Episode Fifty Seven
Part One
That evening as Gwen laid down to sleep she was haunted by a strange vision. She kept seeing a tall, shadowy man with tan horns peeking over his ivy covered head. She couldn't see his face clearly. The man was pointing at something, a small piece of parchment. She rolled out of bed, frowning.
The Stag King was trying to tell her something, but what she couldn't be certain. She struggled to her bag, rubbing her eyes and yawning. She needed to sleep sometime this century. She couldn't help anyone if she was too tired to move or think. Finally she had wrestled open the pack and was searching through any piece of parchment she could find for an answer.
Nothing was really striking her, she turned to her trunk at the foot of her bed. It opened noisily and one of the other girls grunted. She grimaced, trying to keep back the sudden fit of giggles. The situation was so ridiculous she couldn't help but laugh at herself. She was searching through a term's worth of parchment trying to find something that would jog her memory, give her a clue as to why the Stag King wouldn't get out of her head.
Part Two
Dumbledore gazed at Gwen during their lesson. She looked antsy, as if she'd rather be somewhere else. She kept reaching into her pocket and frowning.
"Is there something you'd like to do?" He asked her.
She looked at him. He was a great and wise wizard, perhaps he could understand what had happened the night before. "Well sir, it all started last night. The Stag King was standing in my dreams. He kept pointing to a piece of parchment and he wouldn't let me sleep until I tried to find it." She pulled a letter from her bag. "My hand tingled when I touched this and I fell into a vision of some kind. He was there and he was helping a mound move." She handed the letter to Dumbledore.
He perused its contents. It was from Gemma and had described the king moving the mound. When he looked up at Gwen she pursed her lips.
"There was more to the vision, but I didn't understand it. There were natives drawing lines in the sand with sticks of driftwood. We were close to the coast, and very near the beach. One of the elder tribesman was bent over the marks and trying to decipher them." She frowned. "And that was all."
"Africa." Dumbledore said quietly. Suddenly he leapt from his chair as if the youth had returned to him even if just for a fleeting moment. He walked over to a giant shelf of books and pulled out a thin tome. He set it gently on the desk before him.
"I have never before heard "Carcer Tristitia," but it is simply because that system of divination is not commonly used in the UK."
"You know what it means?"
"No." He said simply. "However, I do know where to find out." With that he turned to the book and opened up the sleek, leather bound volume. "What you saw on the beach was geomancy. The Stag King must regard you highly; he has lead you to the answer to help your friend."
She looked at him amazed. He was the greatest wizard alive.
Part Three
After some amount of research together Gwen and Dumbledore found the information they needed to formulate a plan. They had discovered that Carcer and Tristitia were in fact the names of figures within geomancy, a rarely used form of divination that originated in Africa. Together they meant Cell of Sadness. Somehow the death eater's curse had trapped Graves in a repeating loop of misery so deep he could not respond to any stimuli.
"We could try and free him from the cell." Gwen suggested meekly.
"How do you propose we do that?" Dumbledore asked.
"We could look for other figures in geomancy, perhaps there's one for liberation."
Dumbledore smiled. If she found the way to free Graves it would sit much better with the council and she might still be able to teach. Not that any decision they made would hold him back from hiring her. He had once hired a werewolf with the right qualifications. Hell, he'd even hired a former death eater. He would not prevent some malady or unfortunate past to stop a talented teacher.
He watched Gwen as she calmly pored over the book. She mouthed each word softly to herself, trying to find just the right combination to suit her needs. Something struck her. She stared at it a moment, repeating it in her head over and over.
"Cauda Draconis." She said triumphantly.
He raised his eyebrow. It was an interesting choice. "The Dragon's Tail."
"Yes. It also means to exit and I think that if we pair it with Carcer Tristitia he might come out of it."
Part Four
With a formula in place Gwen and Dumbledore ventured down to the hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey was quite surprised to see them, although Gwen had been visiting regularly she hadn't seen the girl and Dumbledore together since the day Graves was brought in.
"Good afternoon Poppy. We'd like to try something if you don't mind." He said with a bright smile.
"Of course Professor."
They stepped over to Graves bed. He looked strangely peaceful on the outside, but Gwen was certain inside he was in deep suffering. She pulled out her wand and waited for Dumbledore.
"After you my dear." He said, nodding at the astonished look on her face. "You are a very capable witch and I think you will find this to be no challenge at all."
She blinked. Her lips kept pulling into various frowns. Finally she took a deep breath, shook her head gently to loosen up the random energy hiding there. She remembered the techniques she studied with Professor McGonagall to relax before spell casting. One more deep breath and she was in the right mind set.
She closed her eyes, lifted her wand. She pointed it at Graves without looking and breathed the words: Cauda Draconis Carcer Tristitia. When she opened her eyes again Graves was sitting up and smiling at her.
