"But it's impossible!" Hermione cried, massaging her knuckles in to her forehead.
"Why is it impossible?" Ron asked, equally exasperated.
Harry, Ron, Hermione, Jessica, and Amanda sat around the fire in the Common Room. Amanda still couldn't believe where she was. Jessica understood how she felt. All Amanda was capable of doing was sitting and staring with her mouth open, taking in her surroundings.
"It's impossible," Hermione said, "because the incantation we said before the spell made it impossible for anyone that didn't have his blood in them to activate the Portkey!" She shook her head, apparently bewildered.
There was a long silence. Finally Amanda found her voice.
"But how could it have brought me here then?" she asked in a cracked whisper.
Jessica turned to her. "Well, are you related to Mr. Elithab in any way?"
Amanda shook her head. "No," she said quietly, "And even if I was, how come it didn't take my mom when she touched it. She said she'd tried to take it over, but he hadn't been home."
Jessica was a little shocked. "Mr. Elithab wasn't home?" she asked incredulously. Everyone in Poland knew that if he wasn't at his house, he was at school. He simply didn't go anywhere else. It was even a mystery how he got his groceries, but everyone just assumed that he had someone bring them to him.
Amanda nodded. "I thought that was strange too," she said.
"We must have made a mistake with the spell," Ron said, shrugging.
"I don't think so," Harry said slowly.
"Well there's no other logical explanation!" Hermione snapped. It seemed like she was turning her confusion in to frustration.
"Wait a minute," Jessica said suddenly, as a thought struck her. "Amanda," she said turning to her, "Didn't your mom just get remarried a few years ago?" Amanda nodded, not understanding what Jessica was getting at. "Well," Jessica pressed on, "What about your real father? What do you know about his past?"
Amanda looked down at her hands, thinking very hard.
"Well," she began slowly, "I know that his parents were very strange. They disappeared when he was seven or so, and he never saw them again. He ended up being raised by his grandparents. I remember when I was doing a family tree last year, I called him to find out about his past. He didn't say anything for a long time, and when he finally did, all he would tell me is that our family was completely untraceable," she stopped for a moment, still thinking. Then as a thought stuck her, she said suddenly, "And when I asked if mom could tell me anything about it, he got really mad and said that she wouldn't because he didn't know himself." Amanda looked at them and cocked her head. "Come to think of it," she said slowly, "He acted really strange on the phone that day."
Jessica sat staring at Amanda. "The same thing happened when I asked my mom about her past, she wouldn't give me any answers..."
"But that can't mean...", Amanda began
"Yes, it does," Jessica said suddenly, "You're related to one of the Auror's. You're another descendent."
Suddenly, Jessica winced and grabbed her neck.
"What is it? What's wrong?" Hermione asked urgently.
Jessica just shook her head, she felt as though someone had closed of the base of her throat. She gasped for breath, and tried to focus her eyes. Everything was going blurry, she couldn't breathe.
As they watched, she started to slide off of the chair. Realizing what was going to happen, Harry's Quidditch reflexes kicked in. He dove forward and caught her as she fell to the floor. He propped her up on the chair, and started shaking her to get her to wake up.
She was moving her mouth, but no sounds were coming out. Her eyes slid out of focus, and suddenly, she started to speak.
"It's coming," she whispered in a voice very unlike her own. It was harsh and low, and clearly startled everyone sitting around her.
"What's coming?" Ron asked slowly, looking at Harry.
Harry shrugged and turned back to Jessica. He shook her gently again.
Her head lolled to the side, and she once again started speaking in that strange voice. "The three united will fall. Their blood will spill on the Forest floor. Beware putsh helta noct ami." Harry let go of her shoulders and sat back on his heels. He didn't know what to do, but as he watched Jessica, her head snapped up.
"What?" she asked looking at their startled faces.
"A rune," Hermione said, somewhat scared, "You just said an ancient rune that didn't make any sense..."
Jessica was confused. She reached up and touched her neck.
"It's the strangest thing," she said awkwardly, "My scar is tingling."
Harry looked at her, then back at Amanda. "Is she big on practical jokes?" he asked, feeling somewhat stupid. He knew what had just happened had been real, but he still wanted to find a way to prove that it had not been. He watched Amanda, she shook her head slowly.
"The three united," Ron muttered under his breath.
Hermione had turned an ashen color. "It was about you three," she whispered, looking at Harry, Jessica, and Amanda, "The three united. You're all descendants. Whoever killed those Auror's wants you dead now too."
"But the rune," Ron said, still trying to work out Hermione's theory, "What did the rune mean?"
Hermione shook her head. "I don't know, but I'm going to find out."
She stood up and left the Common Room quickly.
Amanda stood up too. "I think I'll go and lie down. Jessica, can I use your room?" she asked. Jessica nodded, and Amanda left.
Ron, however, sat staring at Harry. "Harry," he said slowly, "Why didn't your scar bother you?"
Harry didn't know what to say. He didn't know either. Come to think of it, he thought suddenly, his scar hadn't been bothering him for quite some time. Infact, he had completely forgotten it was there. He turned back to Jessica. He had just opened his mouth when Ron interrupted him.
"What are we gonna tell Dumbledore?" Ron wondered aloud.
Harry hadn't thought of that. Telling Dumbledore about Amanda would mean admitting that they knew what was happening, and that they had created four illegal Portkeys. Harry grimaced. Confessing this would lead to a lot of sticky questions. Why were they listening to private conversations? Why were they in the halls after hours? And most importantly, if the professors couldn't handle it, what made them think that they, as 15 year olds, could?
Ron let out a long low whistle. "We're in big trouble."
"Why is it impossible?" Ron asked, equally exasperated.
Harry, Ron, Hermione, Jessica, and Amanda sat around the fire in the Common Room. Amanda still couldn't believe where she was. Jessica understood how she felt. All Amanda was capable of doing was sitting and staring with her mouth open, taking in her surroundings.
"It's impossible," Hermione said, "because the incantation we said before the spell made it impossible for anyone that didn't have his blood in them to activate the Portkey!" She shook her head, apparently bewildered.
There was a long silence. Finally Amanda found her voice.
"But how could it have brought me here then?" she asked in a cracked whisper.
Jessica turned to her. "Well, are you related to Mr. Elithab in any way?"
Amanda shook her head. "No," she said quietly, "And even if I was, how come it didn't take my mom when she touched it. She said she'd tried to take it over, but he hadn't been home."
Jessica was a little shocked. "Mr. Elithab wasn't home?" she asked incredulously. Everyone in Poland knew that if he wasn't at his house, he was at school. He simply didn't go anywhere else. It was even a mystery how he got his groceries, but everyone just assumed that he had someone bring them to him.
Amanda nodded. "I thought that was strange too," she said.
"We must have made a mistake with the spell," Ron said, shrugging.
"I don't think so," Harry said slowly.
"Well there's no other logical explanation!" Hermione snapped. It seemed like she was turning her confusion in to frustration.
"Wait a minute," Jessica said suddenly, as a thought struck her. "Amanda," she said turning to her, "Didn't your mom just get remarried a few years ago?" Amanda nodded, not understanding what Jessica was getting at. "Well," Jessica pressed on, "What about your real father? What do you know about his past?"
Amanda looked down at her hands, thinking very hard.
"Well," she began slowly, "I know that his parents were very strange. They disappeared when he was seven or so, and he never saw them again. He ended up being raised by his grandparents. I remember when I was doing a family tree last year, I called him to find out about his past. He didn't say anything for a long time, and when he finally did, all he would tell me is that our family was completely untraceable," she stopped for a moment, still thinking. Then as a thought stuck her, she said suddenly, "And when I asked if mom could tell me anything about it, he got really mad and said that she wouldn't because he didn't know himself." Amanda looked at them and cocked her head. "Come to think of it," she said slowly, "He acted really strange on the phone that day."
Jessica sat staring at Amanda. "The same thing happened when I asked my mom about her past, she wouldn't give me any answers..."
"But that can't mean...", Amanda began
"Yes, it does," Jessica said suddenly, "You're related to one of the Auror's. You're another descendent."
Suddenly, Jessica winced and grabbed her neck.
"What is it? What's wrong?" Hermione asked urgently.
Jessica just shook her head, she felt as though someone had closed of the base of her throat. She gasped for breath, and tried to focus her eyes. Everything was going blurry, she couldn't breathe.
As they watched, she started to slide off of the chair. Realizing what was going to happen, Harry's Quidditch reflexes kicked in. He dove forward and caught her as she fell to the floor. He propped her up on the chair, and started shaking her to get her to wake up.
She was moving her mouth, but no sounds were coming out. Her eyes slid out of focus, and suddenly, she started to speak.
"It's coming," she whispered in a voice very unlike her own. It was harsh and low, and clearly startled everyone sitting around her.
"What's coming?" Ron asked slowly, looking at Harry.
Harry shrugged and turned back to Jessica. He shook her gently again.
Her head lolled to the side, and she once again started speaking in that strange voice. "The three united will fall. Their blood will spill on the Forest floor. Beware putsh helta noct ami." Harry let go of her shoulders and sat back on his heels. He didn't know what to do, but as he watched Jessica, her head snapped up.
"What?" she asked looking at their startled faces.
"A rune," Hermione said, somewhat scared, "You just said an ancient rune that didn't make any sense..."
Jessica was confused. She reached up and touched her neck.
"It's the strangest thing," she said awkwardly, "My scar is tingling."
Harry looked at her, then back at Amanda. "Is she big on practical jokes?" he asked, feeling somewhat stupid. He knew what had just happened had been real, but he still wanted to find a way to prove that it had not been. He watched Amanda, she shook her head slowly.
"The three united," Ron muttered under his breath.
Hermione had turned an ashen color. "It was about you three," she whispered, looking at Harry, Jessica, and Amanda, "The three united. You're all descendants. Whoever killed those Auror's wants you dead now too."
"But the rune," Ron said, still trying to work out Hermione's theory, "What did the rune mean?"
Hermione shook her head. "I don't know, but I'm going to find out."
She stood up and left the Common Room quickly.
Amanda stood up too. "I think I'll go and lie down. Jessica, can I use your room?" she asked. Jessica nodded, and Amanda left.
Ron, however, sat staring at Harry. "Harry," he said slowly, "Why didn't your scar bother you?"
Harry didn't know what to say. He didn't know either. Come to think of it, he thought suddenly, his scar hadn't been bothering him for quite some time. Infact, he had completely forgotten it was there. He turned back to Jessica. He had just opened his mouth when Ron interrupted him.
"What are we gonna tell Dumbledore?" Ron wondered aloud.
Harry hadn't thought of that. Telling Dumbledore about Amanda would mean admitting that they knew what was happening, and that they had created four illegal Portkeys. Harry grimaced. Confessing this would lead to a lot of sticky questions. Why were they listening to private conversations? Why were they in the halls after hours? And most importantly, if the professors couldn't handle it, what made them think that they, as 15 year olds, could?
Ron let out a long low whistle. "We're in big trouble."