Chapter Twenty-Nine
The Secret of the Isle
Jennifer awoke fairly early, too uncomfortable to sleep any longer. She sat up and stretched, glancing around. Dark canvas curtains had been pulled over the windows to dim the cabin. Sirius, curled up in his dog form, was sleeping on one couch, while Severus was still sleeping on the other end of her own couch, unusually quiet. Even Sagittari had managed to find a suitable resting spot on a comfortable rug, piling up the day table with pillows to rest his head. She rolled to her feet and went upstairs, smelling the aroma of strong coffee coming from the pilot's cabin. Inside, Captain Finn greeted her cheerfully, offering her a cup, which she took gratefully.
"The damage isn't as bad as it looked last night," Finn told her as she gingerly scooted some maps to the side to get to the sugar bowl. "We should be ready to head out whenever need be."
"Have you seen Anna this morning?" Jennifer asked.
"Aye, she went out with some of the Merrows to take a swim and to look at the ruins near the shore," Finn said.
"Really? Are you sure that's wise?" Jennifer said, frowning.
"I haven't seen much sign of life out there beside birds and fish," Finn said. "Of course, all my Muggle equipment is down, no thanks t' the sea serpent, so I can't see much. But the Merrows know the sea like no other. I'm sure they'll keep an eye on her."
But after she finished her cup of coffee and the boys had still not awoken, Jennifer decided to do some exploring along the beach, hoping to meet up with Anna on shore.
Severus woke up with a start as someone shook him, whipping out his wand and positioning it at Sirius' nose before realizing who it was. Severus yelled something, and then faltered when nothing came out of his mouth.
"Oh yeah," Sirius said, taking out his own wand quickly as a small flash of light hit Severus.
"Why was I silenced?" Severus demanded.
"Never mind that, the girls are missing," Sirius said in an overly loud voice.
"What do you mean they're missing?" Severus said and sat up, grabbing his watch and then glancing at his ring.
"Anna got it into her head to go swimming of all things, and I guess Jennifer went after her. I woke up to find Jennifer had been gone for an hour, and Anna nearly two."
"Jennifer seems to be all right at the moment, although she may not be when I'm done with her," Severus muttered.
"What about Anna?"
"How should I know? Haven't you had the sense to get a watch?" Severus snapped.
"We've never needed the watch. Normally I just… well, find her," Sirius said, not knowing how to explain. "But this time I can't. Something must be really wrong. The captain says none of the Merrows that went with her have returned either."
"The stars hold great danger for Anna today," Sagittari said as he got to his feet. "And danger for us all, if we're not careful. I saw within the sky the unraveling of a great mystery, and we must face an obstacle on the way to finding what we seek."
"The Cauldron, or Anna?" Severus asked, frowning at the vague prediction.
"Whatever it is that we seek," Sagittari shrugged. "Both, I'd imagine."
"Come on, let's get moving. The sooner we find her, the happier I'll be," Sirius said.
"One moment, let me write a note in case Jennifer comes back here," Severus said, taking out a piece of paper and a Never-dry Quill from his cloak.
"You mean Jennifer or Anna, don't you?" Sirius said, frowning.
"No, I'm not sure Anna can come back, if she hasn't already," Severus admitted. "I believe you're right. Something within me is telling me that she's in trouble. I think it'd be only prudent to assume that she's in trouble until we know otherwise." Finishing the note he quickly sealed it, putting on his cloak. "Let's go," Severus said, and the three of them hurried up the stairs.
The trail up to the ruins was steep and narrow with finished stone stairs interspersed with rugged inclined trails. But after hours of sprinting up the stairs at Hogwarts, Jennifer wasn't about to let that stop her. Not only could she get a good look at the ruins, but she could also get a fair view of the island. As she climbed, she had heard a braying sound. Halfway to the top, she finally saw the source of of the noise; some shaggy but generally healthy-looking goats walked along the rocky cliffs, never getting too close to her. There was no goat herder that she could see; perhaps the goats were castaways from a forgotten time, left generations ago by whoever first built the ruins.
But the ruins didn't appear to her to be as old as she had originally assumed they were. In fact, although crumbled and worn with age, they looked barely older than the school itself. As she finally got to the top, a sweet smell reached her nose, and after working her way through a brush-filled archway, she found herself standing in what once must have been a courtyard.
Apple trees crowded together inside the tiny area, like students on benches, pushing and shoving to try and get the best view of the sky. Small apples, still mostly green, were dangling off the branches, but Jennifer quickly noticed that some were already beginning to ripen. Carefully working her way through to one of the trees near the center of the courtyard, Jennifer plucked one of the apples and smelled it cautiously. But just before she could take a bite, a strange force hit her hand and the apple shot out of it and to the ground. She heard someone's harsh voice behind her speaking in a language that was familiar, but she didn't quite understand.
"Pu don willan na aeppel! Pu don weorph lif?"
"What?" Jennifer asked in confusion, turning around. A shadow from behind her suddenly moved to the side and manifested; a tall ghost with flashing eyes that reminded her of her father, wearing tattered robes. And even though he was not quite what she remembered from the memory and had a rough, shaggy auburn beard, there could be no doubt at all who the man was. "Janus Craw!" she exclaimed.
The ghost was quite startled then, and asked her a question that she didn't quite understand, but she was facing him now and could see his eyes.
"Who am I? I'm from Hogwarts, I'm Jennifer Craw," she said, but apparently he was having trouble understanding her as well, although he did seem to understand Hogwarts well enough. Why didn't she think of this before? He hadn't had any exposure at all to the modern tongues, and she had just assumed she'd be able to talk to him as easily as she would a normal Hogwarts ghost. She was pondering whether or not it was safe to take the translation potion she had on her when he switched to Latin.
"Are you a witch from Hogwarts?" he asked. Jennifer suddenly smiled.
"Yes, of course, I'm Jennifer Craw, your descendant. I'm a Professor there," she answered. He lit up.
"You can understand me! I should have known Latin would be the common language by now," he said.
"Actually, it's not," Jennifer admitted with a grin.
"Your accent is rather strange."
"It's rather strange to everyone. I grew up in America," Jennifer chuckled.
"America? What is that?" he asked.
"Oh. Well, it's the land west of here," Jennifer explained. Janus frowned at her.
"There's no land west of here," he said.
"I guess you have a lot of catching up to do," Jennifer realized.
"What are you doing here? And who is the Keeper now? Or do you know who that is?" Janus asked.
"I'm the Keeper," Jennifer said.
"You? But, you're a woman," he said horrified. "It wasn't supposed to go to you," Jennifer glared at him.
"I'm also the last of the Craw line," Jennifer said sternly. "And I'm married, well, maybe that's rather obvious," Jennifer said sheepishly. "To Severus Snape. I still go by Craw because he's a Professor as well." Janus looked crestfallen.
"The last of my line. What a depressing thought," he said. "But never mind that, you're in danger here. The Fomorians know you're here, and it won't be long before they move in to try and exterminate you and whoever you came with before you alert the outside world of their presence."
"The Fomorians are here?" Jennifer asked. "But I haven't seen anything on this island but goats all the while I've been on it."
"You're looking in the wrong direction," Janus said, turning and floating through the trees. "Follow me."
Working her way around the orchard, Jennifer met up with Janus on the other side, climbing up a short set of steps onto the top of a small square tower. From there the cliff was nearly sheer, and she looked down at a narrow beach before the open ocean. Jagged shadows pierced the water as it reached low tide, making a treacherous area to traverse indeed.
"What do you see?" he asked. Jennifer shook her head in confusion, looking back towards the ghost, who gazed out solemnly over the ocean. "I see the top of a great city. A city long sought, a city hidden by legend and time as much as spell and ocean. A civilization of giant magicians long thought dead, but they are still there, hoping for a day when the world will finally accept them as nothing but a dream and forget them."
Jennifer stared out at the water for a long time, a chill going down her spine as realization finally set in, barely daring to say the words that made that realization come to life.
"Great stars… this isn't Avalon. It's Atlantis!"
"Yes, it came to me as a bit of a surprise too," Janus said, watching her steadily with a slight smile. "I once thought as you did that this, as the old legends said, was the way to Avalon. And it was once, up here, in that orchard. Avalon is not in this world… it never was. It is but another name for Tir Na Nog, and those trees in the orchard are the same that grow there, marking the doorway that once led there. But Merlin knew that as long as that door was open, war between the Fomorians and those beyond it would be eminent. So this portal was shut forever, and the Callum Seal was once again broken by Merlin's own hand, giving it to the Sentinels to protect. Something which I failed miserably at," Janus grunted.
"The Cauldron?" she asked.
"It is in the hands of the Fomorians. There is no getting it back now. Many forms of magic do not work in their city, and they can smell the blood of their enemies from miles away. If that is what you're here for, you should turn around now."
"I'm not going back without the Cauldron," Jennifer said firmly. "I'd better warn the others… oh no. Anna! She went swimming this morning! Good heavens!"
"Where are you going? It's suicide to go down there," he warned her.
"Anna is my sister-in-law. She's family, and I was always taught not to abandon family," Jennifer snapped at him, her eyes flashing as she headed down the stairs.
"I suppose she is a Craw after all," Janus mused, following behind her.
At the shore Janus waited while Jennifer hopped on the skiff heading back to the ship, watching the water carefully on her way. Several Merrows were there to help her up, yelling to the captain who looked at her thoughtfully.
"They're gone, Jennifer. They went to look for Anna, for she hasn't come back yet," the captain said. "Your husband left you a message, and bade me to tie you to the cabin if you went anywhere," he admitted. But Jennifer headed down into the cabin to glance at the note and she sighed when she read it.
We have gone to retrieve Anna, I trust if you are reading this note that you have successfully retrieved yourself. STAY THERE until we return. ~Severus.
But as she put it down, wondering what to do, she happened to glance down at her ring, and then frowned at it, pulling out her watch. Her face paled as her fears were realized, for the needle was definitely pointing at "Mortal Peril." Gnawing on her lip a moment, it didn't take her long to come to a decision. Quickly she opened Sirius and Anna's trunk, grabbing a cloak. Taking out the tome that she had seen him reading the night before, she put it in her own cloak pocket and went back to the shore.
Deep below the surface of the ocean, in a marble cell with only cold stone slabs to rest on, Severus paced, trying to clear his head as he thought about what they had been through already that day.
They had walked along the shore until Sagittari spied some unusually large footprints in the sand, and since it had rained the night before, there could be little doubt they were fresh. Cautiously they had followed them, fairly surprised when the footsteps disappeared into the sea. Severus had noticed an unusually flat rock just below the surface ,and as he inspected it, he realized not only that it was marble, but another lie just below it, and another. That was when he brought out the Gill Potions.
Never had any of them guessed what lay below them when they submerged and looked down the large stairs. For just beyond, bathed in the greenish blue light of the sea, was a fantastic city. Tall statues of giants in togas stood with crossed spears at the bottom, meant as both an entrance and a warning. Perhaps they should have been more cautious, Severus mused, but even he couldn't help but be in awe of their discovery, wanting a closer look and quite certain that if Anna had seen it, she also would have gone to investigate. Sirius must have come to the same conclusion as well, for he began to move ahead of them.
Sirius swam through the archway only to find himself standing in a gigantic hallway with open air, and was completely dry. Slightly disoriented, he took out his wand just as Severus and Sagittari appeared beside him.
"We need some sort of cover. Wait a moment," Severus said, quickly getting out his chameleon powder.
"I should have brought the cloak with me," Sirius muttered.
"Well, it's too late now. Here, put this on," Severus snapped, and the three of them dusted themselves with the powder, slowly fading to blend in with their surroundings. "Try to be relatively quiet, we don't know how well these Fomorians can hear, but I would gather quite a bit."
"She's here, Severus," Sirius' voice said a moment after he'd blended in. "I know she is."
"I thought I told you to be quiet," Severus snapped. "Keep a hand on Sagittari so we don't lose each other. I'll lead."
"No, you don't know where she is, I'll lead," Sirius insisted.
"If you both insist on using me as a group guide, I'll lead," Sagittari said sounding testy. "And whoever that is had better get their hand off my rump. Thank you."
As they went up the walkway, Sagittari noticed four figures sitting near the arch on the other side of the hall. The two figures that were standing were actually statues, wearing long robes and made of marble, their hands meeting to form crossing lightning bolts. Underneath the statues, sitting in roughly hewn chairs of driftwood, were two very bored looking Fomorian guards, holding crossbows as tall as Sagittari. They were talking in an ancient yet familiar language. After listening to them for a while, Sagittari realized it reminded him of Ancient Greek; perhaps it was even an Eteocretan language. Suddenly something was put in his hand and Sagittari realized it was a potion. He took a drink and passed it to Sirius. Within moments, the words became clear.
"It's not like they even need the minotaurs to guard her in her condition. She isn't going anywhere so long as the Harp's on her."
"Waste of resources if you ask me. I want to know why we haven't gone and taken out that floater yet."
"I don't know, but I have better things to do than pulling guard duty," the guard said, sniffing the air. "Odd. It's that smell again." The other guard sniffed too, standing up and unlatching his crossbow.
"Merlin blood. And I don't think it's coming from the prisoners this time."
Sagittari froze, not daring to go any further as they stood up.
"I think there's more than one of them too," the guard added.
"Maybe we should go tell the guard captain," the other said nervously.
"What, and leave our post?" the guard said. "Besides, most of them stories about wizards and all that are rubbish. Did you see the size of them? If they're any example, they should be easy enough to squash."
"I don't like it, Jason. All these Merlin bloods showing up at once... I think it's a sign."
"Yeah, it's a sign we need a new Governor," Jason agreed. He took a few steps forward, and Sagittari quickly moved to one side, the other two following suit, while someone, Sirius perhaps, tried to coast them closer to the arch. "It's stronger over here, Thero. I think they might be at the entrance."
"Well, no Merlin blood is going to get by us," Thero snorted.
For a moment, Sagittari thought they were quite wrong, finally managing to come up behind them and lead the others through the arch. But the moment they crossed the threshold, a loud noise like the blowing of a giant conch shell echoed through the halls. The guards spun around with crossbows ready, diving for the door as the three raced to get out of the way. It didn't take the two guards long to figure out which direction they were headed, turning down the right passage and barreling past the urn that the three of them had dove behind.
"Do you have anything to cover up scents?" Sagittari whispered to Severus.
"And if you do why haven't you been using them all these years?" Sirius added.
"Disguise yes, cover up completely, no. And Sirius, if you don't have anything useful to add to the conversation, keep your trap shut."
But their short conversation had been more than enough, they realized, as a shadow fell over them and a large net swooped down around them.
And then, there they were, stuck behind bars, when Anna was apparently being held somewhere else and under and influence of a harp, whatever that meant. Severus glanced at his ring, sighing slightly. Well, she was worried, but at least she was safe. Sirius was hardly helpful. He had turned into a dog immediately upon entering the cell. Sagittari had gratefully accepted the role of keeping track of the guard's movements at Severus' suggestion, while Severus tried to formulate a way out of there. He stood be the bars, tapping his fingers on them with irritation. It was all up to him now, he was certain.
Just then he felt a warm, caressing hand touch his, rubbing his ring lightly. He grasped it, glancing around, but the guards were nowhere to be seen, having been called down the hallway.
"I thought I told you to stay on the boat," Severus said stern low voice.
"The watch told me you were in trouble. Let me try and figure out how to get you out of here," Jennifer said.
"No, you need to get yourself out of here. The giants have a keen sense of smell. It's a wonder that you got in this far," Severus murmured. "Don't try to throw any potions at them. I tried that, and they seem to be immune. I only succeeded in getting my cloak confiscated."
"I've passed by a number of them already and they haven't sensed me at all," Jennifer said. "Let me try and figure out this lock."
"No, wait, find Anna first. If you release us first, they'll be watching her like a hawk," Severus hissed.
"I don't think I can get to Anna. I heard them say she's –"
Severus hissed again, cutting her off as Sagittari signaled that the guards were coming back. The hand slipped away, and Severus quickly walked over to where Sagittari and Sirius were, looking at him curiously.
"Jennifer's here," Severus explained to them. Sirius turned back to human form, looking at him.
"Did you tell her what happened with the potion?" Sirius asked.
"Briefly."
"Maybe she can help us get our wands back at least," Sagittari suggested.
"Sagittari, you forget, I tried to Stupefy them and nothing happened. Flash didn't even work," Sirius said.
"Yes, and neither did my enchantment spell, they do seem to have an immunity to light and wild magics," Sagittari agreed. "At least you were able to get off your choking spell, Severus."
"Yes, and they nearly killed us right then because of it," Sirius pointed out. "Even if we do get out of here, it's going to be nearly impossible to get Anna and escape without outside help."
"Quiet down! Stop with the foreign talk!" One of the guards growled as they came in, clanging the bars with a long metal rod. "Bad enough these two don't seem to speak anything else!" Severus looked over curiously as two guards dragged a pair of haggard looking wizards with them in heavy chains, opening a cell across from them and throwing the two of them in. "Don't worry, it'll be your turn soon enough," the guard sneered at them, heading back out.
Severus squinted across at the other two men, instantly recognizing one of them. He glanced back at Sagittari until he finally nodded, then headed to the corner closest to the other cell.
"Balmweed? What the devil are you doing here?" Severus asked.
"Professor Snape! Doctor Sagittari! And Mr. Black?" The board vice chairman looked across with surprise and relief. "Thank goodness, Dumbledore has sent someone to save us!"
"Actually, we had our own reasons for coming. Who is with you?"
"Bronan Tubbins, sir. From Wizardday Publishing," the other wizard spoke. "We went on a fishing expedition and were waylaid by Fomorians. And what exactly are you doing here?"
"My wife took us on a fishing expedition and we were waylaid by Fomorians," Severus answered dryly back. Severus smelled smoke and looked over to the door where the lock was sizzling and hurried over.
"It doesn't seem to be doing anything," Jennifer whispered when he got there. "Whatever these bars are made of, they're not very corrosive."
"Can you manage to get our wands?" Sirius asked as he stepped over.
"Or at least mine," Severus said. "They seem to be immune to all but dark and ancient magic." Severus heard a sigh.
"I wish I could use magic right now. It would certainly make things a lot simpler," Jennifer said.
"Wait a minute," Sirius said, glancing at Severus. "Why don't you wish Jennifer could use magic right now?"
"That wouldn't be very wise," Sagittari suddenly interjected. "Severus hasn't recovered from that last ancient spell he cast, and wishes pull directly from the strength of the person making it. It would likely drain him completely."
"Sirius, the only sort of the W. magic I have been able to do was to harm people, not help them. No W. I've made of good intent has ever came true," Severus said.
"What about last year, when you wished to you had more time to discuss certain things with me down in the cave?" Jennifer pointed out.
"That came true because of you, not me," Severus said. "All of the good things that have happened to me have come about because of you."
"But I couldn't have done any of that without you," Jennifer said softly. "Certainly none of it could have happened, none of all the trials we've been though would have worked out if you hadn't wanted it as well." Severus grew quiet, wanting to see her eyes right now, even knowing how they must be looking at him.
"All right. Let's try it," Severus said, closing his eyes.
"Just be careful," Sagittari said.
But Severus' thoughts had already turned to Jennifer, pulling out strong memories and emotions of her to help build the want…the need for his wish to come true. Nothing else mattered at that moment…not where he was, not the Cauldron or school or friends, not even his own life, all that mattered was the giving of this single gift… no matter what the price. Take from me what you will, he thought to himself, but grant her that which will at least give her and our child a way to escape.
"I wish for Jennifer to have her magic while pregnant and that no harm will come to her child because of it." The wish was spoken softly, distinctly, and at first only seemed to me mere words. But Severus heard the echo of them building in the back of his mind, and the sudden familiar rush of the emotions that he had called burst out of him, so very much like the first time. But this time, as he collapsed to the ground, there was none of the dark horror and shock that he had felt before. This time there was only exhausted triumph and a sense of peace of mind.
Jennifer felt a wave hit her, washing over her like a passionate embrace, the emotion permeating through her causing a wave of powerful memories to surface and leaving her tingling with energy.
Sirius tried to catch Severus as he lurched backward from the backlash of his wish, lowering his unconscious form to the ground.
"Jennifer? Are you all right?" Sagittari asked, kneeling beside Severus with concern.
"Yes, just a little dizzy. Severus?"
"Still with us, as least," Sagittari said somberly. "He's going to need undisturbed rest for a few days."
"Look sharp, guards coming, and others," Sirius warned. Sagittari got to his hooves just as an older Fomorian in robes walked into the prison, glancing at Balmweed's cell a moment before turning to the other one, squinting.
"What happened here?" the Magus demanded.
"Happened, sir?" Sirius asked.
"The correct term is Magus," the Magus said. "There was a burst of magical energy here. What caused it?" he was eyeing Severus closely, noting his pallid color with a suspicious frown.
"Wasn't me," Sirius shrugged.
"Magus, my friend is ill, might we be able to have some water?" Sagittari asked.
"Oh you'll get water," he said coldly, "Or a drink at any rate. Guards, bring them to the Governor. Drag them if they won't walk. And once they're delivered, prepare the other two for their execution and then get ready for another storm. There will be no sign of the visitors when we're done cleaning this mess up."
As they left, Jennifer hurried over to the other cell, taking out her wand and praying quietly that it was going to work. Cautiously she counted to three before casting a complicated unlocking spell. A wan white light burst out of the wand and the door clicked, opening slightly. The two men inside looked at it in obvious surprise, and then jumped back in alarm as Jennifer's head appeared in front of them.
"Hurry, we don't have much time," she said, handing a pair of phials out to them. "This one is an Owl transfiguration and the other is a speed potion. Make two rights out of the cellblock then a left, then fly straight down the corridor to get to the water. If you make it, head northeast along the beach to the fishing boat, Dorset Finn is the captain."
"But our wands, our books…"
"Never mind that now, just save yourselves. They're going to execute you," Jennifer said impatiently, pulling her hood back on. She quickly turned to try and catch up with the others, barely looking up as the two owls raced down the hallway, hugging the tall ceiling. She turned the other direction and hurried down the main corridor, passing several guards with bullheads, staring intently into the hallway. But the minotaurs seemed no more aware of her than the Formorians and she passed between them. Then she found a marble stairway leading up to an arch made of tall white pillars. Just as she was about to go up, she noticed corridors on either side of the stairs. The left was but an open corridor, but the right was heavily guarded. Minotaurs stood outside the corridor itself, and another pair stood by an open door at the end of it. Gnawing on her lip, she continued on up the stairs and into a huge hall that was easily twice the size of the Great Hall and filled with long marble pillars that rose to support the high stone ceilings.
But the only thing in the room that truly left Jennifer in awe was the item placed upon a stone pillar on the dais at the front of the Hall. It was none other than Dagda's Cauldron.