yes

(A/N Harry Potter and co., do not belong to me. Ok, I'm done. I have got to find a more intresting way to say this.)

WARNING!! This is where the story heats up, so to speak. You may want to wait for me to finish the story before you read any further. (Or, I may want you to wait because I don't want a ton of e-mails asking me what's going to happen!) You have been warned! Read at your own risk, and if you don't like it... DON'T COME WHINING TO ME!!

Harry Potter and the Staff of Time

Chapter 20

Light into Darkness

Albus Dumbledore sat alone in the waiting room of the Minister of Magic. He mentally reviewed his arguments to persuede the Minister to help the Walker family while he waited. The scratching of a mail owl at the window interrupted Albus' train of thought.

He went over to the window and opened it just long enough for the owl to fly into the room. Then he shut the window again. Albus wasn't terribly suprised to find that the owl was Hedwig, nor was he suprised to discover that the mail she carried was addressed to him.

"I suppose it would be asking too much of fate if I were to hope Mr. Potter and his friends had somehow avoided becoming ensnared in this quagmire with Lord Voldemort." Albus thought ruefully as he took the letters from Hedwig.

He patted her gently on the head, asked her to remain to carry a possible return response, then unrolled the parchment from Voldemort and read it with a growing sense of dismay. Albus was concerned about the contents of Harry's note. He heaved a deep, troubled sigh as he re-read the following:

"Professor Dumbledore,

Alex recieved the accompanying letter of demands this morning. We

attempted to find you and discuss the letter and the situation with

you, but you had already left for the Ministry of Magic. Therefore,

we decided to take matters into our own hands and hope for the best.

Fleur, Alex, Hermione, Ron, Savana, and I will have left for the Walker

family estate by the time you recieve this letter.

Please, don't try to stop, or rescue, us..."

Albus folded the messages and placed them in his pocket with a heavy heart. He dismissed Hedwig and fervently sighed his hopes for the group of would-be heros.

"Merlin, Please watch over these naive children and help them to succeed with their dangerous quest."

Then Albus went into the Minister of Magic's office, where he would attempt to effect some type of damage control for this entire fiasco.

...`~*~`...

Harry, Fleur, Alex, Savana, Ron, and Hermione, took the underground tunnel from the Whomping Willow to the Shrieking Shack. Once in the shack, they dusted themselves off and walked out to the waiting carriage.

"Well, wasn't that a lovely little walk?! We'll have to do that again sometime soon...like never again in this lifetime! I feel like a giant mole!" Savana commented cynically. She carefully checked herself for any creepy-crawlies she might have aquired during the trip.

"It got us here without our getting caught, didn't it?" Ron replied irritably. He was beginning to have second thoughts about this entire undertaking.

"I'd REALLY apprieciate it if both of you would shut your pie holes unless you have something constructive to say." Alex snapped at them. "This whole thing already sucks royal. We certainly don't need you making things worse because you feel the need to behave as though you're still in diapers!"

Savana responded by making a growling sound at her brother, but she took the hint and didn't say anything else.

They all climbed inside of the carriage and sat down. The moment they had done so, the coach sprang high into the air and began to spin rapidly. A few minutes later it landed with a 'whoomp' near the stone monuments that marked the entrance to the labyrinth on the Walker estate.

"That was a rush! Let's do it again...straight back to Hogwart's!" Savana thought sardonically as they all grabbed their things and exited the coach.

"Stop doing that! You're broadcasting all over the place!" Alex projected his thoughts toward his sister.

"SO-RRY!" Savana thought back to Alex. She wondered if she had ever been more miserable in her life than now.

Harry, Alex, and Savana looked over toward the house is dismay. Most of the wing containing the attic where Merlin's things had been stored, was destroyed. The ruins still smoldered. Whisps of smoke still rose from the blackened rubble and the acrid smell of stale smoke hung over the entire area like a death shroud. The sight of the destruction was completely incompatable with the soft greens of new life covering the rest of the area.

Harry, Alex and Ron jumped at the unwelcome sound of the voices belonging to some of their nemises. Raven, Lucious and Peter came into view as they stepped from behind one of the stone monuments.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the Fantastic Four, plus two?!" Drawled Raven sarcastically.

"Why are there six of you here?! We only told three of them to come here and they'll be trouble enough! We don't need three more problems!" Whined Peter.

"I wasn't aware we'd extended an invitation to all the loosers at that sorry excuse for a school either, but here they are." Lucious added snidely.

"Who are these twits and what's with the cute, little Halloween masks?" Savana stage whispered to Alex. "I've never had the misfortune of their aquaintence."

"That will be enough of your smart-alec remarks..." Lucious began to say in a nasty tone.

"Where do you have our parents and Aunt Christina? We were under the impression they'd meet us here." Alex demanded in an unpleasent tone of voice.

"You will see them in due course...when we deem it is time and not until then." Lucious replied. "In the meantime, we need to decide what we're going to do about the additional three squibs you dragged along with you."

"I think we should turn them all into flatworms, put them back into the coach and send them back to where they came from." Peter volunteered with a sneer.

"We came along with our friends to help them and to support them." Hermione blurted out. She tried to sound more confident than she felt. She failed.

"That's right. Where they go, we go." Ron added with a false tone of bravado.

Raven gave a derisive snort. "Bring them!" He commanded.

He turned and walked toward the stables. The others followed uncertainly.

Once they had reached the stables they followed Raven inside. He opened the door to the tack room and pointed toward the back corner. There, lying on the floor like three broken dolls, were Christina, Fiona and Gavin Walker.

"Mom...Dad...Aunt Christina...!" Alex and Savana cried as they ran to the adults. They were followed closely by the rest of their group. Raven, Lucious and Peter hung back by the door and watched with amusement.

"What 'ave you done to zhem?!" Fleur demanded.

"It's just a little stasis spell I concocted." Raven replied proudly. "It removes the need for us to waste our time and energy guarding them. This way, they won't cause us any trouble. They're fine. I've just slowed all of their body functions down until they're almost stopped...like they're sleeping...I find it to be a hand little spell..."

Lucious decided to interrupt before Raven spent any more time congradulating himself. "As long as you co-operate with us and do as you are told, your aunt and parents will not be harmed. If, however, you decide to cause trouble..." Lucious left the threat unspoken.

"...and in that spirit of co-operation, we expect you to wait here until we return for you." Peter said slyly.

Then Raven, Lucious and Peter quickly backed out of the tack room and shut the door. The group heard a large bolt being slid into place and they were left alone in the tack room with the comatose adults.

...`~*~`...

Several hours later, they were still sitting there, waiting. The sun had set and the moon, if it had been visible, would have risen by that time.

They had spent the first hour, or more, trying to find some method of escape. The Death Eaters, however, had done an excellent job of locking them up, then throwing away the proverbial key.

"Come immediately...my Aunt Fanny!" Ron fumed. Then he bounced another pebble off the ancient, and very solid, stone wall.

It missed the target circle he had drawn and bounced off Orion's back. The little fellow squeeked in suprise, then glared angerly at Ron.

"Oops! Sorry, Orion, I missed." Ron apologised. Though it was without any real sincerity.

"Stop playing that stupid game before you put someone's eye out." Savana groused irritably at Ron.

"What for?!" Ron replied in a poutey tone of voice. "The rest of you keep complaining that I'm interrupting your all important research, and you won't let me practice any of my spells on Orion..."

Orion turned once again to glare at Ron when he heard this last comment. He puffed up, so that he appeared as large as possible. His fur stood straight out in spikes and he held his tail straight out behind him and his spots took on a purple hue.

"That is one angry rat, Ron. Maybe you'd better lay off...after all, Orion's done his part to try and find a way out of here..." Harry said tenatively.

"Enchanted or not, Orion's still a rat. I used to practice spells on Scabbers all of the time...he was a wizard, after all..." Ron whined in a martyred tone.

"Yeah, maybe that's why none of your spells ever worked on him..." Harry began to suggest, only to be interrupted by Savana.

"Gee, ya think?!" Savana decided to add her two cents worth. She had nothing better to do and this would provide some entertainment.

"That will be more than enough...from all of you!" Alex said with more authority than he felt. "Orion, come here. Take this cracker and ignore Ron until he's decided to re-join the human race."

"Ratty want a cracker?" Ron thought caustically, but he knew better to say it outloud.

"If anyone is interested, Fleur and I have deciphered the use of the talismans..." Hermione began to tell them.

However, no one seemed to be listening to her.

"Will they help us get out of here?" Ron thought with a certain amount of desperation. His attention was drawn to the door just then. Someone was opening the bolt!

The others had noticed this as well and all of them focused their attention on the door as it opened.

Death Eaters silently entered in a single file line. They turned either to the right, or to the left, as they came through the door and continued this until they had formed a circle of fifteen which surrounded the group from Hogwarts. Only one space remained vacant, it was directly in front of the door.

Harry knew exactly who was going to occupy that space. Shortly before the door opened, Harry's scar began to burn with an intensity which he hadn't felt for a long time. Searing pain shot through his head and his eyes began to burn and tear. Harry dropped to his hands and knees where he began to retch uncontrolably. He closed his eyes and fought for breath and self control.

While Harry was trapped in his own private hell, Voldemort had ostentatiously entered and occupied the remaining space.

Harry was the only person in the group who had ever actually seen Lord Voldemort, but the others were able to make educated guesses as to the identity of the last entrant. A chill passed over them as they felt the evil radiating from the specter before them.

Savana had to repress an urge to vomit when she saw Voldemort. He was tall and skeletal, dressed in dark, flowing robes. His face was an impossibly white death mask with a flat nose and slitted nostrils. The face was dominated by glowing, red eyes which had vertical pupils. Savana decided Voldemort closely resembled a malevalant, mutant snake.

Ron, who sat closest to the crumpled Harry, whispered to him, "Harry, are you..."

"Ignore him!" Voldemort commanded Ron in a cold voice. "So, you were arrogent enough to believe you could defeat me and keep me from the Staff of Time?! I should kill you all right now for that! However, you may be of some use to me, so I will exercise my considerable patientce."

"That's big of you!" Savana thought sarcastically.

"BE QUIET, YOU INSOLENT BRAT!!!"

The thought echoed through Savana's brain at a volume somewhere between a shout and a scream. It left Savana with a headache that felt like her brain was trying to liquify and run out through her ears.

The others noticed Alex wince and make a protective move toward his sister. Savana proceeded to roll into a fetal position with her arms crossed protectively over her head and made a pathetic meowling sound. She sounded like a small, wounded animal.

The Death Eaters laughed unpleasantly while Ron, Fleur and Hermione quickly re-examined their motivations for having joined this little expedition. They all concluded that they may have been somewhat cavalier in their approach to this entire situation, as well as naive. That, however, was in the past and couldn't be changed. All they could do now was try to approach any future trials and tribulations with more caution and wisdom than they had exercised previously.

Meanwhile, Harry and Savana were able to re-gain enough control over themselves to sit-up and pay some attention to what was happening around them. Voldemort fixed Alex, Harry and Savana in his cold-blooded gaze.

"You have Merlin's talismans with you..."

It was more a statement than a question. Yet, Voldemort appeared to expect an answer from them.

"Yes." Alex decided he should make the expected response.

"...as well as the rat..." This was delivered in the same manner.

Again, Alex chose to be the respondant. "We weren't sure which rat you were referring to...the only rat we're aware of, who might interest you, is Orion. So, we brought him along..."

"Show us the rat...that I might be assured it is the correct one." Once again, Voldemort delivered the request in the form of a demand.

Orion had dropped the last remaining bit of the cracker he was consuming and dove deep into Alex's pocket at the approach of the Death Eaters and Lord Voldemort. He made the fact that he had no desire to leave the relative safety of Alex's pocket very clear to Alex. When Alex reached into his pocket to bring Orion out, Orion nipped Alex's fingers. Alex managed to gently close his hand around Orion's body, despite that. As Alex attempted to remove Orion from his pocket, Orion spread all four paws stiffly away from his body in an attempt to brace himself inside of Alex's pocket. When that tactic failed, Orion clutched desperately at the material with his sharp, little toenails. Despite all of his pet's manoeuvering to the contrary, Alex succeeded in removing Orion from his pocket. Then, Alex gently attempted to display Orion to Voldemort, but found it necessary to keep his hand wrapped firmly around the struggling animal's body.

"Does it have the marking? Remove your hand so that I may better see the little beast." Voldemort demanded.

"I don't think that I..." Alex began to reply.

"Imperio!" Intoned Voldemort as he pointed his wand toward Alex.

Alex found himself forced to release Orion, who dropped to the floor on all four of his paws. Once there, Orion attempted to scrabble for any source of shelter he was able to find.

"Capture that filthy vermin!" Voldemort comanded his Death Eaters.

One of the Death Eaters lept forward and grabbed Orion by the tail. Orion responded to this assault by turning and sinking his teeth deeply into the finger of the Death Eater. The injured Death Eater quickly released Orion's tail. Orion dove back into Alex's pocket at warp speed.

"O-W-W-W!! The bloody bugger bit me!" Lucious howled in pain and rage as he grabbed his bleeding finger. "I'm going to break that bloody, little rodent's neck!" He growled and made a leap toward Alex's pocket.

"Leave the rat alone!" Voldemort thundered. Lucious stopped in mid-stride.

"But it..." Lucious began to protest, then realised who he was talking to and abruptly fell silent.

"We need that rat to accomplish my goals. It has become clear, however, that the animal will not co-operate with us. So, we will make use of Albus Dumbledore's little friends here instead." Voldemort said in a menacing tone.

Then he continued in the same tone of voice, "And Mr. Potter may inform them as to what the fate of their beloved parents and aunt will be if they dare to defy my wishes."

Harry gulped. "You'll torture them, then kill them?" He responded timidly.

Voldemort's only response was a cold smile which chilled them all to their very cores.

"Exactly what is it you would like us to do?" Savana responded through chattering teeth.

"You are going to successfully navigate Merlin's labyrinth and bring me the Staff of Time." Voldemort hissed. "Once you have accomplished that task, we'll discuss the possible nature of your futures." When Voldemort had said that, he silently turned and left the room.

"What the...?" Savana thought.

"You will take the talismans and follow me!!" Voldemort shouted through her thoughts, as well as those of the others.

They looked at each other. Then they silently picked-up their belongings and followed Voldemort from the room, into the night.

They marched over to the stone monuments. Once they had reached the monuments, Voldemort and the group from Hogwarts came to a halt between them while the Death Eaters formed a circle around the outside of the monuments.

"Open the labyrinth." Voldemort commanded.

"How can we open the labyrinth? It's the night of a blue moon, but the constellation of Orion won't be visible until..." Hermione began to say in her best 'Little Professor' voice. She was interrupted by Voldemort's mirthless laughter.

"My spies had led me to believe you understood all that Merlin had written, but now, I find your ignorance astonishing! Merlin was not refering to the stars, he was refering to the marking he placed on his pet rat. The animal is the key to opening the labyrinth. Place it on the ground, mid-way between the two monuments."

When Voldemort had finished chastising them, he turned and joined the Death Eaters in the circle surrounding them.

"I will give you three days and nights to recover the Staff of Time and bring it to me, no more than that." Voldemort warned them. "If you fail to bring me the staff by that time, I will deliver upon my threat to your aunt and parents. Now, place the rat on the ground."

Alex coaxed Orion out of his pocket and tenatively placed his pet on the ground. Orion sniffed around for a moment, as though he was searching for something. Then he began to scratch furiously at a spot in the dirt until he was satisfied with the results and stopped.

Alex had begun to fear that his little pet wasn't going to produce the desired results, when Orion pulled something out of the hole he had just dug and began to gnaw on it. Alex recognised the metal piece Orion had removed from Merlin's trunk at Christmastime.

Suddenly, Orion's spots began to glow with a brilliant blue light. The light rapidly became brighter, and brighter. It reached a blinding intensity and surrounded the small group standing between the monuments. They were soon engulfed by intense blue light and a howling sound, reminisant of a tornado.

Harry felt a familiar yanking sensation behind his belly button and wondered if they were experiencing transportation by some sort of weird portkey. Then he was standing on rocky, uneven ground and feeling rather disoriented. The intensity of the light began to fade until it vanished.

Harry gasped in astonishment, for standing before them was an elderly man dressed in blue wizard's robes with a matching, pointed hat. The wizard was surrounded by a soft, blue aura. He had long, white hair and a flowing, white beard. The wizard studied the group with curious eyes. One of which was bright blue, the other, emerald green.

"Who are you and where are we?" Harry asked the wizard.

The wizard smiled enigmatically and replied, "I am Merlin. Welcome to my labyrinth."

A/N Uh.....ok.....um.......I'm going to go check my life insurance and cach the next plain out of the countrey. ^-^;