They continued walking that night, lulled by the thought of faerie
protection. They saw many of the silvery creatures waiting to get a glance
of the weary travellers who ventured through their wood. Many of them knew
Seamus, and most of them stopped and travelled some of the distance with
them, telling stories and singing songs. For six days they walked through
the faerie wood, and when their journey was nearing an end, Harry almost
found himself crying. Diamante, the tall faerie they had met on the first
day came to them on the last. She brought Eve and another girl, who Seamus
clearly didn't like.
"Jesus H. Christ." He muttered when she walked into the clearing where they had made camp. He kissed Diamante's hand, and then bowed over the hand of the girl. "Why is she here." He asked Diamante, still looking at the girl.
"SHE has a name." The girl said.
"I never did understand why people named their animals." He said under his breath.
"What was that?" The girl snapped.
"I said I never did understand how to pronounce your name."
Diamante smiled, and spoke sternly to them. "Seamus, Calliope, you will need to be civil to each other if you are going to go on this mission together-"
"Wait! You can't just decide to send Cantaloupe-"
"Calliope." Diamante corrected.
"Yeah, her, you can't just decide to send her on OUR mission. It's not fair!"
"I haff asked that faerie help be given to us Feenigan."
"Aw shit Misha! I can't believe you did that!"
"I can hear you Finnigan." Calliope said angrily.
"Tell her that's the point." Seamus said.
"I vill not tell her enything Seamus. If you two cannot be ceevil zen zat is your problem. BUT if zis mission fails because you two cannot stop your fighting, it vill be your necks on zee pike."
Seamus looked at the girl and at everyone else, then he threw his hands in the air. "Fine! Fine, fine, fine. But I won't talk to her."
"He makes it seem like that's not a privledge." Hermione said.
~*~
True to his word, Seamus refused to speak to Calliope, not directly at least. He passed messages to her through the others. "Tell Antelope to slow down." Or "Tell Croup to shut up." Everyone passed the messages on, and she would retort with another one. It became the only source of entertainment in those long, cold days leading up to god knew what.
All doubts about whether they were close or not were erased one morning in mid-October. Harry woke to the fierce, angry pain of his scar. Calliope dressed it with secret herbs, but the pain stayed sharp, and instead of fading to a dull throbbing, grew sharper throughout the day. Conversation grew thin, as everyone became more agitated, and even Seamus and Calliope didn't exchange their usual barbed comments. Harry fell into a restless sleep that night, and when he woke the pain of his scar burned more.
"We're there." Seamus said around mid-afternoon.
"How do you know?" Calliope snapped. "Are we supposed to trust your idiot- sense?"
Seamus didn't say anything. He pushed back his sleeve and Hermione gasped when she saw the dark-mark on his forearm. It burned black. "I'm sorry." Calliope said, dropping her eyes. "I didn't know."
"Now you do." Seamus said coldly. "Hermione, stay back here. If we need you for any reason we'll call you."
"But-" Hermione started but Seamus cut her off.
"We discussed listening already, didn't we Hermione?" he said in his kindergarten teacher voice. "And we agreed that you would listen to me. What are you going to do Hermione?"
"Stay back here and come if you need me." She mumbled.
"That's right! Harry, I want you to go with Misha. I want you two to go around the back of the compound and wait for my signal." Harry was surprised to see Misha listening to Seamus' orders. "When you get it come in, don't worry about anything. Calliope and I are going to go in the front and take care of the death-eaters."
"What if there are too many?" Harry asked.
"Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." He said, winking. He took a swig from a bottle of bourbon and grinned. "Well, there's no stopping it. Let's roll."
Harry hugged Hermione quickly, and then he and Misha went around the back of the compound, as ordered. They waved good-bye to Calliope and Seamus, and with a nervous stomach Harry crouched down beside Misha, waiting for the signal.
"Jesus H. Christ." He muttered when she walked into the clearing where they had made camp. He kissed Diamante's hand, and then bowed over the hand of the girl. "Why is she here." He asked Diamante, still looking at the girl.
"SHE has a name." The girl said.
"I never did understand why people named their animals." He said under his breath.
"What was that?" The girl snapped.
"I said I never did understand how to pronounce your name."
Diamante smiled, and spoke sternly to them. "Seamus, Calliope, you will need to be civil to each other if you are going to go on this mission together-"
"Wait! You can't just decide to send Cantaloupe-"
"Calliope." Diamante corrected.
"Yeah, her, you can't just decide to send her on OUR mission. It's not fair!"
"I haff asked that faerie help be given to us Feenigan."
"Aw shit Misha! I can't believe you did that!"
"I can hear you Finnigan." Calliope said angrily.
"Tell her that's the point." Seamus said.
"I vill not tell her enything Seamus. If you two cannot be ceevil zen zat is your problem. BUT if zis mission fails because you two cannot stop your fighting, it vill be your necks on zee pike."
Seamus looked at the girl and at everyone else, then he threw his hands in the air. "Fine! Fine, fine, fine. But I won't talk to her."
"He makes it seem like that's not a privledge." Hermione said.
~*~
True to his word, Seamus refused to speak to Calliope, not directly at least. He passed messages to her through the others. "Tell Antelope to slow down." Or "Tell Croup to shut up." Everyone passed the messages on, and she would retort with another one. It became the only source of entertainment in those long, cold days leading up to god knew what.
All doubts about whether they were close or not were erased one morning in mid-October. Harry woke to the fierce, angry pain of his scar. Calliope dressed it with secret herbs, but the pain stayed sharp, and instead of fading to a dull throbbing, grew sharper throughout the day. Conversation grew thin, as everyone became more agitated, and even Seamus and Calliope didn't exchange their usual barbed comments. Harry fell into a restless sleep that night, and when he woke the pain of his scar burned more.
"We're there." Seamus said around mid-afternoon.
"How do you know?" Calliope snapped. "Are we supposed to trust your idiot- sense?"
Seamus didn't say anything. He pushed back his sleeve and Hermione gasped when she saw the dark-mark on his forearm. It burned black. "I'm sorry." Calliope said, dropping her eyes. "I didn't know."
"Now you do." Seamus said coldly. "Hermione, stay back here. If we need you for any reason we'll call you."
"But-" Hermione started but Seamus cut her off.
"We discussed listening already, didn't we Hermione?" he said in his kindergarten teacher voice. "And we agreed that you would listen to me. What are you going to do Hermione?"
"Stay back here and come if you need me." She mumbled.
"That's right! Harry, I want you to go with Misha. I want you two to go around the back of the compound and wait for my signal." Harry was surprised to see Misha listening to Seamus' orders. "When you get it come in, don't worry about anything. Calliope and I are going to go in the front and take care of the death-eaters."
"What if there are too many?" Harry asked.
"Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." He said, winking. He took a swig from a bottle of bourbon and grinned. "Well, there's no stopping it. Let's roll."
Harry hugged Hermione quickly, and then he and Misha went around the back of the compound, as ordered. They waved good-bye to Calliope and Seamus, and with a nervous stomach Harry crouched down beside Misha, waiting for the signal.