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Chapter 4 How Atlantis Died
At the entrance to the cave Fred and George stood guard, Grace was sitting a little way off giving the council an account of what had happened to them so far. Merzela was making lunch. Order agents stood guard all around. Outside the sun was turning orange. Inside the chamber Harry was examining the skull and readying it for the trip back to the Fortress.
There had been much concern over whether it was possible to move the skull without disrupting the magic vibrations and fields that covered the world. After two days of careful searching through every book that existed on the topic and some careful study of the skull by Harry they had decided that it could be moved safely. Consulting with magical creatures all over the world it had finally been decided that the change wouldn't harm any of them, nor, according to the leading herbologists, should it harm plants in any way.
The press had been given full coverage ability of the story from the start. That was why the gold patrol and all twelve of the special projects division were on the site right now. The skull was to be moved to the Fortress that very evening, and the green patrol came in to help keep the reporters off it and Harry.
No one had seen Harry for more than a few minutes since he'd entered the chamber 46 hours ago. He'd come out to take small blood samples from everyone who would give them and expose them to the skull, then using muggle technology most wizards didn't understand one bit, he was examining it. He'd also asked for various animals' bloods and plants. As of yet the press hadn't been able to interview him, they were all going berserks to get a chance to ask him about his work with no success. From his test Harry had been able to determine that there was something in his magic and blood that caused the skull to not harm him. He hadn't been able to isolate what it was, nor even what it was, but everyone else's blood cells and literally blew up in the skulls presence, accounting for the fact that anyone who neared one of the focal points of magic turned into a nice big smear. After exposing animal blood and plant sap to it the results were the same. Harry was currently packaging the skull, he was nervous as to what the effects would be should it be exposed to sunlight, it might destroy every living thing for miles. He had also learned that he seemed to be the only one who felt heightened magical powers around the skull. Then again no one got close enough to tests that.
Inside the chamber however Harry had been keeping information from the outside world. He had discovered what it must be that enabled him to be around the skull. He had learned that the inscriptions were in fact two different languages and had learned to read one of them. He had discovered why no one else seemed able to stand it, and much much more. There was an ever-constant impulse to touch the skull, always with his right palm, the one with the symbol, which he worked hard to suppress. The one time he did work the overwhelming sense of danger and fear had made him jerk back, even as the pull grew stronger. Harry placed some thick black felt on the ground and picked up the pedestal and skull onto it. He could touch the pedestal, which had tiny copper handles, which folded out from below on hinges that were good as new. But he hadn't touched the skull. He had sent the pictures of the writing to every wizarding organization that could possibly be able to decipher it; as yet he hadn't gotten a single result. The bodies he'd also wrapped in felt, the press hadn't gotten any pictures of them yet. At the Fortress a chamber had been prepared specifically for the skull and his lab work on it. But that evening he'd promised the world that he'd give them the results of his research to date and answer questions as best he could, he wasn't looking forward to it. Every wizard house had at least one fireplace; most were hooked to the floo network, but every one, even the ones not on the floo network, had been hooked up for free if the owner wished it, for his speech, which was to be broadcast into every one of those fireplaces, translated to the local language by magic as it went. Harry had prepared charts and diagrams to show along with a fake skull he had created to look exactly like the one he had discovered, along with all its secrets, so he could show them as if it were the real thing. Being unable to touch the skull in real life he had been considering using only magic to touch it during his presentation, but had decided against it.
A half hour before he was due to move the skull Harry came out to explain what the security measures would be like to the Order agents.
Marina and Warren (who's turn it was for guard duty) snapped to attention as they felt the three foot thick rock door shudder and lift, the slight rumble alerted everyone else, the press leaped into action, running forwards with camera and note pads. The Order agents formed a barrier in front of them. But as the door opened a spell said in some other language from the person exiting made every reporter and camera man there freeze motionless, unable to move any more than their eyes. All of the order agents relaxed, and nodded to Harry as he came out.
Harry was wearing a dark green sleeveless shirt and pants, he looked a little dusty and tired, but otherwise rather excited. He frowned at the reporters then smiled at the agents.
"When I bring out the skull if any living creature, including plants, is within twenty five yards they'll be dead in seconds, make it thirty just to be sure. I've wrapped it up as best I can, and the bodies, they possess some of the same power as the skull as well. The chamber at the Fortress will need to be completely empty of anything living." He told them, there were nods all around, someone started measuring off the distance, and forming a dome around the area to keep people out. "Until then I'll have too make sure the cave is clear of it's essence, once we're out the cave needs to be collapsed so no one can enter, I don't know how much of the power will stay. Have the muggle down at the hospital been taken care of?"
"Yes sir, their memories wiped, and the chamber where it was discovered has been sealed off from muggle forever." Marina answered him, Harry nodded thoughtfully.
"I'll have to talk to the phoenix about moving that to the fortress as well, perhaps there was something there which activates or turns off the skulls powers…" He frowned at the reporters again then turned and went back in, as he stepped through the door the spell vanished, half of them fell over, of the remainder half ran forwards trying to get pictures of him or the inside of the cave.
Once the dome was in place Harry levitated up the skull, pedestal, and bodies and opened the door again. The sun was dying on the horizon, but he knew that in England it would be different. He had no doubt that this moving process was being broadcast as an enthusiasm builder to everyone who had been connected to see for his presentation later. Outwardly Harry was calm, inwardly he was worried. If Voldemort got the skull he could destroy it in such a way that only his people still had magic how he'd accomplish this Harry had no idea, but he could tell that it was possible from his brief examination of the skulls power.
Once he reached the outer edge of the dome Harry called his lightning and vanished, much to the surprise and delight of the onlookers.
Harry reappeared in the chamber made for the skull at the fortress, it was deep underground and well protected. Harry put the skull on a table he conjure dup specially for it. Round and made from a very solid and strong wood that would hold it. The bodies were placed in an adjoining lab, with many preserving spells, on large table. Then Harry reported to the council room.
"How'd it go Harry?" Miranda asked him the minute he entered.
"Very well, the chamber's inscriptions have been copied with a spell and put along the walls of the third room right?"
"Yes, come on, are your ready for your presentation? You've got a huge audience." Albus told him, his eyes twinkling with keen interest about what Harry was going to tell them. Harry hurried downstairs and got his things then joined them.
For convenience sake his presentation was being held in a huge room within the Fortress used specially for announcements of this sort. Harry was embarrassed to note that his banner, a deep almost black blue sky with a Royal Aaron roaring on it with a lightning bolt going down across it and smaller ones in the background, had been put up on the wall. The audience was sitting in huge rows out in front of him; there was a table at the front of the room. The first three rows were important people form just about ever country, behind them was a seething mass of reporters. Order agents in their emerald green were along the walls and at each entrance and exit. With so many important people here security was, almost literally through the roof.
"Quiet! Quiet please!" Sirius barked, walking out onto the stage, the audience went quiet in seconds. Harry waited, partially hidden, in a doorway to the side of the stage. "I know this is all very exciting. A few days ago we received word that a muggle miner had stumbled upon one of the focal points of magic, not only that but he had called in some excellent archeologists to investigate it. We immediately sent in four of our Special Projects Division along with Harry Potter, who as one of those who started the division, to aid them. We know there's been a near total news blackout for the past few days, and I will tell you now the investigative research is no where near being done. But already we have amassed loads of information, I now turn this show over to the person who is the ONLY living person who is somehow unharmed by being in the presence of this skull, he's been leading the research on this object for days non stop so the rest of the world can know about this as soon as possible, Mr. Harry Potter. " Sirius went and sat down with some other Order council members off to the side of the stage to watch. Harry walked out and placed the large black bag he carried down beside him on the table.
"Good evening ladies and gentlemen. For centuries it has been believed that the focal points of magic were fixed locations on the earth from which all magic stemmed. Well I can now tell you that that is certainly not the case. The focal points are objects, created by the wizards of Atlantis."
At this there was a hubbub of noise in the room, Harry paused until it became quiet.
"These wizards of Atlantis were the ruling family of the Atlantian Empire which, as we know, covered a giant landmass the size of Asia, Europe, and Australia combined in the days when the seas covered more of the planet and the polar ice caps were nearly non existent. They were a highly advanced people with just as much knowledge of astronomy as we have today if not more, but you already know this. From what I have learned from the inscriptions upon the walls of the chamber their astronomers located a pair of twin comets in the night skies, using advanced mathematics they predicted the comets course and saw that they would strike earth; there would be no escape. The ruling family knew that all of them would be wiped out by the comet, as would almost every living thing on earth. From the time the comet was discovered until it hit they had approximately two days. Now you must understand that the royal family was small, and they didn't believe that any of them would live, so they decided to put all their power into focal points and place them around the globe, so that the magical creatures and plants who existence depended on that of the royal family's, could survive. They also hoped that one day magical peoples would again walk the earth. They were far more powerful than any of today's wizards, but they had a strong sense of duty. From one-foot by one-foot blocks of black obsidian, which conducted their magic's very well, they carved eight skulls. One of which we have now discovered. So that you may see what these actually look like I have created an exact replica, except for the magic, of the skull currently residing in the laboratory here at the Order of the Phoenix Fortress." Harry slowly opened the bag, the crowd shifted with excitement and anticipation, and lifted out a large black obsidian skull.
Hahaha! Cliffy! Please Review!
Chapter 4 How Atlantis Died
At the entrance to the cave Fred and George stood guard, Grace was sitting a little way off giving the council an account of what had happened to them so far. Merzela was making lunch. Order agents stood guard all around. Outside the sun was turning orange. Inside the chamber Harry was examining the skull and readying it for the trip back to the Fortress.
There had been much concern over whether it was possible to move the skull without disrupting the magic vibrations and fields that covered the world. After two days of careful searching through every book that existed on the topic and some careful study of the skull by Harry they had decided that it could be moved safely. Consulting with magical creatures all over the world it had finally been decided that the change wouldn't harm any of them, nor, according to the leading herbologists, should it harm plants in any way.
The press had been given full coverage ability of the story from the start. That was why the gold patrol and all twelve of the special projects division were on the site right now. The skull was to be moved to the Fortress that very evening, and the green patrol came in to help keep the reporters off it and Harry.
No one had seen Harry for more than a few minutes since he'd entered the chamber 46 hours ago. He'd come out to take small blood samples from everyone who would give them and expose them to the skull, then using muggle technology most wizards didn't understand one bit, he was examining it. He'd also asked for various animals' bloods and plants. As of yet the press hadn't been able to interview him, they were all going berserks to get a chance to ask him about his work with no success. From his test Harry had been able to determine that there was something in his magic and blood that caused the skull to not harm him. He hadn't been able to isolate what it was, nor even what it was, but everyone else's blood cells and literally blew up in the skulls presence, accounting for the fact that anyone who neared one of the focal points of magic turned into a nice big smear. After exposing animal blood and plant sap to it the results were the same. Harry was currently packaging the skull, he was nervous as to what the effects would be should it be exposed to sunlight, it might destroy every living thing for miles. He had also learned that he seemed to be the only one who felt heightened magical powers around the skull. Then again no one got close enough to tests that.
Inside the chamber however Harry had been keeping information from the outside world. He had discovered what it must be that enabled him to be around the skull. He had learned that the inscriptions were in fact two different languages and had learned to read one of them. He had discovered why no one else seemed able to stand it, and much much more. There was an ever-constant impulse to touch the skull, always with his right palm, the one with the symbol, which he worked hard to suppress. The one time he did work the overwhelming sense of danger and fear had made him jerk back, even as the pull grew stronger. Harry placed some thick black felt on the ground and picked up the pedestal and skull onto it. He could touch the pedestal, which had tiny copper handles, which folded out from below on hinges that were good as new. But he hadn't touched the skull. He had sent the pictures of the writing to every wizarding organization that could possibly be able to decipher it; as yet he hadn't gotten a single result. The bodies he'd also wrapped in felt, the press hadn't gotten any pictures of them yet. At the Fortress a chamber had been prepared specifically for the skull and his lab work on it. But that evening he'd promised the world that he'd give them the results of his research to date and answer questions as best he could, he wasn't looking forward to it. Every wizard house had at least one fireplace; most were hooked to the floo network, but every one, even the ones not on the floo network, had been hooked up for free if the owner wished it, for his speech, which was to be broadcast into every one of those fireplaces, translated to the local language by magic as it went. Harry had prepared charts and diagrams to show along with a fake skull he had created to look exactly like the one he had discovered, along with all its secrets, so he could show them as if it were the real thing. Being unable to touch the skull in real life he had been considering using only magic to touch it during his presentation, but had decided against it.
A half hour before he was due to move the skull Harry came out to explain what the security measures would be like to the Order agents.
Marina and Warren (who's turn it was for guard duty) snapped to attention as they felt the three foot thick rock door shudder and lift, the slight rumble alerted everyone else, the press leaped into action, running forwards with camera and note pads. The Order agents formed a barrier in front of them. But as the door opened a spell said in some other language from the person exiting made every reporter and camera man there freeze motionless, unable to move any more than their eyes. All of the order agents relaxed, and nodded to Harry as he came out.
Harry was wearing a dark green sleeveless shirt and pants, he looked a little dusty and tired, but otherwise rather excited. He frowned at the reporters then smiled at the agents.
"When I bring out the skull if any living creature, including plants, is within twenty five yards they'll be dead in seconds, make it thirty just to be sure. I've wrapped it up as best I can, and the bodies, they possess some of the same power as the skull as well. The chamber at the Fortress will need to be completely empty of anything living." He told them, there were nods all around, someone started measuring off the distance, and forming a dome around the area to keep people out. "Until then I'll have too make sure the cave is clear of it's essence, once we're out the cave needs to be collapsed so no one can enter, I don't know how much of the power will stay. Have the muggle down at the hospital been taken care of?"
"Yes sir, their memories wiped, and the chamber where it was discovered has been sealed off from muggle forever." Marina answered him, Harry nodded thoughtfully.
"I'll have to talk to the phoenix about moving that to the fortress as well, perhaps there was something there which activates or turns off the skulls powers…" He frowned at the reporters again then turned and went back in, as he stepped through the door the spell vanished, half of them fell over, of the remainder half ran forwards trying to get pictures of him or the inside of the cave.
Once the dome was in place Harry levitated up the skull, pedestal, and bodies and opened the door again. The sun was dying on the horizon, but he knew that in England it would be different. He had no doubt that this moving process was being broadcast as an enthusiasm builder to everyone who had been connected to see for his presentation later. Outwardly Harry was calm, inwardly he was worried. If Voldemort got the skull he could destroy it in such a way that only his people still had magic how he'd accomplish this Harry had no idea, but he could tell that it was possible from his brief examination of the skulls power.
Once he reached the outer edge of the dome Harry called his lightning and vanished, much to the surprise and delight of the onlookers.
Harry reappeared in the chamber made for the skull at the fortress, it was deep underground and well protected. Harry put the skull on a table he conjure dup specially for it. Round and made from a very solid and strong wood that would hold it. The bodies were placed in an adjoining lab, with many preserving spells, on large table. Then Harry reported to the council room.
"How'd it go Harry?" Miranda asked him the minute he entered.
"Very well, the chamber's inscriptions have been copied with a spell and put along the walls of the third room right?"
"Yes, come on, are your ready for your presentation? You've got a huge audience." Albus told him, his eyes twinkling with keen interest about what Harry was going to tell them. Harry hurried downstairs and got his things then joined them.
For convenience sake his presentation was being held in a huge room within the Fortress used specially for announcements of this sort. Harry was embarrassed to note that his banner, a deep almost black blue sky with a Royal Aaron roaring on it with a lightning bolt going down across it and smaller ones in the background, had been put up on the wall. The audience was sitting in huge rows out in front of him; there was a table at the front of the room. The first three rows were important people form just about ever country, behind them was a seething mass of reporters. Order agents in their emerald green were along the walls and at each entrance and exit. With so many important people here security was, almost literally through the roof.
"Quiet! Quiet please!" Sirius barked, walking out onto the stage, the audience went quiet in seconds. Harry waited, partially hidden, in a doorway to the side of the stage. "I know this is all very exciting. A few days ago we received word that a muggle miner had stumbled upon one of the focal points of magic, not only that but he had called in some excellent archeologists to investigate it. We immediately sent in four of our Special Projects Division along with Harry Potter, who as one of those who started the division, to aid them. We know there's been a near total news blackout for the past few days, and I will tell you now the investigative research is no where near being done. But already we have amassed loads of information, I now turn this show over to the person who is the ONLY living person who is somehow unharmed by being in the presence of this skull, he's been leading the research on this object for days non stop so the rest of the world can know about this as soon as possible, Mr. Harry Potter. " Sirius went and sat down with some other Order council members off to the side of the stage to watch. Harry walked out and placed the large black bag he carried down beside him on the table.
"Good evening ladies and gentlemen. For centuries it has been believed that the focal points of magic were fixed locations on the earth from which all magic stemmed. Well I can now tell you that that is certainly not the case. The focal points are objects, created by the wizards of Atlantis."
At this there was a hubbub of noise in the room, Harry paused until it became quiet.
"These wizards of Atlantis were the ruling family of the Atlantian Empire which, as we know, covered a giant landmass the size of Asia, Europe, and Australia combined in the days when the seas covered more of the planet and the polar ice caps were nearly non existent. They were a highly advanced people with just as much knowledge of astronomy as we have today if not more, but you already know this. From what I have learned from the inscriptions upon the walls of the chamber their astronomers located a pair of twin comets in the night skies, using advanced mathematics they predicted the comets course and saw that they would strike earth; there would be no escape. The ruling family knew that all of them would be wiped out by the comet, as would almost every living thing on earth. From the time the comet was discovered until it hit they had approximately two days. Now you must understand that the royal family was small, and they didn't believe that any of them would live, so they decided to put all their power into focal points and place them around the globe, so that the magical creatures and plants who existence depended on that of the royal family's, could survive. They also hoped that one day magical peoples would again walk the earth. They were far more powerful than any of today's wizards, but they had a strong sense of duty. From one-foot by one-foot blocks of black obsidian, which conducted their magic's very well, they carved eight skulls. One of which we have now discovered. So that you may see what these actually look like I have created an exact replica, except for the magic, of the skull currently residing in the laboratory here at the Order of the Phoenix Fortress." Harry slowly opened the bag, the crowd shifted with excitement and anticipation, and lifted out a large black obsidian skull.
Hahaha! Cliffy! Please Review!