass, and with his magic, focused his eye to see what was in the blood. He nearly dropped the glass when he saw something that was just unnatural for Seraphim.
"What is it? Is my son ill?" demanded Lord Erolos as he stepped up to the doctor. Gavin was still nursing his little arm from the needle.
"Remarkable," muttered Sir Reguich.
"What do you see?" demanded Lord Erolos in an impatient tone. He loved his son very much because he was all that was left of his mother. The King didn't send Gavin away with his mother.
"Iron. There's a very, very small trace of iron in the young master's blood," answered Sir Reguich in amazement.
"My arm hurts, Papa," said Gavin as he walked up to Lord Erolos and tugged on his robes. Lord Erolos had a tendency to act very cold and formal towards his only child, but he felt ashamed for what happened to his mother that he couldn't bring himself to bond properly with his son. He looked down to see that a pair of large violet orbs, like his, were staring up at him. He got down to his son's level. The little child had iron flowing in his blood. Lord Erolos picked him up.
"Is he in any danger?" asked Lord Erolos.
"From getting poisoned? No. I suspect that he was born with the iron in him already. Where else would he get it? I think his mother's blood had some. After all, she came from the human realm," answered Sir Reguich.
Lord Erolos pressed his lips against his son's forehead. It was one of those rare moments of affection for Gavin. "My arm still hurts," he said indignantly. Lord Erolos placed his hand on Gavin's arm and healed it properly. As soon as that was done, Gavin squirmed as a signal that he wanted to get down. Lord Erolos let Sir Reguich leave, but he contented himself by holding his little boy a bit longer. He sat down with Gavin still in his lap. Gavin finally settled back down on his father's lap.
"Papa, was Mama pretty?" asked Gavin.
"Yes," answered Lord Erolos. What a beautiful son he had. He knew that the boy took after him, but he could see some of his mother in him. His willfulness came from both sides of his family.
"Why did Mama die?" asked Gavin.
"Mama," whispered Gavin softly as Ginny managed to pull him into the manor house. She pressed a cold towel to his forehead. His fever wasn't breaking. His breathing was getting worse.
"Where are you, Gavin? Wake up," whispered Ginny.
~*~
Everyone was still stunned to find out what Moira had been through. Sirius and Remus knew now why she seemed so angry. The man she loved left her with nothing, not even a chance to hold their son.
"Are you still married to him, even though he left you?" asked Remus.
"Unfortunately, Seraphim perform a spell when they marry binding them to one mate. So, yes, I'm still married to my husband. On human terms, we're separated, but not divorced. Gavin is Eros' only heir. Even though he's half human. Oh, how awfully things must have looked to him while he was around Hogwarts. I can't imagine the kind of things he had to endure as a child. He would be the only child of Seraphim who was a half blood. It's not like with wizards. I mean we're all still human, so it should be no big deal if your Muggle born or half blood. The only people who care are the Death Eaters along with some other people," said Moira worriedly.
Harry sat there wondering how he didn't see that Gavin was his cousin. He could have been nicer to him. He was just so annoyed with him. Great another cousin, he wasn't getting along with, but it was better to have Gavin than Dudley. He wondered if Gavin would be staying with them. It wouldn't be so bad. "Am I older than Gavin?" asked Harry out loud.
"Yes. I believe he was born in December around Christmas time. I can't be too sure. Time runs a little differently there. Your birthday is July 31. I think my son's birthday is December twenty something. I'm not sure. You were both born the same year, so you're older than him by almost six months," said Moira.
Harry smiled. He liked being an older cousin like his father was to Moira. "I think that they're fine. If Gavin's as powerful as you think he is. What kind of power do the Seraphim hold?" he asked.
"They don't need wands. That's the reason why the wands were abandoned. They also have problems adapting to human sunlight and iron is poisonous to them. Gavin would have some protection, but I don't know if it's enough. They have the power to craft weapons from nothing. They also can shield themselves from things. The Seraphim are not a very fertile race. Unlike humans, the Seraphim usually only have one or two children," said Moira.
"Geez. Only one or two?," said Ron in surprise. Hermione and Harry looked at him funny. "I mean, well.." he trailed off.
"Gavin was always with Ginny. Ginny has something. Something powerful inside her," whispered Moira. "But what?"
~*~
Gavin's body was about ready to give out. He was still back home in his mind. Ginny was trying her best to break his fever, but she didn't have her wand, nor did she knew Muggle medicine. His pulse was slowing down. Pendragon was doing his part by picking up wood with his little claws and talons to make a fire, and he lit it himself.
"Wake up, Gavin. This isn't funny," whispered Ginny as she shook him gently. Gavin gave no response to her shaking him. He was sweaty from the fever, and she pressed a cold towel to his forehead, hoping that it would do the work.
Ginny kept her senses up. If the Magi returned to attack them, she wouldn't have a chance. What could she do now? Gavin was going to die if she didn't do anything about it. His body was shaking. He looked paler than usually.
An idea flashed through her mind at that moment. If she had the power to hurt someone, then perhaps, she hoped, that she had the power to heal as well. But how was she supposed to do that? How was she supposed to heal him? Gavin jolted her out of her thoughts when he started hacking. She held down his shoulders to keep him from hurting himself.
"We are in so much trouble," whispered Ginny out loud. Okay. Time to stop thinking of yourself. Gavin's been helping and thinking about you throughout this entire thing. You can't let him die. He's the only real friend you've got. Focus. Just breathe. Use your powers to heal him. What good are they if you can't do anything with them?, hissed a voice through Ginny's mind.
She closed her eyes and held out her hands over him with her palms facing down toward him. "Come on. I know I can do this. Work! Please," she said loudly. She felt the same warmth spread over her chest again. She felt her powers surge all the way to her palms. The ground warmed up beneath them as she felt her powers reach Gavin. Her eyes blasted open at that moment and her body was glowing a bright gold. She couldn't keep it up, so her eyes sealed close as she felt herself fall.
~*~
Gavin woke up in a cold sweat and felt some weight on his chest. His eyes trailed down to see Ginny slumped over and passed out. He touched his forehead with his other hand and his body felt cool and normal. He wondered what happened that saved him. The iron levels in his blood were back to normal. His other hand rested on top of Ginny's back. His breathing was normal, but he was more concerned with the fact that Ginny was passed out. His hand felt around her throat to find a pulse and was greeted with a slap on it. He blinked in surprise.
"Watch where you're putting your hand," murmured Ginny indignantly. Gavin pulled his hand back and struggled to get up.
"Get off me," he said softly. Ginny pushed herself up by pushing on him which caused him some pain. "What happened?" he asked.
"You passed out because you got hit by that dagger. It was made out of iron, but you already knew that. I…" trailed off Ginny as she looked down on her palms. Her eyes seemed to focus on something that wasn't there.
"You used your powers to heal me. That's pretty obvious, but you look scared, Ginny," said Gavin as he gently placed his hand on her shoulder.
"I don't understand the thing I'm becoming," whispered Ginny.
Gavin said the only thing he knew that could bring her any comfort: "Thank you for saving my life." Ginny smiled. He was rewarded for his efforts by her smile.
~*~
Voldemort set to his task to find the ultimate source of power that he had spent an entire lifetime looking for. Who would have thought that all that power would be concentrated into a little girl? A little girl. Fnding her wasn't easy, but she had left the safety of Dumbledore's protection at Hogwarts, so he predicted it would be simple to get to her when she was outside the school. The only trick was to find her first.
Wormtail sniveled around him doing his bidding. He was ordered to get the word out to the other high ranking Death Eaters. Wormtail was having misgivings about Ginny Weasley. If the girl was a powerful as the Magi claimed, then the Death Eaters didn't have much of a chance against her. He was always right about which side was stronger, and he always sought out the stronger side. Wormtail did it before in Hogwarts by aligning himself with James Potter, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin. After Hogwarts, he found that Voldemort was stronger than them, so he switch sides. He regretted his decision because of the deaths of Lily and James. He was the one who looked for Voldemort with the information he had. Wormtail intensely disliked Voldemort. He was not only a cruel master, but a grueling one as well.
If only he could get warning to Ginny Weasley about Voldemort's plans for her, then perhaps he could change sides again. The only other option he had because he had no way of reaching her was to crawl back to Dumbledore and tell him about Ginny Weasley. He summoned all the Death Eaters that Voldemort ordered him to call on. Voldemort always kept Wormtail on a short leash because he didn't trust him. He knew that Wormtail would run out on him the moment he would allow it.
The sounds of people arriving came shortly after the word was sent out. Lucius Malfoy was among the first to arrive. He always came when Lord Voldemort told him to. He did the customary kneeling and bowing and rose to his feet, "Why have we been summoned here, Milord?"
"Patience, Sir Malfoy. Patience," said Voldemort as he swept passed him. The Death Eaters summoned were not only the most loyal, but the most powerful as well. Finally, when the twelve he summoned arrived he told them about why they were there, "I have made a pact with the Magi. They are a powerful band of wizards such as ourselves. Pure bloods. A holy order in our world for more than two millennia. They know of a powerful source of energy that has finally began to blossom in this world. The Angel of the Apocalypse has arrived. Her powers are reaching maturity. We have been called to prevent her from causing the end of the world, and in exchange we will be able to draw on her powers," said Voldemort from his throne in the throne room.
There were murmurs from the group. They were eager murmurs. "How will we stop her?" asked MacNair.
"By finding her first," answered Voldemort. "We have been assigned half of the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. I am sure that some of your children told you about the attack in Hogwarts. They were strong enough to get passed that old fool, Dumbledore. They can detect the Angel when she uses her powers."
"Who is this Angel?" asked Malfoy in his usual silkily tone.
"Virginia Weasley," replied Voldemort.
"Ah, Weasley's daughter. I was the one who slipped your diary into her things before, Milord. But, how is she the Angel?" he further asked.
"I always wondered how the girl survived the Chamber of Secrets. Her powers shield her from my spells," said Voldemort with a smile. "And with these powers, we can finally take care of Harry Potter."
The only person who listened without speaking was Servus Snape. He felt his blood run cold at the thought of what Voldemort could do with that much power. He should have realized it sooner that Ginny Weasley was responsible for something. He was going to have to report this to Dumbledore.
*
The pair took off once again to another location. Ginny was more than happy to get a move on before the Magi caught up with them again. The soared above the clouds and she could feel the air get warmer. "Where are we?" she asked out loud. "It's getting hot."
"Tell me about it. I don't know. We have to land before I can look at the map to figure out where we are," said Gavin.
As they dipped down from the clouds, Ginny was able to recognize the place that they were, "We're in Egypt," she declared. That last time she had gone to Egypt was with her family. Her oldest brother, Bill, worked and lived in Egypt. She smiled. Finally, there was a chance of her seeing some family and getting word back to them that she was safe and sound. Actually, that was a relative term these days, but she looked forward to seeing her brother. And he could also provide them with some shelter.
"I think this is too busy a place to stop. We'll have to land further out, but this is a big city," said Gavin.
"It's Cairo. A big Muggle city," said Ginny. Somewhere nearby the wizards' enclave was hidden among the Muggles' city structures. A hot desert wind gusted up at them. "Well, I doubt anyone from my world will enjoy this place. It's too hot," observed Gavin.
"I like it," said Ginny with a smile.
"I didn't say I didn't like it. I was just observing. I like it, too," clarified Gavin. They landed far outside of the city, but phased back to the city. Ginny guided Gavin to the to the wizards' enclave.
"Where are we going now? Let's get a room at the inn," said Gavin.
"No, we're going to the bank," insisted Ginny. They arrived at the bank. The goblins eyed Gavin wryly as they had done with everyone else, but they must have sensed that the boy wasn't completely human. Ginny talked to a goblin and he left and came back with another man. The man was tall dressed in black dragon hide leather, he had long red hair in a ponytail, and a dragon fang earring. Pendragon was looking at him strangely and took cover behind his master's head, while staying on his shoulders.
"Ginny!" he called out. Gavin knew that he had to be one of Ginny's many brothers. How many brothers did she have? He probably should have paid better attention when she spoke of them.
"Bill," she said as she ran up to him. He gave her a tight hug. "Mum and Dad have been worried sick about you. Where have you been? And who is this?" asked Bill as his eyes fell on Gavin.
"This is Gavin Skyler and Pendragon," she said as she reached behind Gavin's head and pulled out the little dragon by the scruff neck. Pendragon made an appeal to the man with so much dragon on him by making his dewy eyes more dewy.
Bill studied the young man who came with his sister. He wasn't very tall, but he looked about her age. He had a noble bearing about him. He gently bowed to Bill, "It's pleasure."
"Yes," said Bill. He thought that the boy was a little strange. He was handsome enough, and he seemed like a gentleman because he kept a respectable distance away from Ginny. Ginny was holding the strangely colored lizard in her arms. "I think we should owl Mum and Dad. You're going back home in a Portkey," he said with a sigh.
"But, I can—" she started to say, but Gavin placed his hand on her shoulder silencing her. "We could use a place to rest for a while," he said.
"Fine. Come with me," said Bill. "I'm taking the rest of the day off." He told the goblin who went to get him earlier. The three of them went off to Bill's flat in Egypt. He watched the two of them. They seemed nervous. Ginny groaned in pain at one point.
"Are you all right?" Gavin asked her.
"My back. My shoulder blades," she answered. He looked at Bill with concern. Bill went back to her. "I think you're just tired. You can get some rest before going home." Ginny looked like she was going to say something, but she cast a look at Gavin who just looked back at her.
Ginny and Gavin didn't say a word to each other. Ginny trusted Gavin enough to know that he had a plan. There was no way they could return to Hogwarts or England. When Bill left to write a letter to their parents, Ginny hissed to him, "What are we going to do?"
"We'll have to stall for time and get some rest while we're here. Either way, we have to stop your brother from getting word back to England," he whispered back to her.
Bill came back into the room. "I've got the letter to send off to home. Now, will you tell me why you're out here on your own with him?" asked Bill.
"Um…would you believe that an ancient prophesy said that I'm the Angel of Apocalypse, and I have to decide the end of the world," said Ginny nervously. Gavin gave her a look that would be the closest thing to panic that she had ever seen.
Bill started to laugh out loud. "That's the silliest thing I've ever heard. Now tell me, what are you really doing?" he asked with a smile still on his face. Gavin's jaw dropped, but he quickly shut his mouth again. "Don't tell me you two ran off together. What are you both up to?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," said Gavin, not really knowing what Bill was referring to. He really was wondering about the whole thing. He really didn't know much about human mating habits. And when people in his world said that they were a couple, it was just accepted. Also, if people said they were just friends, they would just accept it. He had no idea about human ambiguity at all. His people were very open people.
Bill looked at him strangely while Ginny smacked herself on the forehead. "Shut up, Gavin," she said softly. Bill looked back and forth at them. They looked like they weren't a couple based on their body language, but by words they sounded like a couple. Gavin shot her a glare.
"Okay, okay. I just thought that you'd like to bring things out into the open with me first as practice before you face off with parents," said Bill as he threw up his hands. He didn't think that Gavin and Ginny did anything, but his opinion in this matter didn't count. Either way, his parents were going to be pissed. There came a knock at the door at that moment, breaking the tension.
"Weasley, we need you back at the bank," said a man at the door.
"What, Givens? I said that I was taking the rest of the day off. My sister and her friend are here," said Bill in surprise.
"The Brinkston account's a mess. There's more artifacts that came today. All of them have curses on them. They're making a big mess of vaults that they're in," said Givens.
"Oh, no!" exclaimed Bill. "What's the matter with those people? How can anyone get a bunch of valuable artifacts without breaking the curses on them first? I have to go, Ginny. Behave yourselves while I'm gone," said Bill as he grabbed his cloak. "I'll be back."
The two men left in a big hurry. As soon as the door was closed and the footsteps were out of their range of hearing, Gavin said, "You told him the truth!"
"I did. And I knew that he wouldn't believe me," shot back Ginny. They were standing several feet apart. "Sometimes, I don't believe what's happening to me. And I'm not an ordinary human being! I'm a witch, not a Muggle! Besides, Bill just thought I was joking," she said.
"He's written your parents. I say we get a move on before you accidentally set off with your powers and the Horsemen come," suggested Gavin.
"No, not right now. We're both tired. Let's get some rest. Please. We can out run Billl easy once he tries to take us to the Portkey," said Ginny as she sat back down. Her shoulder blades were on fire.
"I suppose so. I could just phase us away," said Gavin thoughtfully. He was still tired from his poisoning earlier. Pendragon was also tired from flying for long stretches of time. "Fine, let's get some sleep," he agreed. Ginny was already fast asleep on the sofa by the time he had decided. He pulled her legs and shifted her body so that she would be more comfortable and weak without any aches and pains. He walked over to another room which was unlocked. It looked like a guest room, so Gavin went to sleep there. He was just too tired to either carry or levitate Ginny to that room, so he took it instead. Pendragon took the armchair and slept in that.
*
Around late into the afternoon, close to sunset, Ginny felt the awful pain shooting through her shoulder blades again. She felt the pain getting worse. Tears began to form in her eyes. As she struggled to get up.
The room flashed again, waking Gavin and Pendragon up. They both jolted awake to come to her aid. "Ginny! Ginny! What's wrong?" asked Gavin.
"I—I d—don't k—know," stammered Ginny as she placed her hands in front of her chest. Her back started to flare up in pain. There came something pulling from her back starting at her shoulder blades. "AHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" she screamed in ear piercing agony.
Suddenly, there came a burst of white feathers came from her back. A pair of wings, like a larger version of swan's wings came from her back. The room seemed to be spinning for her. From Gavin's perspective, he felt disoriented and the room seemed to shimmer and there waves in the room like a mirage in the desert.
Ginny's wings were large and more than twelve feet in wing span. Her eyes were glowing gold. Gavin struggled on his feet to get to her and stop it because she was attracting other forces to her like a light.
When he got within arm's length of her, the door burst opened. Bill was hit by a wave of power that immediately disoriented him. "Ginny!" he shouted as his eyes closed shut as he collapsed onto the floor. He had seen the Angel of the Apocalypse in all her glory.
AN: I partly stopped work on this story because I was working on a new story and I had a case of writer's block. I'm also constructing a website. However, a lot of the readers for Living Memory have stumbled onto this story, so I had to continue it. The Death Eaters are very close to catching up to Ginny and Gavin soon.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Nope. I don't. I wish I could say that, then I wouldn't have to go to school. I could just stay home and write. ^_~