Chapter Twenty-Eight
The Fury of the Isle
Jennifer was just finishing up the last of her test postings when there was a knock on her office door and she looked over to see Sirius and Anna peering in.
"Almost done?" Anna asked.
"Yep, this is the last of them. Severus already has us packed. Could you put these on the classroom door for me?" Jennifer asked Anna, who instantly took them and ran them out. Jennifer heard Anna speaking to someone and there was a clopping sound just before Sagittari stuck his head in the door.
"I'm ready, Jennifer. Do you have those Polyjuice potions ready for me?" he asked.
"Actually, Sirius came up with something even better," Jennifer said, looking over at Sirius who grinned, taking out a scarf from his pocket. It was not exactly mild in color, a water-splashed pink, but it was fairly long and Sirius tied it around the centaur's neck.
"Is something supposed to happen?" Sagittari inquired.
"He doesn't look any different to me," said Anna from the other side of the door.
"Well of course not to us," Sirius said cheerfully. "It has a disinterest spell on it, the same sort that we use on housing developments to disguise them. Any Muggle that looks at him will see him only as a very uninteresting human chap that's not much to look at. Only we see what he really looks like."
"Ah! And it saves me from having to imbibe that potion all the time," Sagittari said approvingly. "How are you getting to Galway, Jennifer?"
"Severus and I are taking the Pegasi coach, so we'll meet you there first thing in the morning," Jennifer explained. "Find the fishing boat called the Mermaid's Blessing, and ask for Captain Finn. Just tell them you're with the Snapes if you arrive before us." There were more voices coming in from the classroom, and Sagittari made way for Severus and Minerva, Anna following close behind.
"Jennifer? Where's the rest of your paperwork?" Minerva asked with a frown.
"Right here, Minerva, don't panic. I was going to take it up on our way out," Jennifer assured her handing a folder out to her.
"Don't forget to let Corey into my office to feed Rasputin, but don't let him use my lab," Severus told Minerva.
"Don't worry, Severus. I have no intention of letting the boy out of my sight."
"And if we're not back within the week, tell him to go to his Aunt Rebecca's instead of our house, Carol has enough to handle," he added. "Sagittari, are you sure you have everything you need?"
"Yes, yes, for the hundredth time, Severus," Sagittari chuckled at him. "I may only be a veterinarian, but I am one that knows his patients well, and the baby seems quite content to stay where he or she is at the moment."
"And I feel fine, so let's just close that discussion already. If anything goes wrong, we'll have both the fishing boat standing by and our Pegasi at the Mystic Mounts Livery in Galway," Jennifer said.
"Just be careful, all of you. And whether you find anything or not, please come back in one piece. I dare say I wouldn't want to have to replace all of you for next year," Minerva said, to lighten her own worry as much as anything. "Good luck."
Jennifer lifted her bat off its perch and they all left the office, Jennifer locking it behind them.
"So long, Hogwarts, we'll see you next year," Jennifer said quietly as they headed up the stairs. As if in reply, many of the paintings waved as they walked down the corridor, the last one having been taking over by Caprica and Bedivere, looking unusually solemn.
"Take care, Professors," Caprica told them as they passed. "If anyone can find out what happened, you can."
"Don't throw too many wild parties without us," Anna advised, waving to them on their way out.
"No, we'll save that until you get back," Caprica promised.
"Lord help us all," Minerva muttered as they headed out the main doors.
Dorset Finn was a cheerful man with dark curly hair and rosy cheeks, perhaps not much like Jennifer imagined a weathered fisherman to look like. But of course, he was also a wizard, a fact that Jennifer didn't doubt for an instant after climbing onto the vessel. A lot of the ship's complement, in fact, seemed to be made up of greenish tinted House Elves, but they didn't hide themselves like normal elves would, all wearing bright red hats so securely placed on their heads that even the ones climbing up and down the sides of the boat didn't seem to lose them.
"What a large complement of Merrow elves you have!" Sagittari exclaimed. "I always thought they were considered bad luck among sailors."
"Merrows often come up from the deep right before a storm, that is true," Finn nodded. "But for a fishermen, a storm can be a good thing, as long as you're not the one in the middle of it when it blows in," he added with a wink. "I suppose you land folk haven't seen many Merrows, eh? But then I haven't seen many centaurs either," he added, nodding courteously to Sagittari.
"It is an honor to be here, Captain," Sagittari nodded courteously. "I'll be happy to help you with any navigational services as needed at night."
"Well, usually we use radar these days," Finn winked. "But on an expedition like this, chances are that won't help us, nor compasses either, so I'm sure your knowledge of the stars will come in handy. Here, let me show you to the common room, and we'll see about setting out 'ere the tide turns."
"What's radar?" Jennifer asked curiously.
"'Tis like invisible beams of light that you read to tell if something's there or not," he explains. "It bounces off things and you can read it on a screen."
"Like an ultrasound?" Jennifer asked.
"No, that's more like sonar. That's how we find fish," Finn explained. Jennifer paused a moment, even more puzzled before.
"I think I need to write Doctor Linde another letter," she told her husband.
"Well, it'll have to wait. Here, let me go first," Severus said, heading down the stairs as Jennifer slowly followed, not quite sure she was ever going to get used to the rocking movement. Sirius and Anna came down next, and Anna especially couldn't help but be amazed. She was expecting a somewhat cramped area with fold-back tables and dual purpose seating areas, but instead the common room was very spacious, and definitely looked larger than the outside of the boat. A long, splash-free window provided a perfect view out, curving to meet the wood-paneled floor so that there was even a good portion under water, giving them a good view of the local sea life as well.
"Why, this is perfectly splendid!" Jennifer exclaimed, looking around to the others. But Sirius didn't look so well, staring at the window while rocking on his feet.
"I think I'm going to be sick," he announced. "Where's the lavatory?"
"The hall opposite the stairs, lad, first door on the right," the Captain said gently, Sirius hurrying down the hall, nearly tripping over his own feet. "Well, I'd best get the last weather report and get us sailin'. As soon as we're out to sea, we'll go over the maps and I'll show you the possible locations to what you're looking for," he said, putting on a faded blue skipper cap and heading up top.
"Severus, didn't you say you packed some of that seasickness potion I made for emergencies?" Jennifer whispered to him.
"Yes," Severus said, "But I'll let him have his first taste of sea travel first." Jennifer's steady frown finally began to get to him, and Severus sighed and began searching his cloak for the draught.
It wasn't long after taking the potion that Sirius began to feel a lot better, accepting a drink from the tray a Merrow brought down to them a few minutes later. Another one with a long albatross feather in its cap came down a moment afterwards, saluting them.
"The captain will see you now," the Merrow said, skipping up the stairs. Sagittari, who had been on deck talking to some of the Merrow, moved to join them, shrinking himself slightly to get passed the door to the pilot's cabin. Inside, a strange mix of both Muggle and magical instruments lined the walls. A small table in the back was covered with maps with all sorts of notes and notes like "dogfish" "ray" and "eel" marked around the bay, while others warned of nasty underwater sand drifts and rocky shoals.
"We're just out north of the Aran islands now, headin' west northwest. Once we're past the normal fishing routes out by Clare, we'll head due west. Out there I think is where we'll find it, over yonder," the captain said, pointing at a ring of circles on the map. "Oh, it looks like nothing's there, but something's there, right enough. Just no one's ever been sure what."
"Why, what's out there?" Sirius asked.
"Well, if you ask a normal blood, not a thing. They don't like the currents there, though, so they always swing around that area. But if one of us gets near it, then it's a different story," he said with a sigh, sitting down. "Clouds seem to form out of nowhere, and before you know it, you're in the middle of a squall, with fog all about and gale winds so fierce tha' your only course is back. 'Tis why when me daughter said what you were aiming to find, I knew where to look. In fact, I've spent a lot o' time up near there," he winked. "Between the squalls and the Muggle folk avoidin' the place, the fishing is pretty decent, if you know what you're doing and stay on the outskirts o' the storm. Although, the fishing seems poor on the south side, and that's where the worst of the storm hits, so I don't go in that area at all. A fisherman already tempts fate every time he goes out in the ocean, and I figure I'd better not press me luck. Oh, and another t'ing, I've heard a tale or two from some of the other locals about seeing a serpent along the shipping routes that away. But whether 'tis or nae I've ne'er seen it, it could be just Muggles seeing floating wreckage and assumin' it's something else."
Severus and Jennifer looked at each other, growing slightly concerned.
"If a serpent is in those waters, can this boat withstand the brunt of an attack if it got hostile?" Severus acted.
"On its own, I doubt it, but with all of us…" the Captain shrugged. "Still, I've ne'er seen one and I doubt I e'er will. They don't care for Merrows much. My crew is me lucky charms you know," he smiled.
"Don't even say it," Sirius said to Anna. Anna smirked. Jennifer, looking at her face for a moment, still didn't get the reference and shrugged it off.
"It'll take some time to get there even in a magic enhanced boat. It'll be late before we hit the storm," Captain Finn said. "We'll come about on the north side, since that seems to be the weaker side, then we'll be fighting that magic storm to get in there and see what lies within. So I suggest you rest up until then, and if you need anything, just yell for Kelpie or Stew and I'm sure one of 'em will show up."
As they headed back downstairs, (Sagittari following slowly behind, wishing not for the last time that the boat's stairs and doorways weren't quite so narrow) Jennifer plopped down on one of the white couches near the window, looking thoughtful as Severus began to pull some tomes out of his cloak.
"Doctor, do you happen to have the abridged Creatures Encyclopedia with you?" Severus asked, looking something up in one of his Tomes.
"Yes, I have it in my bag…somewhere," Sagittari mused, taking the bag off his shoulder to dig inside it.
"What are you doing? Can't you put a book down even on something like this?" Sirius asked, shaking his head at him.
"I happen to be looking up some of the possible spells that could be controlling the storm, as well as which species of sea serpents that might be in the area. I'd rather find out what we're dealing with now so that we're not blindly sailing into a desperate situation," Severus snapped.
"Good plan," Anna agreed. "I think I'm going to go up on deck and get some sun."
"I wonder what there is to eat around here?" Sirius asked.
"Rather good question. I think I'll see if the Merrows will let me explore the kitchen," Sagittari said, heading down the small hallway.
"Great! I guess I'll go up and see if I can't help out somehow," Sirius said, heading up the stairs. Severus rolled his eyes.
"I liked him better when he was seasick," Severus grunted. "Why is everyone acting like this is a pleasure cruise?
"Now, Severus," Jennifer chuckled. "You can't expect everyone to have their nose in a book," she said, taking a couple of the tomes out of the stack. "Do you think this place he knows about is the right one?"
"Hard to say. Although, I'm not sure what else it would be," Severus admitted. "It'd be just our luck if this will simply uncover some other ancient fool's mystery that you decide to preoccupy yourself with all of next year."
"That's not funny, Severus," Jennifer said, chuckling in spite of herself. "It's not like we've had any real close calls this year… well, unless you want to count the fact that you spent time in prison for something you didn't do, or Corey's little Chamber of Secrets adventure. Overall, it's been a quiet year."
"As far as I'm concerned, it's not over yet," Severus said, turning back to his book. "Hm. None of the storm spells in here have even half the range needed to enclose a space as large as what Finn is estimating, and all of them draw on actual weather patterns. There's no way any of these can be permanently maintained without effecting the weather in this part of the world as a whole."
"Well, maybe it has been and it's just been there so long that nobody realizes it?" Jennifer suggested.
"No, I don't think so. I have a feeling Ireland would be a desert by now if it were. Are there any dark spells that can harness the kind of power needed for this?"
"That can be this powerful and destructive, yes, but be self maintaining, no," Jennifer said. "Sooner or later, the storm would run its course."
"Maybe it's using the water beneath it to refuel itself," Severus mused, "Or perhaps the spell only triggers when someone comes too close to the area. If so, that means it may have time to build up strength."
"That would be a very complex spell. I can't see how anything like that could possibly be accomplished without someone actively casting it," Jennifer replied.
"Try not to think of it in modern terms," Severus said. "The Fomorians were magi skilled in ancient elemental magic. Water to vapor to water… it's still water… therefore, the spell itself is nothing more than a single guardian spell which may or may not be sentient, but the fact that it gets stronger in certain areas may indicate it has some sort of mock intelligence."
"I see. Fascinating," Jennifer said in slight awe, trying to figure out exactly how she could do something similar with Dark Magic, then finally shook her head. "Well, at least it's another indication that we have the right island. We know that the Fomorians are probably involved somehow. But how do we get past it?"
"That's what I am attempting to figure out before we get there," Severus said, carefully picking up a different tome out of the pile.
Jennifer awoke to the sound of thunder and the tossing of the boat, sitting up from where she fell asleep on the couch. Lanterns swayed above her, and no one else seemed to be around, making her feel a tad claustrophobic. Carefully working her way up the stairs, she opened the door only to get a spray of rain in her face, and she went back down long enough to grab her cloak before braving the storm again. Everything outside of the range of the swinging lanterns was pitch black, except for a curious glow at the very front of the ship. Jennifer stumbled cautiously towards, only to realize that the glow was Anna, standing at the prow. Seeing Anna like that reminded her of stories of ghost ships that they had studied in school. Jennifer got an eerie chill, wondering if it wasn't a bad omen. She felt a hand around her elbow and looked up to see Severus, pointing his wand at her feet. The soles of her shoes suddenly turned into a liquid rubber that stuck firmly to the deck.
"You shouldn't be out here. You'd be better off below," Severus shouted over the storm.
"How long have we been in this?" Jennifer asked, ignoring the comment.
"Not long but it's already getting worse. I think the storm knows we're here," Severus answered. "You have your broom on you if something goes wrong, right?"
"Severus, I am not flying over water. Especially at night," Jennifer said firmly.
"You may not have a choice," Severus replied before walking forward. Jennifer slowly followed, trying to get used to the effort it took to get her shoe off the ground as she trudged behind him, shivering in the cold rain.
The Merrows had several searchlights pointed in the water, and although they weren't quite as bright as the glow coming off of Anna, they still helped widen the Captain's sight distance from where he stood in the pilot's room. Sirius stood beside Anna, looking at her with slight concern but not saying a word, his knuckles white on the banister as spray from the angry seas reached up in attempt to knock them off their feet. The boat turned slowly, trying to keep the storm from beating directly against it, but every time the Captain turned the boat, the wind would change direction, trying to push it farther away.
"We're not makin' much leeway," Finn shouted from the open window. "We cannae fight this. We've slowed to a crawl and soon going to be backpeddlin' for sure," he said just as a horrible sound came from the ship itself. "Christ save us all from a death like this!"
"This is no time for Longfellow!" Severus snapped. "And I for one have no intention of going down with the ship." Jennifer watched as he pushed his way further forward, taking out his wand. "Finn! Anchor this tub! Sirius, make sure this ship doesn't go anywhere no matter what happens."
"What are you going to do?" Sirius demanded, but Severus didn't answer. He took out his wand, standing on the other side of Anna. Sirius quickly followed suit, ready for anything. A strange dark look came over Severus' face as he began intoning a spell that Jennifer had never heard before and in a language she had never heard before either. A chill went down her back that was not caused by the rain, and although she knew the spell being cast was not a dark one, there was something of significant power building. Right in front the boat, darkness began to appear just on the edge of the light's range, the swirling blackness getting larger and larger. Sirius cried out in surprise, realizing what it was, quickly casting every spell he could think of to steady the ship's position.
"Alarm! Alarm! Whirlpool, whirlpool!" The Merrows started shouting to each other. "Hang on to your hats!"
"NO abandoning ship before I says so!" the captain barked, his senses completely consumed with feeling the ship's movement in the tossing water, ready to give the word at any moment.
The dark whirlpool grew larger and larger as Severus' voice grew louder. Sagittari joined Sirius in steadying the boat as Jennifer stepped up beside Anna. The storm was slowly weakening, its power partially disrupted, and Jennifer found herself looking into the large funnel being created in the water just in front of them. As she peered down in the water, saw something quite unexpected… a dark spire that didn't look like wreckage at all. It wasn't a building of wood, plastic, or metal, but of stone.
Suddenly the storm ceased, and the abrupt loss of the wind made them lean sharply forward, nearly knocking Sirius off the edge. Severus had also stopped what he was doing and was slumped on the rail. Anna reached over and took his hand, the glow leaving her. Jennifer slipped off her shoes and rushed over to Severus, noticing how grey his face was.
"Severus! Are you all right?" Jennifer asked.
"Just… rather tired," he admitted, gratefully accepting Jennifer's support.
"Anna?" Sirius asked, going over to her.
"He overdid it," Anna explained. "I'm tired too."
"We'd better get them downstairs so I can take a look at them," Sagittari said.
"Look sharp! We've got company!" Finn hollered out the window, making them all look up. "And whatever it is, it's big."
"How big?" Sirius asked. As if in answer, the boat lurched to the side as something bumped into it. A moment later a huge serpent's head appeared over the side of the ship, as large as the pilot cabin, letting out a horrendous cry. "Oh boy."
"Jennifer, get him downstairs!" Sagittari barked.
"Wait, let me try to talk to it," Severus said weakly.
"I don't think he's in the mood for talking," Jennifer said, leading him downstairs.
"Odd, rather far north for his species," Sagittari said calmly.
Just then, a monstrous tail came slashing over the side and across the top of the boat snapping off the antennas and dish off. "Don't worry. They don't eat meat typically," the centaur informed them.
"I don't think he cares!" Sirius yelled at the centaur, taking out the wand and casting a ball of fire at the serpent, hitting it on the nose. It cried out in pain, lurching its head back and closing its eyes, shaking it fiercely. The boat lurched again, and this it time was nearly forced onto its side.
"You're only making him madder," Anna said.
"Then someone else do something!" Sirius yelled.
Sagittari got in his bag and got out a large tuning fork, tapping it on the side of one of the poles of the trap rigging. A low, barely audible tone emanated from the fork, and with the help of a resonance spell, it began to increase. Although the others standing on the deck couldn't tell much of a difference other than feeling an odd thrumming, all of the Merrows were holding their ears, pulling their hats down lower on their heads.
The serpent cried out again, futilely snapping at the centaur who easily stepped out of the way. Frustrated, the serpent leapt out over the forward deck of the boat. It splashed into the water on the other side, its massive body visible overhead for several seconds before its tail finally appeared, splashing down into the ocean with such force that the boat lurched in the other direction. Water poured onto the deck and it nearly capsized again, and it would have had the Merrows not all rushed to the higher side of the deck to counterbalance it. Taking their cue, the others did the same and the boat finally righted itself in the water.
"I think I'm beginning to really hate boats," Sirius grumbled.
"I hope this doesn't mean you plan to cancel our cruise next year," Anna said, earning a dirty look from her husband. "What did you do, anyhow? I thought serpents can't hear."
"Common misconception," Sagittari said calmly. "They have very sensitive hearing, especially to low tones, and sea serpents have even better hearing than most so they can hear at great distances underwater. I am glad I thought to bring this along."
"If I'd known that tip earlier, it might have helped. I had some sound equipment on board that probably would have scared it away," Finn said, wringing out his cap then mopping off his head. "Of course, that was before the thing took off my radial, but it explains why I never seen one before."
"Yes, they hear them coming," Sagittari agreed. "But I believe the Serpent is gone now."
"Then we'd better try to figure out where we are," the captain said, his head disappearing back inside.
"I'll be over to assist you in a moment," Sagittari assured him, going down the stairs. Anna and Sirius followed him inside. The floor was wet from spray but everything looked intact, and a lone Merrow was busy trying to clean it. Jennifer sat on one of the long couches, while Severus was snoring on the couch.
"It looks like we got a sea serpent in here too," Sirius smirked.
"He just collapsed," Jennifer said as Sagittari came and took his wrist. "I've never seen him so tired. What happened to the sea serpent?"
"Sagittari gave him an earache," Anna explained, plopping tiredly down on the opposite couch.
"And what exactly happened to you out there, Anna? Why were you glowing?" Jennifer asked.
"I felt something in the storm, a presence almost," Anna said.
"Something evil?" Sirius asked with a frown.
"No, not like that…not like how I felt with the Wraith or anything. This was sort of familiar but suspicious," Anna said, looking slightly puzzled. "Honestly, I'm not sure what I felt. But whatever it was, it's definitely in front of us."
"It also doesn't seem too hospitable of strangers," Sirius said.
"I think Severus will be alright," Sagittari said at last. "The spell that he had cast overextended him past his normal limits. His magic will probably be weak for a few days, but I'm sure he'll recuperate quickly enough."
"It does us leave another person short if whatever we're up against decides to try and throw something else at us. Watch, something else will happen now," Sirius said.
Just then there was a jolt and a loud noise, and the Merrow rushed out of the room and up the stairs.
"Would you stop saying stuff like that?" Anna said, hurrying up the stairs.
"What did I do?" Sirius asked, following her up. The captain was standing to the port side of the ship along with several Merrows, looking down.
"We've run into something…rock, wreckage, something. There are a lot of strange formations underwater here and it's fairly shallow, but finding out what we're looking at is impossible in this darkness. We're going to have to wait until morning," Finn explained. "I put a wee spell on it so it won't flood us out while we're sleeping, and the Merrows will watch it. I think it's best if you just get rest while you can."
"Sir, considering what we've been through, perhaps we should put up a regular wizard watch as well," Sagittari suggested. "I can take the first shift. I would like to see if this sky will clear enough long enough for me to get a reading."
"All right then, if you feel you're up to it," Finn nodded. "I'd better get a few winks before dawn. There's some rollout beds under the couches if you need them."
Sirius and Anna went back downstairs, but found Jennifer had already fallen asleep where she had been sitting.
"Guess she must not have been too worried," Sirius chuckled.
"I don't blame her for being worn out, I know I am," Anna said, leaning into Sirius as the two of them sat down. Just then, Severus snored again, and Sirius frowned, taking out his wand and casting "Quietus mute" on him.
"There, now maybe we can sleep," Sirius grunted. "I have a feeling we're going to need all the rest we can get."