Wow, how long as it been since I've updated? It's pretty bad when you have to count in months. Very sorry about the wait, this chapter was stubborn and my muse very allusive as of late. The good news is that I recently took a trip to an inn far away from the real world and managed to nail my muse to his chair. The result, I finished this chapter and the next two. So they will be up at a proper time, not two months later.
LooneyLoopyLisa: Good question Lisa, I was wondering if anyone was going to catch that. Did Selene actually lose her powers? Read on my friend, read on…
Lady Slytherin: I completely agree with you. I'm glad you feel my style has improved (I hate to think I'd gone the other way…). I look back at Family Tree and shake my head wondering why I did some of the things I did to that story. I hate to play favorites among my children, but this story is definitely my favorite of the two. But the first will always hold a place in my heart, because it was the first fan fiction that I penned.
Enough already, the long expected chapter:
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The Book of Carmen
Chapter IX: Infection
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Sirius held his wife for another moment until a sense of dread for his godson overcame him. The other Beithir was still alive, and the last time that Sirius had seen the beast it had been chasing Harry. Sirius pulled back from Selene, "I've got to find Harry." She nodded and met Sirius's eyes. Sirius looked at her only briefly, for fear that his resolution to leave her would crumble. He kissed her head softly and then trudged through the icy snow towards the direction of the fountain passage.
"Mr. Black!" Sirius heard someone yell from behind him, but his mind was churning with what had just happened and so he dismissed the voice as a whisper of wind.
"Sirius! Please slow down, Harry is fine."
Sirius whirled around and watched as the wizard who had called his name closed the gap between them with several long strides. "How do you know that?" Sirius spat out harshly.
"I saw him escape into the passage."
"What happened to the second Beithir?"
"Gone. Beithirs fear their dead. The female fled shortly after the male was killed," the man said gesturing to the large dead creature and then towards the woods, indicating where the second monster had fled. He turned his gaze back to the dead beast, "I haven't had to kill a creature of that size in quite a long time." He took a deep breath, "Hell, I haven't seen a creature of that size in quite a long time."
A fragment of memory tugged at the corners of Sirius's mind, he knew this man from somewhere, but from where?
"William McGinn," Will said as more as an answer to Sirius' unspoken question than as an introduction. He extended his hand to Sirius, but Sirius did not take it.
"We should get you and Selene to Dumbledore," Will said, slowly taking back his hand. Sirius noted that for the first time since their meeting that William appeared to be afraid of him. Not that it bothered him. Sirius nodded and took one last look at the fountain before returning to Selene.
~*~
Harry ran blindly through the dark passage. The air around him was heavy with moisture, and the stone floor slippery beneath him. He swore as he tripped over something in the darkness and landed hard on the cold stone floor. He picked himself up and kept running. He ran with one arm extended, feeling the thick air before him and stopped when his fingers brushed up against something. The blackness of the hall was impenetrable, making it impossible for Harry to see what he had run across. His fingers traced the outline of what felt like wood. Wet earth and muck covered Harry's hands and got caught under his nails as his fingers came to rest on what he knew must be a handle. "It is a door," Harry said, breathing a sigh of relief. He held his breath and tried to open the door, but it didn't budge. Harry moved his hands over the surface of the knob and felt no evidence of a lock. There was always the possibility that it could be locked magically. However, judging by the stuffiness of the passage and the grime that now covered Harry's hands, it was a safe assumption that this passage had been forgotten, and thus had no need for wizard protection.
Harry stood back a few feet from the door. He hoped that instead of being locked, the door was only stuck. Harry wiggled his fingers and as he felt the stickiness of the muck, he was glad for the lack of light in the passage. He had no desire to see what was covering his hands. He wiped them hastily on his robes and looked in the direction of the door. Please just be stuck, he said to himself, please don't be locked. Harry checked his footing and then ran full force into the door. Unfortunately, Harry misjudged the distance between himself and the door and he hit the door harder then he had intended. The force knocked the breath out of him and threw him back on the floor.
Harry gulped in the heavy air around him. The acrid taste of it caused Harry's stomach to turn and he spat on the floor. The saliva hit the floor and glistened slightly, reflecting a small amount of light. Harry looked up at the door and noted that a small ribbon of light was tracing its frame, separating it from the stone wall that surrounded it. Harry smiled and stood to examine the door. He noticed a slight indentation between the door and the wall, signaling that it was not locked, and that Harry had managed to partially unstick the heavy door. Excited by his new chance at freedom he threw his weight up against it. A little more light was revealed as the door opened further. He hit the door again and again; oblivious to the ooze that now covered his robes and the side of his face. Again he pushed against the door, gritting his teeth as the light behind the door became greater.
Finally the years of buildup gave way and Harry found himself falling into a room. He landed face down and heard several gasps around him. Harry lifted his head and saw the room's occupants look at him with bewilderment. "Harry Potter?" Professor McGonagall asked incredulously. Harry scrambled to his feet and noticed that along with McGonagall, Snape and Dumbledore occupied the lavish lounge. Only the latter looked unaffected by Harry's entrance.
"Professors, there are creatures…monsters…in the garden," Harry managed to get out between welcome breaths of warm air.
"Monsters? What are you talking about Potter?" Snape snapped.
"We were in the garden and they attacked us, Selene called them Beithirs."
"Beithirs?" McGonagall asked, "on Hogwarts grounds?"
"You have to help them! They are still out there!" Harry yelled.
"Who?" Snape asked, irritation rising in his voice at having being yelled at by a student.
"Selene and Sirius!" Harry said making his way towards the door. He had no sooner touched the doorknob then it sprung open, revealing his godfather on the other side.
"Well it appears that at least Black survived the encounter," Snape said.
Harry ignored his Snape's comment and went to embrace Sirius, but stopped as the door swung a little wider and revealed a very pale Selene who hung on Sirius' arm. "Selene?" Harry asked, his eyes searching to find hers, but her head was bowed and she made no effort to lift it. Harry's eyes instead fell on Sirius', "What happened?" he whispered. Sirius looked as if he might answer, but was brushed aside by Will who moved quickly inside the room. Sirius' eyes followed Will, but betrayed nothing of what he thought of the man.
Sirius ushered Selene into the lounge and into a chair, leaving Harry at the door. Harry's attention was turned back to Will as the tall man bent down and whispered something into Dumbledore's ear. Dumbledore cleared his throat, "Severus would you be so kind as to ask Madam Pomfrey to join us, it appears that Sirius might need her services."
Harry looked again at his godfather and for the first time he noticed a dark stain on Sirius' robes. "I'm fine." Sirius said, "It's Selene that needs assistance."
"Which we will provide, but first we must see to your wound, a wound that is much more superficial than hers." Dumbledore said. Sirius nodded and Snape left the room wordlessly. "Minerva, if you would escort young Mr. Potter to Gryffindor tower and see that he finds some clean robes."
McGonagall nodded and then took Harry's arm, "Come now Mr. Potter…"
"No." Harry said, "I want to stay."
"Harry, what we have to say does not concern you," Will said from the opposite side of the room.
"Yes it does," Sirius said suddenly, surprising Harry. "If it concerns Selene, it concerns Harry. Let him stay."
McGonagall looked to Dumbledore who nodded in agreement.
"Harry tells us that you encountered two Beithirs in the gardens," Dumbledore said. Although the statement was directed at Sirius, it was Will that answered, "Yes. I managed to kill one, but the other ran into the forest."
"I'll go to Hagrid immediately and tell him to be on the watch for the second monster," McGonagall said.
"Thank you Minerva," Dumbledore replied. McGonagall took one last look at Harry and Sirius, and then left the room.
Dumbledore walked over to where Selene sat and knelt down in front of her, "Selene? What happened?"
Selene said nothing, and kept her head down. Dumbledore took two fingers and lifted her chin until her eyes were forced to meet his. When Dumbledore turned away from her gaze the usual twinkle in his eyes was not there. "Sirius, what happened?" he asked.
"I'm not sure. The Beithir was charging after me, she tried to stop it. Something went wrong and she collapsed. She said that her magic was gone."
"It's not gone," Will said from behind them.
"And how do you know that?" Sirius asked.
"Because she is still alive. If her magic had been destroyed it would have killed her. Her magic was not destroyed, it was transformed," Will answered.
"What do you mean transformed?" Harry asked.
"I saw what happened. Selene tried to curse the beast, but the spell never reached its destination. Instead it turned on the caster. The curse changed its nature and attacked Selene," Will said.
"Ridiculous!" Sirius yelled, "Why would Selene's own spell turn against her?"
"Because the magic is no longer under her control."
"Then whose?" Sirius asked.
Will looked at Dumbledore, unsure if he should proceed. Although Dumbledore had assured Will that Sirius was not a murderer, Will had no desire to deliver bad news to the man. However, Dumbledore gave Will a nod urging him to continue. Will took a deep breath, "We believe that the Book of Carmen…"
"The Book of Carmen? What does that have to do with anything?" Sirius barked.
"A great deal. The Geist Legatura spell that Selene used…"
"Quiet!" All eyes in the room turned towards Selene as she spoke for the first time since entering the room. She stood and walked over to Will, "Do not saying anything about Geist Legatura." She said evenly, but sternly.
Dumbledore eyes shifted to Sirius who looked very confused. Will voiced Dumbledore's thoughts, "He doesn't know."
"What don't I know?" Sirius asked, and when he received no answer he turned to his wife, "Selene?"
She walked over to the large window in the room and looked out, but made no attempt to answer Sirius. "He needs to know," Dumbledore said. Selene paused a few minutes longer, "I…I used Geist Legatura against Voldemort the last time we met. I sent his soul into the Book, where it remains." Selene watched Sirius' ghostly reflection in the window as he sat down and ran his hands through his hair.
"I know that this is bad news for you, Sirius. However, I'm afraid that it gets worse," Dumbledore said. "Will and I believe that the entity that lives within the Book has been feeding on the link that exists between Voldemort and Selene. It is using that link to gain access to the physical world. We also believe that the Book is calling others of its kind to it, but for what ends we do not know."
"Where is the Book?" Selene asked.
"It is in Hogsmeade, under the guard of Remus Lupin," Will answered.
"Remus? You left that monstrosity with Remus?" Selene asked.
"If this is true, why don't you just destroy the Book?" Sirius asked.
"Complex problems rarely have such simple solutions, Sirius. We hesitate in destroying the Book because we fear that its destruction would harm Selene," Dumbledore said.
"What is your plan then?" Sirius asked.
"We do not yet have one," Will said.
Sirius glared at Will and then turned back towards Dumbledore, "Why is he involved?"
"I've asked for William's help because he has more knowledge about the Book of Carmen than any other wizard." Dumbledore leaned into Sirius and whispered, "present company included. As an added bonus he has no love for the Ministry."
"Are you sure we can trust him? If word got out about Selene…." Sirius trailed off.
"I do not make decisions lightly, Sirius," Dumbledore said and lowered his head, his cerulescent eyes peeking above the rims of his spectacles, "We can trust him."
Sirius nodded. "Do you have any ideas at all?"
"Only one," Will said, "There is a spell in the Book of Carmen that we believe has the ability to reverse Geist Legatura."
"No," Selene said, "I will not use that Book again."
Sirius approached her and put his hands on her shoulders, "But it could help you."
"You don't understand," Selene said brushing his hands away, "Nothing good comes out of its use. I'd sooner see it burned."
"That's out of the question," Sirius said sternly, "I will not see you harmed."
"But you would see others hurt?" Selene turned and faced Dumbledore, "I know of the other attacks. I know of the damage that my actions have already caused. I opened the gate that allowed the Book access to the physical realm. The blood of all the people who have died since is on my hands."
"You could not have foreseen this Selene, you place too much blame upon yourself," Dumbledore responded.
"You saved Harry that night and kept Voldemort from gaining more power, your power," Sirius said.
"You can't hear it Sirius, the Book's call," Selene said. "It is the essence of evil, a frozen fire that attacks my mind," she turned away from Sirius and whispered, "and scorches my soul." "It whispers things to me, and its whispers are shards of glass."
The last sentence went unheard by all except Harry who froze at her words, remembering his own recent encounter with the voice. Selene had found the words to describe what he could not.
Selene turned back to her audience, "I know what it wants."
"What?" Will asked.
"Freedom."
"We will find a way to stop it Selene," Sirius said, struggling to find her eyes again.
"Sirius, it has already begun," Selene said.
"That doesn't mean we can't stop it!" Sirius exclaimed, anger rising in his voice.
"You mean to protect me, Sirius Black?" Selene asked, her green eyes cold.
"Yes."
"You will fail. Just like you failed fourteen years ago."
The room was silenced by these words, as each occupant tried to digest what Selene had said. Did she actually blame Sirius for what happened to her fourteen years ago? Did she blame him for the deaths of James and Lily as well? Harry found a bitter taste in his mouth as if the air had suddenly gone stale. Will dared not to move, half fearing what Sirius' reaction would be. All eyes settled on Sirius' tall form waiting for a response, but Sirius did nothing. Dumbledore, despite his cool exterior, felt his own anger rise. Selene held Sirius' eyes for a moment longer and then walked away from him and out of the room.
Harry expected Sirius to follow her, but he did not. Instead he walked over to the window, his features were a mask for whatever emotions lay underneath. Harry wished that Sirius would say something, scream, or tear the drapes from the windows, anything. But his godfather did nothing.
"Should I bring her back?" Will asked.
"No," Dumbledore said. He walked over to Sirius and placed a hand on his arm, "She will come back."
Sirius blinked at Dumbledore words, but his gaze remained fixed.
The doors opened again and everyone but Sirius turned to see if it was Selene who entered. However, it was Snape that entered the room, followed closely by Madam Pomfrey. Both could sense the tension in the air.
"Sirius, Madam Pomfrey is here to attend to you," Dumbledore said. When he didn't get a response the old wizard whispered into Sirius' ear, "Selene isn't the only one who needs you."
Sirius turned and looked at Harry. His godson seemed oblivious to the scum and filth that covered him, his green eyes searching Sirius'. Sirius managed a quick smile at Harry, who seemed to relax at the gesture. Sirius cleared his throat, "It is just a scratch."
"It's always 'just a scratch.'" Pomfrey said, "until limbs start falling off."
Sirius smiled again and then pulled off his outer robes and unbuttoned his shirt. A long, but superficial, cut emerged that ran the length of his arm, from his shoulder to his elbow. Madam Pomfrey prodded the area with her fingers, "Well, you'll live," she said.
Sirius looked over at Snape, "Sorry."
Snape shrugged, "There's always hope for infection."
Outside strong gusts of wind pounded the walls of the school, making the windows shake and stirring the fallen snow. The dead Beithir lay unmoving as its body was covered by a fine layer of ice. Somewhere within the forbidden forest the cry of its mate pierced the winter air, only to be carried off by the wind.
~*~
So, was it worth the wait? I hope so.
Foreshadowing: I hope you like cliffhangers. (grins evilly and taps fingers together) He He He.
Got Reviews? Let me hear 'em.
(One more note: My apologies to anyone who has tried to access my web site in the past few days. I'm totally revamping the site, so of course, nothing works. It should be up and running correctly by the 23rd. Thanks for reading.)