Needle in the Haystack XII: Hickory Dickory Dock
The journey through the sand pile was like diving into a vat of kitty litter. Luckily, the trip was brief and soon everyone found themselves waving their arms and pumping their legs, treading water, as grits of sand washed out of their eyes and ears.
"This isn't bad,' comment Fiona, as she did a couple somersaults in the water. "I think I rather like this."
That was the oddest part of all. Despite being underwater, it was perfectly okay to breath normally, talk, and even walk around once you swam down to the sandy floor.
Minerva was already inspecting the marine topography. Scattered upon the bottom were tuffs of coral, sponge, and rock artistically strewn with seaweed, while tropical fish traveled in schools, dodging all around.
"This is like the Caribbean vacation I never had," remarked Flitwick cheerfully, as he bent down to pet the fish.
"Actually," broke in Juniper nervously, "this feels more like a fish tank. Look, the rocks are arranged to form a sort of barrier. And these species of seaweed here," she pointed to three different kinds, which looked exactly the same to everyone else, "come from opposite ends of the earth."
"Sure, that's nice," muttered Fiona absentmindedly, "but we're looking for crawling fish, remember. So, I think it best to spread out. Min and I will take this area with all the rocks, and you guys can search over there by those large wavy plants, okay?"
The wall of rocks encompassed an area of water roughly the size of Flitwick's classroom. While Flitwick was on his knees, observing fish behavior (perfectly normal), Juniper was half-heartedly sorting through the lengths of seaweed covering the boulders, feeling sillier by the minute.
"Fish swim, they don't crawl," she muttered to herself. "Besides, we don't even know what we're looking for."
"Maybe we should try to catch some fish," Fiona suggested, rolling up her sleeves.
"I wouldn't do that, those teeth look sharp."
"Stupefy," Fiona shouted, ignoring her cousin completely. A large angelfish stiffened and she bent to pick it up. "I wonder if we're supposed to look inside the fish?"
"No," said Minerva, stiffly.
"Well, the riddle said 'the fish crawled to the rock', so I think the fish is supposed to lead us to the rock where the clue is hidden." Juniper paused in thought. "Perhaps we could try the Claritis spell to make the rocks transparent."
"Alright then, let's—ouch!" Fiona glared at the fish, which was swimming away. "It bit me!"
Minerva sighed and shook her head.
"Well," said Fiona, annoyed, as she bandaged her pinky, "we've looked everywhere. Every blinking corner. The fish simply aren't crawling." She sent a nasty but temporary fin-binding charm at the fish which bit her to accent her irritation.
Flitwick surveyed the area beyond the enclosed circle they were in. "We haven't looked there, yet." He made his way over, but when he tried to cross the line, an invisible force threw him back as harshly as an irate Whomping Willow.
"Never mind," he moaned, before pulling himself up. "Whoever charmed this place was very powerful. Or, his Wand was."
"Jahu had it. I bet he used it, just to make it tricky. He didn't want it found too easily by someone outside his family."
Juniper regarded her with an odd expression. "How did you get a hold of his notebook again? You talk as if you knew Jahu personally."
"Educated guess," said Fiona, and refused to say more, despite everyone's further prodding.
"What's that ticking sound?," said Minerva suddenly. She could not find the source of the noise; it seemed to come from all around.
"I don't hear anything."
"Listen. It sounds like a clock."
Fiona was still frowning. "Whatever it is, it's not very important. Let's get on with that Claritis spell."
Nodding in agreement, Gunther pulled out his wand, which was tucked behind his left ear.
"We should mark off the rocks we've looked through, so we don't repeat the spell on the same rock." Juniper Sprout sensibly put in.
They started with the biggest boulder and worked their way down by size, turning the rocks crystal clear one by one, but finding nothing.
"Not one single clue, and we've looked through half the rocks already," complained Fiona, stopping to rest. She blinked wearily, "What time is it anyway? How long have we been down here?"
Minerva checked her watch, the only one that was still working. "It's four fifty-one in the morning, and we've been here an hour and—oh—twenty-nine minutes."
"You're kidding. I wish—," but whatever Fiona did wish, it got swallowed by an enormous yawn that escaped from her mouth and bubbled its way upwards.
"Listen."
The slight ticking noise, which had been in the background, suddenly rose until it was not only audible, but loud and insistent. It pounded in their ears, and drummed in their skulls.
"It sounds exactly like a clock," Minerva said in alarm, without knowing why she was alarmed. She glanced at her watch and the urgent ticking matched her second hand click for click.
"We should leave," said Gunther, quickly. "I don't like this—"
He ducked as a giant boulder exploded with a bang, violently showering them with slivers of stone.
"With winking light, sparks powered bright…" Juniper cried, her anxiety growing. More and more rocks were bursting into glimmering fragments that glowed like hot embers, and the monotonous pounding like the deep bass drum made her heart jump.
"Hickory dickory dock—it's a time bomb! Get out, get out now!"
"The fish crawled to the rock," mouthed Juniper, frozen. Her eyes caught something red among the blinding white sparks that erupted all around them. It was a starfish.
She lunged for it, but Fiona held her back. The starfish scuttled away. "Are you crazy. We've got to go."
"No, stop," she panted, shouting over the clanging ring of the persistent beats, as she tried to pull herself from Fiona's grasp. "It's a starfish we're looking for."
Minerva smiled and mouthed, "I should have known," Flitwick looked delighted, and Fiona immediately let go of Juniper to start searching among the rubble. All the while, rocks were going off madly, sending sprays of stone and spark all around them, muddling their vision.
Suddenly, a deep bell tolled three times. Gasping in surprise, Juniper found herself inhaling water as a sudden, tight pressure clamped down on her throat. She tried to perform a Bubble Head Charm, but opening her mouth meant swallowing more water.
Then, a flash of red, and the starfish darted towards a tangle of seaweed. Juniper forced herself to follow it, despite the pressure in her lungs that was increasing each second. Grabbing and missing each time, she found it harder and harder to see. Her vision was blurring terribly, and her head was throbbing. Just as her hand grasped the starfish, the floor trembled and the whole chamber detonated violently, as debris pierced her flesh and clouded the water.
She choked; she couldn't help it. So this was what drowning felt like. Then, there was a tug on her robes, and she found herself being pulled through the sand pile.
"Juniper!" The voice went into a coughing spasm, and someone shook her wildly. "Say something."
"Stop shaking me," she moaned, feeling sick. She bent forward and threw up a lungful of water.
"Are you alright?" Minerva was hovering anxiously over Juniper, her hair dripping puddles into the other woman's ear.
"Fine, fine," mumbled Juniper, batting Minerva away. "I've got the clue."
At this, Fiona brightened. "Awesome," she grinned, gripping her friend in a giant bear hug. "I was about to go back for it."
"The place completely exploded," remarked Minerva, as she helped Juniper to her feet, "when the clue was removed."
"Then
the Death Eaters will never find the First Wand," Fiona sang, happily tossing
the starfish, which was plastic (and had been briefly charmed to life), up and
down. "There's nothing left for them!"