The Well in the Desert
Chapter 26
Harry rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He was grateful for the few hours he'd still managed to get in, even though his mind was still a bit jumbled by the weird dream he'd had. The others were preparing their gear and Harry reckoned they were nearly there. He stepped on a levitation platform that took him to the upper deck.
He joined Ron and watched with fascination as Caer Sidi drew closer. The castle was much smaller than Hogwarts, but it had an almost otherworldly design to it. He was amazed by its beauty and elegance. Its four corners housed glass spires, and the tower at the very center of the castle was covered in precious metals and gems.
Hwang's communications mirror blinked and warbled out a tune. The face of Cirilo Roverano, who'd started at the Order the same time Harry and had played Beater on Matt and Nathan's Quidditch team, appeared soon after.
"Typhoon, this is the Eurus. We're carrying equipment and materials for the repair of the Notus, so we'd like to claim the landing spot closest to it."
"Right," the Korean wizard answered, though he didn't seem too pleased with it. "How bad is the damage to the Notus?"
"Pretty bad. The potion conduits are shot and all of the charms have been scrambled. There's also some structural damage, but fixing that will be easy compared to replacing all those potion conduits."
"Fixing all that and re-charming will take a long time."
"Not really. The artificing trainees Weasley and Esklove are already down there." Harry's heart skipped a beat when Ginny was mentioned. "So are Helga Olsen and Docmor the Diligent. I've also got Gudrun Njalsdottir on board with me." The Peruvian Ranger's eyes narrowed and his voice lowered. "And you're not going to believe this, but we found out who the father of her daughter is and—"
"Save the gossip and prepare for the landing," the cool voice of Captain Kovalenko interrupted.
"Yes, Captain," Roverano said blushing. "Anyway, between the seven of us we ought to have enough artificers to get the job done in about thirty hours if we split into three groups and pull eight-hour shifts. I'll see you on the ground…Eurus out!"
Harry frowned. He wondered why the discovery of Mary's father had Roverano so exited.
"Could you hurry up with the landing? I am tired of this filthy ship," Princess Matsu complained.
"It's my ship and I'll take my sweet time, Princess!" Hwang said without looking around. "If you want to get off now I won't stop you, though."
The princess glared but said nothing and stomped back to the infirmary.
Hwang scowled and muttered something under his breath in his native language while he took the ship to the opposite side of the castle. It would be a bit of a walk to the other Cruisers from there, but it was closer to the castle itself.
Harry saw Ron clench and unclench his fists in frustration. They both wanted to know how Hermione was doing. Harry was sure that the first thing Ron would do upon touchdown would be to go and see her. He'd storm down the loading ramp before he could be given any orders of the contrary. Ron headed over to the levitation platform and Harry joined him.
"I'm sure Captain Sharif has taken good care of her!" Harry said, finally speaking to him.
Ron simply nodded mutely.
"You're worried, aren't you?"
"I just can't shake the feeling that something's dreadfully wrong. Hermione would have sent me a transmission telling me not to worry if everything was all right." He paused, seeming to notice Harry's dishevelled appearance. "Did you get any sleep?"
Harry nodded. "Some. And I had the strangest dream. It was like I went back in time and everything went differently from our fifth year onwards. Remember Luna Lovegood? She was in it too! And a horrible toad-like—"
"Tell me about it later," Ron said quickly. They felt the Cruiser touch down. The instant the loading ramp had lowered enough to allow him to pass, Ron jumped out and began to jog to the other side of the island where the Hurricane was parked. Once there, he sprinted up the loading ramp.
Harry made a move to follow Ron, but Captain Faust called him back.
"Hold on. You can go see your friend, but there is something you have to do first. I need Princess Matsu to be escorted to a secure chamber in the castle."
"Yes sir," he said but then hesitated. "But I was hoping I'd be allowed some time to talk things out with Ginny," Harry added truthfully. "I know duty comes first, but—"
"Harry, I've seen how important it is that you fix things with Ginny." Faust smiled. "All I need is someone to help me escort her. Others will take over for guard duty."
Harry had mixed feelings about the captain's answer. On one hand he was glad Faust understood, but on the other hand he didn't want to be reminded of his near fatal failure caused by his inability to tap into the vast power that came from the very core of his being. "Err, thanks."
The other Rangers disembarked. Harry waited impatiently while Captain Faust exchanged words with Shinji and Yuriko before going to the upper deck to retrieve the princess. When the Captain returned with the princess, the other Japanese wizards fell in behind them while Harry brought up the rear. Captain Faust never specified where he was supposed to walk, and he didn't feel like parading up front anyway.
It also provided him an opportunity to observe a few things. He noticed that the princess was not at all happy to be in the presence of Yuriko and Shinji. She pointedly ignored them, and Harry guessed she still saw them as traitors even though they'd acted in everyone's best interests as far as he could tell. And he also remembered that, according to Yuriko, Shinji had a crush on the princess. If that were the case he was hiding it very well, for he seemed much more interested in Yuriko, judging from the way he kept sneaking glances at her swaying hips.
They went in through what had to be the main entrance of the castle. Beyond it lay a scaled-down version of Hogwarts' entrance hall, although Hogwarts looked Spartan compared to Caer Sidi. There were several human-sized masterpiece statues. Harry thought he recognised the Venus de Milo among them and he wouldn't be surprised if it turned out that that one was the genuine article while the one at the Louvre was a replica. He knew that wizards always delighted in taking the best Muggle art for themselves. But the most impressive thing by far seemed a ten-foot-tall translucent statue of Merlin. If the statue had been anywhere else Harry would have assumed it to be made of glass, but given the fact that the former masters of the castle had been well known for hoarding vast quantities of precious stones, he deduced that it had to be comprised of thousands of precious gemstones. A bit further down the hall there was a life-sized statue of a phoenix, made of Fire Opals. This one was enchanted, and as they passed it stirred on its pedestal, unfolded its wings and sang a beautiful and uplifting tune the way real phoenixes did.
As they moved deeper into the entrance hall Harry could hear voices emanate from the antechamber.
"But Matt—" Harry recognised Heidi's voice.
"First impressions be damned. I don't care if she were the empress of the whole bloody world. I'm not wearing that tiara!"
"It's not a tiara, it's a coronet. Really, Matt, it isn't feminine at all. This one was clearly designed with men in mind. Put it on…you'll look so handsome."
"I'm handsome enough without it—"
The brief smile Harry cracked when he remembered a similar situation between Wolfe and Heidi in Japan vanished almost immediately. Wolfe was dead…
Faust cleared his throat loudly to announce their imminent arrival and the bickering stopped. Moments later Matt came striding out of antechamber followed by a disgruntled-looking Heidi and two house-elves.
"Captain, welcome to my humble abode."
"If this is humble, the word's meaning must have changed," Harry said as he walked up to Matt. "Impressive collection you have here. Did you check if everything is accounted for?"
"Nothing outside the vault has been taken," Matt said. "The contents of the vaults are being compared with the most recent inventory, but it'll take a while for us to be sure."
"You might want to check more thoroughly—you know—because I think Malfoy would go to great lengths to steal family jewels now that he hasn't got any of his own. Jewel envy…"
Heidi giggled, and Matt's dazzling smile produced sharp intakes of breath and blushes from both Japanese witches.
"Yes…well," Faust began after suppressing a chuckle or two of his own. "Your Highness, this is Matthew Kelly of Caer Sidi. And we're also proud to call him one of our own, for he is a Ranger of Illumination."
Princess Matsu, however, didn't say anything. Harry could still discern the pink tinge on her cheeks as she bowed slightly, and for a fleeting moment he felt really annoyed, though he wasn't sure where it came from. He wasn't attracted to the princess or anything. He knew he wasn't above the occasional bout of jealousy. He'd briefly been jealous of Ron when he'd got appointed prefect instead of Harry. And he had to admit to himself that he did envy Matt's good looks a little. Equally impressive was the Re'em fur cloak he wore over a great-looking set of midnight-blue velvet robes, making him look even more like the proverbial Prince Charming from fairytales. Such cloaks only became available upon the natural death of Re'em, since slaying the magical beast ruined the quality of the fur. Harry had heard about the auctioning of such cloaks and how they never failed to fetch less than one hundred thousand galleons.
The envy was quickly replaced by shame. Matt had lost his parents and brother only months before, and he'd got his declaration of love thrown back in his face by the woman he so deeply cared about. Of course, Harry had a feeling that the reason things had gone that way had partially been due to the manner in which Matt presented his feelings, namely, asking her out of the blue to have his child. No wonder Gudrun had rejected him. But Matt definitely didn't deserve those thoughts of envy. He was a good man…he'd chosen to become a Ranger even though he could have had a life of extreme luxury. And while his abundant wealth probably had something to do with his previously flashy manner and playboy-like self-confidence, it hadn't tarnished his character. Matt actually was every bit as great as Malfoy imagined being.
"Welcome, Your Highness. I wish the circumstances of our introduction were different. I hope you'll find your stay here to your liking, despite, again, the circumstances. The castle's staff will try and provide anything you might need. We weren't expecting such an exalted visitor, however, so try not to be disappointed if it isn't up to your usual standards." Matt turned to a merry-looking house-elf. "Happy, please escort the princess to the selected chamber and make sure she is as comfortable as possible."
Happy bowed deeply to Matt. "Yes, Master Matthew." Then he bowed to the princess and gestured for her to follow him.
They all followed the elf up a few flights of stairs, all lined with various expensive enchanted artefacts from around the world. They also passed an enormous blue tapestry that spanned nearly the entire corridor and displayed the Archidiaconus family tree all the way back to the beginning of the first millennium AD.
They continued onwards for another two minutes or so before they encountered Gavin and the impressive-looking tiger that was Sahid Khan. Gavin's eyes nearly burst out of their sockets as they settled on the princess, but a cough that drew his attention followed by a warning glance from Faust made Gavin hold his tongue. But the small wizard still shot Captain Faust an inquisitive look.
"Rangers Carey and Khan," Faust said, nodding at Gavin and the tiger in turn. "Shall we proceed?" he continued, opening the door.
A large chandelier filled with roughly a hundred enchanted candles bathed the room in light. A small fireplace provided the heat. Harry suspected that it was normally connected to the Floo network, but that it had been shut off for security. Nearly every inch of the other three walls were covered with tapestries, providing good insulation, and a curtain obscured what lay beyond an archway in the wall opposing the one with the fireplace. The huge four-poster in the corner sent a pang of regret surging through Harry's heart when he mused that it was large enough to easily have served as Hagrid and Madam Maxime's love nest. It was so high that Harry suspected the tiny princess might need a leg-up to climb on. Three armchairs and a sofa surrounded the fireplace and a low table stood in front of the sofa.
"The Floo connection has been disabled, of course," Faust continued. He extracted a mirror from his pocket and handed it to the princess. "But you can communicate your wishes to Ranger Gravenstein—the one with the red hair you saw in the Entrance Hall—who will relay them to the relevant people. I believe the bathroom is behind that curtain. If you wish to bathe and change your clothes you can go ahead. I don't think any of the gowns in the castle would fit you," he said, looking the princess over again, "but I believe Ranger Gravenstein is a competent enough to accurately shrink some of them to suit you."
"Or she could borrow one of Mayumi's tunics," Gavin blurted out. "They're exactly the same size."
Faust turned bright red. "Ah, yes, well—"
The princess wrinkled her nose. "Borrow?"
"Just a suggestion," Gavin muttered.
Harry thought he'd probably expected the princess to be more like her twin, but it seemed nothing could be further from the truth. The way a person was raised was largely responsible for that person's character, Harry guessed. Matsu was raised like the princess she was in a society where strict hierarchy was determined from birth, while Mayumi's guardians had had much humbler positions in that society.
"Your Highness, you have to understand that we won't be able to recreate quite many of the luxuries you are used to," Faust droned on patiently. "Although I daresay we will tend to your nourishment better than your captors did. Ranger Kozminski was rather alarmed. He told me your previous diet left much to be desired."
Harry was rather surprised to hear this. But then again, they'd only told him that the room the princess had been confined in was one worthy of a royal captive. They hadn't said anything of her treatment in general.
"Don't condemn things you do not understand," the princess said coldly. "Fasting is an important part of—"
"Your Highness, I refuse to enter this discussion. I am well aware that fasting precedes your cleansing rituals. The fact remains that we couldn't allow you to die. I told you we have reasons to believe something sinister is afoot. In fact, we have made a rather startling discovery since then. My superior officer will discuss that with you when the time comes. In the meantime, I have work to do." Faust cast a glance around the room. "I don't see any books or the like, so if you wish to have company to pass the time. I'm sure Ranger Gravenstein will be delighted to keep you company," he said pleasantly, before he spun on his heal and strode away.
Harry and the others stepped out of the room and Khan closed the door behind him.
"Master Shinji…Mistress Yuriko," Happy piped. "Master Matthew made arrangements for you too. Happy will take you! Follow Happy!"
"Potter-sama—"
"I'll drop by later if you want to discuss something," Harry interrupted Yuriko. "There are some things I have to sort out first."
Yuriko nodded to show that she understood. Then she and Shinji followed the house-elf to their respective lodgings.
"Bloody hell," Gavin burst out once they were out of earshot. "Is the princess ever a spoiled little bitch! Mayumi's clothes are much too good for her." He paused and frowned. "It's unbelievable how much they look alike."
"Not really," Harry flicked his wand and cast a charm on the door to prevent eavesdropping. "The reason Captain Faust gave you that look earlier was to warn you not to mention how much she looks like Mayumi. He wants Commander Ironheart to tell her personally. See, the thing is, they're twins."
"Come again?"
"You heard me." Harry smirked. "Truth be told, I didn't notice how much she looked like Mayumi until Ron pointed it out to me. I was completely fooled by the eye-colour. But the blood-comparison doesn't lie. They're identical twins."
Gavin leaned against the wall, looking aghast.
"Why would they have sent Mayumi away?" Khan frowned.
"No clue. But at least we have our excuse for having broken the rules of engagement. Something is afoot in Japan."
"Bit of a weak excuse, though," Gavin frowned. "We think there's something in Japan so we unilaterally decide to move in…"
"Better than none at all," Khan said dryly.
"True," Gavin conceded.
"I'd like to stay and chat but I'm on a tight schedule," Harry said. Now was the time to sort things out with Ginny.
"Ginny?"
Harry nodded.
"Ginny and Heidi had a nice, long talk a little while ago and they were pretty friendly in the end," Khan said. "So maybe Heidi softened her up a bit for you."
Hoping Khan was right, Harry went back to the entrance hall to look for Ginny there.
Having decided to go back the same way he came, his path carried him into the corridor that was lined with tapestries.
Partly because his curiosity got the better of him, and partly because he wanted to put off the confrontation with Ginny, he stopped to examine them more closely. The root of the tree began at the beginning of the corridor with the earliest Archidiaconus, their spouses and their children.
"I thought I'd find you here," Aberforth's voice echoed.
"All right, Harry?" another familiar voice followed. But that couldn't be… His head snapped up, and next to Aberforth floated the ghost of Nathan Kelly.
"Nathan…you're back!"
"In a manner of speaking," Nathan smiled. "I see you've been drawn to the genealogy tapestry. Amazing piece of work, that."
"The detection pulse we sent through the castle discovered it," Aberforth explained. "This corridor was very well hidden and protected by some awesome curses. Even Logos didn't know about it—although it could have been taken out of his memory selectively—and the house-elves didn't know about it either. I think this corridor was lost to the family itself for at least ten generations."
"Doc said it was some of the ugliest Curse Breaking he ever did." Nathan nodded. "Even I couldn't see what lay in this corridor before Doc broke the curses, because it had several curses that repelled ghosts."
"No wonder, given what magic this tapestry does. I think the people who hid it didn't want anyone to know about it," Aberforth continued. "Everyone who is related to the Archidiaconus is automatically added onto the tapestry. It knows when wizards die—"
"I'm already listed as dead—" Nathan said.
"And when children are born, regardless of the so-called legitimacy of their birth. Imagine the potential for blackmail with this knowledge—"
"Or the potential for the positive." Nathan nodded to the very beginning of the tapestry at the other end of the corridor. "Mary's on there as well. If we'd known about the tapestry, we'd have known about her much sooner."
"Whoa…hold it!" Harry said, as he attempted to stop the information assault. "Mary who?" he asked, completely nonplussed.
"Oh, that's right…you don't know!" Nathan grinned. "Mary Njalsdottir, Gudrun's daughter. Matt is her father. He was John Smith in the summer of '93, but he was charmed to forget everything…it's a long story," he added, after noticing the look on Harry's face. "You can ask about it later."
Harry and Aberforth followed him as he floated to a section near the beginning of the tapestry, where he came to a halt and gestured for Harry to look at the bottom. There he saw Nathan's name and the year of death, as well as Matt's name. Gudrun's name was written below Matt's, linked by scarlet coloured double lines. A line extended out under Gudrun and led to Maria Njallsdottir. The Malfoys were also listed in the same section, linking up with the Archidiaconus eight jumps upward from Draco.
"We are all brothers and sisters. We come from a common source. As time divides us it will also unite us. We will be one!" Aberforth pointed at an inscription written in a strange language. "That's what it says. Interesting philosophy, and firmly anchored in truth. I reckon that's the reason this tapestry was created, and why the offspring born out of wedlock are not excluded."
"Can you translate the legend for us and explain how this thing works?" Harry asked, glad that he'd finally been able to squeeze another sentence in.
"Certainly…" Aberforth leaned in closer and began to mutter as he read the lines. "Too bad Albus isn't here, he was much better at this than I." He cleared his throat. "It works like most family trees…it uses colour to clarify things. Male names are written in gold, female names in silver…double lines symbolise marriage. Scarlet lines mean offspring with no marriage and the small Roman numerals behind names point to other sections of the tapestry where the names appear—you know—because of more interrelations between the Archidiaconus descendants. The large and boldly written Roman numerals point to other sections when a certain section runs out of space and a tree is continued on another section." Aberforth gasped. "Oh my…the creator certainly was far ahead of his time. Do you see that blank patch in the tapestry? If you write a name with your wand the tapestry shows you the sections you can find those names…provided they're on it, of course."
"Right, let me see if I understand." Nathan floated very closely to Harry, who shivered with the sudden cold. "This tapestry works a bit like the Muggle-born detectors employed by the governments for magic?"
"I suppose you could see it that way," Aberforth nodded. "Yet the means for Muggle-born detection are limited to Muggle-borns and limited to the territory that falls under the government in question. This tapestry keeps track of the descendants world-wide, and it includes Squibs as well—"
"What about pureblood and half-blood detection?" Harry asked suddenly. "How does the Ministry go about that? I've always wondered, really."
"There are separate means to detect them. In our Ministry they're hidden in the Department of Mysteries. I've never seen it, but I know how it works. It isn't nearly as powerful and sophisticated as this tapestry. For instance, I can only tell when wizards are born, and not when they die as well, like this one. And it isn't set up like this one. It's more like a filing system."
"Can it tell who people's actual fathers are, like this tapestry?"
"Yes. It goes without saying that the few individuals who have clearance to access this detection device have lots of secrecy charms placed upon them, of course, lest they try to use the information for their own benefit. I understand a witch who tried was so heavily cursed that she became a living vegetable, much like someone who had recently been kissed by a Dementor. The best efforts of the Healers in St. Mungo's couldn't change her condition."
Nathan chuckled. "Don't worry son, you can marry any of those girls. Your daddy ain't your daddy!" he added, doing his best to imitate a female voice.
"I imagine that was part of the reasoning behind the secrecy charms, yes," Aberforth smiled. "Now, let us see how this thing works. A name that is connected with people we know…"
He drew his wand and traced McKinnon in the blank spot. The name shimmered with a yellowish light before it was drawn into the tapestry. Seconds later several Roman numerals appeared in its place. This meant that the McKinnons also had several links leading up to the Archidiaconus.
Aberforth prodded a boldly written numeral. "That one will show us the Elric McKinnon's part of the tree, I believe." They began walking along the corridor until the found the relevant section. "Elric ought to lead us to the Weasleys and Li's through his daughters. They ought to be somewhere near the bottom…"
"Ah, there they are!" Nathan suddenly exclaimed.
And indeed, at the bottom more to the right, Harry saw the Weasleys he knew and loved. Fleur Delacour appeared under Bill linked by the marriage symbol, and below them Amelie and Alroy were written. To Harry's surprise, there was yet another line that led to an empty spot preceded by a golden dot. "Aberforth…look here, under Bill and Fleur. What does it mean?"
"Ah," Aberforth's blue eyes glinted with delight. "There is going to be another Weasley soon…a boy."
Harry grinned. "Bloody hell, Bill sure isn't wasting any time!" Maybe he could use this as a hook to open up a conversation with Ginny. Then again, maybe not. It might take them to a topic Harry wanted to avoid…Holly. Sighing, he continued to explore the Weasley tree. Charlie was linked to Jasmine Wolfe by a scarlet line and little Charlie popped out below them. There was a silvery dot below Percy and Hannah, and next to Grace Weasley, indicating even further expansion of the Weasley clan. Then came Fred and George with their children. Angelina appearing twice, first as Fred's wife, and then as George's. Finally he reached Ron…and what he saw made his spirits plummet. Hermione's was linked to him though scarlet lines, and below them there was a blank space preceded by a tiny golden dot. But both Hermione and the dot seemed to be fading from the tapestry again.
"No, Hermione!" he groaned. He realised that Ron's instincts had been right.
"Oh dear, I'm sorry you had to find about it like this!" Aberforth said sadly. "She was pregnant, and her injuries caused her to miscarry."
"Who - did - this - to - her?" Harry asked in between heaving breaths, even though he had a fair idea what the answer was going to be.
"I think you already know who," Aberforth answered, confirming his suspicions. It was Malfoy!
"I don't care what Ranger Command does to me," Harry said, trying his best not to break into a rage as he felt the anger rising to the surface, "but next time I meet up with Malfoy, I won't bother trying to bring him in alive."
"You don't mean that," Aberforth said calmly.
"Of course I mean it!" Harry snarled. "And I'll make sure he experiences pain unlike any he's ever felt before! I'll—"
"Hurt me too if I try to stop you?" Aberforth said sharply, popping the balloon that was Harry's rage.
Harry looked miffed. "I didn't mean it like that. And why would you stop me, anyway?"
"Because Draco Malfoy knows things about Anastasiou's organisation that could help us put an end to them so much sooner. Is it right for so many people to continue suffering under Anastasiou's exploits just because you wanted to get revenge?"
"I…no, of course not," Harry sighed. "It's just that—"
"Ron and Hermione didn't deserve to suffer either."
"I hate him, Aberforth. Malfoy's just like a weed, he won't go away!"
"You shouldn't hate him, and you shouldn't regard him as nothing more than exactly that…a weed. For one does not hate as long as one has a low esteem of someone—"
"But only when one esteems him as an equal or a superior," Harry finished. "Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche. Damn you…I hate it when you're right!"
"I'm honoured," Aberforth smiled.
Harry nodded. As always, Aberforth had read him like a book, and rewritten the appropriate passages. He scanned the bottom of the tapestry absently as he pondered these new developments, and managed to notice that Charlie, Jasmine and Charlie Jr appeared again on the tapestry under Rose McKinnon's line instead of Violet McKinnon's. He also saw that the blank spot under Wolfe and Galatea had a gold dot, and with great difficulty his strained mind deduced that Galatea was going to have a son. "I need some air," Harry said.
Aberforth nodded sympathetically and wrapped his arm around Harry. "You also look like you could use a drink. Byron Kelly had an exquisite stash of whisky. I'm sure the lord of the castle wouldn't mind if we indulged ourselves. I'm sure he'll want to join us…oh, sorry, Nathan. It's rather insensitive of me to mention the delights of life."
"Don't worry about it," Nathan said. "I already feel the afterlife calling to me. I wasn't afraid to die, and the reason I lingered has been resolved. I'll just say goodbye to Helga and my niece before I go on."
The ghost sank through the floor, taking a shortcut to the entrance hall.
"Well, how about that drink?" Aberforth asked.
"We'll do it after I see Hermione," Harry said. His friends had the utmost priority. Ginny would have to wait a little longer. His insides squirmed around with guilt. He knew he was only rationalising ways to put off the inevitable. "Can Hermione be healed?" he asked, as they began walking to the Entrance Hall.
"Imhotep said it was beyond his ability to heal. He did send images and detailed descriptions of her injuries to some of the best Healers in the world, but he told me the most optimistic diagnosis gave Hermione a one in five thousand chance of ever having children again."
"How far was she along?"
"The foetus was about three weeks old…barely visible."
Harry sighed. That didn't make him feel any better about things.
They continued in silence towards Entrance Hall and arrived there just in time to see Mary storm across the hall and leap into Matt's arms. She was laughing and crying at the same time as he twirled her around, and Matt had tears in his eyes too. Then Mary whispered something in Matt's ear and he lowered her to the ground. She took his hand and dragged him over to Gudrun, whose own eyes were wet and puffy. Harry felt the tension in the atmosphere as they just stared at each other for nearly a whole minute before Matt reached over with his free hand and took one of Gudrun's. Then he released Mary's hand and took Gudrun's other hand.
Aberforth and Harry weren't the only ones in the Entrance Hall. Captain Kovalenko, Faust and Commander Ironheart were there. So was little Nicolai, oddly enough. Harry reckoned Mary had somehow convinced them to bring him along. The two new Combat Rangers, Ramos and Larsson, tried their best not to openly gaze at the scene unfolding in front of them. Heidi and Ginny were also there. Heidi was dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief and completely ignoring the flashing mirror in her hand, while Ginny had a look of longing in her eyes. She hadn't noticed Harry. In fact not one of them had spotted Harry and Aberforth, and no one was making a sound. Matt's voice easily carried across the hall when he finally spoke.
"I'm sorry, I can't remember…not while I'm awake. If it were up to me, I'd sleep forever, if only so I could remember you in my dreams." He let go of one of her hands and brought his hand to her face to wipe away her tears. "They might have taken my memories, but they haven't taken my love." His hand disappeared into his pocket and reappeared with a shimmering ring. Then he went down on one knee. "I know I haven't been very mature around you before my family died, but if you give me a chance I might surprise you. Please…will you marry me?"
Gudrun didn't answer immediately and the tension heightened. The pained look on her face didn't bode well, in any case. "How can you possibly know?"
"Gudrun…please," Matt pleaded. "Let me be a father to my daughter."
"Is that why you want me to marry you?" Gudrun suddenly said angrily. "For Maria's sake?"
"No! I just want you to be in my life forever. My heart is telling me it's the right thing. I know the way I used to act around you didn't make things very clear, but I knew even then that I'd die to keep you safe. I'd have asked you to marry me a week after we met…again…but we both know you wouldn't have taken me seriously. Gudrun, recently I've only been at peace in your presence, and you and Mary mean more to me than anyone else…anything else. What do I have to do to convince you that I'm serious about this? Ever since you told me you didn't love me I've barely eaten or slept. I feel like my life isn't worth anything without you in it." He stood up and pointed to the large statue of Merlin. "That statue of Merlin is made of flawless diamonds. It's worth millions of galleons, but without you to share it with it might as well be a pile of shit! I'd give everything I own away if that would get me into your life. I'd give it all away for just one day with you!"
Slowly, a smile appeared on Gudrun's face. "Now, now, don't do anything rash," she said, before she pulled his face down for a kiss. When this proved to be a bit awkward because of the nearly ten inch difference in height, Gudrun jumped, draping her arms around his neck and wrapping her legs around his waist before she resumed kissing him.
Aberforth chuckled softly and nudged Harry in the ribs. "Wild one, isn't she? In my day it was unthinkable for a witch to jump a wizard like that in public."
"Gudrun's never been concerned with what other people think." Harry shrugged. He wanted to feel happy for them, he really did. But he couldn't produce any happiness no matter how hard he tried.
Gudrun and Matt finally broke apart, red-faced and breathing heavily and Matt asked. "Was that a yes?"
"I decided I'd say yes right after Commander Ironheart and Nathan told me what happened," Gudrun grinned.
"So why the whole uncertainty act?"
"I wanted to see you beg,"
"So you will marry me?" Matt asked hopefully.
"Try and stop me!" Gudrun growled before she covered his mouth with hers again.
"Hey, break it up. There will be plenty of time for that later!" Mary pouted as she tugged at Matt's robes to get his attention.
This elicited a chorus of giggles and chuckles from all those who were present, except Harry, who forced a smile onto his face. Commander Ironheart strode over to the couple, clearing his throat.
Matt and Gudrun broke apart, smiling sheepishly, and Matt ruffled his daughter's hair. "All right, happy now?"
"Thrilled!" Mary beamed. "When's the wedding?"
"I was about to ask the same question," Harry heard Commander Ironheart say at the periphery of his hearing. His mind had already begun to dwell on Hermione's condition as he was trying to come up with words that would ease her pain. But he realised that everything he thought of would sound rather hollow. Inevitably, as his eyes strayed over to Ginny, he wondered if she'd know what to say. His stomach flip-flopped as their eyes met, and although he couldn't be sure, it looked like she wanted to talk to him. Maybe he ought to straighten thing out with Ginny first, so they could go to Hermione together.
The glint in Ginny's eyes suggested that she was thinking the same thing, but just when the hesitant look in her eyes solidified into resolve, Harry was suddenly bowled over.
"Harryharryharry!" a voice he hadn't expected to hear for a while rattled. His shock transformed into delight and his sadness for Hermione even diminished. Two very strong arms were wrapped around his body, and his attacker rubbed the side of her face against his chest affectionately, almost in a catlike way.
"What's she doing here?" Commander Ironheart's voice bellowed.
"I saw her in the kitchens and she missed Harry and I knew we might see Harry so Nicolai distracted Captain Kovalenko and my Mum and Cirilo and I smuggled her on the cruiser and hid her inside an empty crate," Mary rattled.
Harry looked at Ironheart, who had an expression of pure incredulity on his face. Mary looked back at him defiantly, daring him to berate her. Then Ironheart shifted his gaze from Mary to his grandson, who looked heartily embarrassed, to Gudrun. "And what do you have to say about this?"
Gudrun, however, had a tender look in her eyes and Harry had a feeling she wasn't about to scold Mary anytime soon. "She called me Mum…"
Ironheart rolled his eyes and muttered something about parenting. He strode over to Nicolai, grabbed his grandson by the ear firmly and began tugging the whimpering boy to the castle door.
"Hey! Let him go!" Mary screamed and ran up to Commander Ironheart, kicking him in the shins with such finesse it would have made several martial artists proud. The man yelped and released his grandson, and Mary yanked Nicolai away and engulfed him in a hug. She glared at Ironheart. "It was my idea, leave him out of it!"
"Oh God, we've spawned a monster…" Matt said to Gudrun, although he was looking rather amused with the whole thing.
Commander Ironheart rubbed his leg. "Would you expect Nicolai to jump after you if you—" The commander stopped in mid-sentence and began to smile. "Hmmm, he probably would, eh! But both of you will be punished for this! They must've noticed Holly's gone. Nehanda must be in a state…the panic…"
"Mary!" Gudrun's voice cut like a knife. "Tell Commander Ironheart you're sorry!"
Mary let go of Nicolai, who looked so embarrassed for having been coddled by Mary that he probably felt like evaporating on the spot. "But—"
"Or I'll make you wish you were never born, and I'll write to your grandmother and she'll make you wish the same thing!"
Mary blushed and said demurely, "Sorry, Mr Ironheart."
"Apology accepted." Ironheart smiled indulgently.
Harry grinned and tried to catch Ginny's eye. She was still looking in his direction, but she had a shadow on her face now. Harry instantly knew she was looking at Holly. "Holly, let me up…please…" But it was already too late. Ginny turned away and hurried out of the castle. He groaned in defeat.
"I'm sorry, da— Harry. I didn't mean to make your Ginny mad at you."
His Ginny. How he wished that were true. "It isn't your fault, Holly. It's mine…" he trailed off, not wanting to discuss it. He scrambled to his feet. He took a good look at Holly and realised she no longer had a mane of wild black hair. Someone hat cut it, and while it still looked wild, it looked deliberately so. "You look nice. Who cut your hair?"
"A man named Sergio who lives in the city. He earns gold for cutting hair."
Harry had an idea who Holly was talking about. Scuttlebutt was that he was Captain Sharif's ex-boyfriend.
"Well, he did a good job on you. Come, we're going to see Hermione. Aberforth?"
The old wizard nodded.
They walked to the Hurricane in complete silence. As they drew closer, he walked ever more slowly and Aberforth stopped to allow him to catch up. Harry wouldn't have minded being transfigured into a snail right then.
From the corner of his eye he saw Helga sitting on the frozen grass in front of the Cruiser and weeping softly while Nathan floated beside her. Harry caught some snippets of his words. "…don't cry…beautiful…someone else…" He had half a mind to stop and listen, if only to postpone having to face Ron and Hermione. He still had no idea what he was going to say.
Inevitably, they reached the Cruiser and crowded onto the levitation surface that took them to the upper deck where the bridge and sickbay were situated. Captain Sharif, who was lounging in the pilot's chair and seemed to be keeping an eye on the communications mirror, nodded towards his primary workspace, conveying that it was okay to go in.
Sharif's acknowledgement had injected some steel into his spine, but he felt his resolve crumbling once more as Hermione's sobs drifted through the infirmary's door. But a squeeze on his hand from Holly's salvaged the last remains of his courage and before he changed his mind he resolutely stepped into the infirmary, where he found a crying Ron sitting across the head of Hermione's bed while he held her tightly. They barely seemed to notice their guests.
Harry was grateful to Aberforth for initiating communication. "Hermione…I know anything I say to ease your pain will sound hollow. But I beg your indulgence anyway." The old wizard stroked his beard as he collected his thoughts. Then he suddenly spoke, taking an angle Harry hadn't expected. "I'd like to think as all of you as my children. Though I never sired any I can call my flesh and blood, I believe one should transcend that limit in one's thinking and be a parent of sorts to the younger generation, offering support and guidance. Being a mother isn't simply a matter of having children. To think that is as absurd as believing that having a wand makes you a witch. Yet I will not deny that the fact that I never experienced what you are experiencing makes me ignorant of your feelings deep down. Parents can not always help their children, for everyone's path in life is different.
"Ron…" Aberforth met Ron's almost defiant stare unflinchingly. "You have been schooled in thinking like others do. I have not, but I'm very old and as such have some ability to see what a man might be thinking. Right now, you are not receptive to any words of comfort. I imagine you want to find Mr Malfoy and kill him. I believe Herman Melville phrased it rather eloquently in Moby Dick: 'God help thee, old man, thy thought have created a creature in thee, and he whose intense thinking thus makes him a Prometheus, a vulture feeds upon that heart forever, that vulture the very creature he creates.' Your anger will only burn you, Ron, not Malfoy. That's why you will have to let it go. Not only for your own sake, but for Hermione's as well."
Harry could practically see Ron deflate from within. His rigid posture relaxed and he readjusted his arms around Hermione. "That's—"
"Easy for me to say…I know. But it doesn't detract from the truth of it. I'd also like to add that you shouldn't lose hope. What makes the desert beautiful is that somewhere it hides a well. New and more powerful spells and potions are always being discovered. Who knows, once Miraculum Weed becomes more readily available—"
"Captain Sharif talked about that," Hermione said softly. "But I know how difficult is it to develop stronger potions. I don't want to get my hopes up. I'll have to accept that I'll never have any children." Her hand went to her belly and she inadvertently exposed it, showing badly bruised skin covered by healing ointment. Harry shuddered as he imagined how bad the internal damage must have been.
"No!"
Harry looked at his daughter inquisitively. "What do you mean?"
"Mother said I was the best thing that ever happened to her. Ron and Hermione have so much love to give, they deserve to have children." She let go of Harry's hand and skipped over to the bed. Then she raised her right hand, clenching it into a fist and unclenching it once more as her face scrunched up in concentration. It turned radiantly blue and filled the entire room with its light. Then she placed her hand over Hermione's injury and held it there.
Hermione gasped, and Ron tried to get up and stop Holly, but Hermione grabbed his arms and held him close.
It was over as suddenly as it had started and Holly staggered backwards. Harry stepped forward quickly and steadied her. He saw the exhaustion in her eyes and sheen of sweat that covered her face. But she had a serene smile on her face.
"Oh…it's gone!" Hermione was gently prodding her belly. "The bruises and the pain are gone!"
"What is going on here? What was all that blue light?" Sharif asked as he limped into the room.
"I think Holly healed me," Hermione said and pointed to her belly. Harry saw that the bruises were gone. "I don't feel any pain in my lower back anymore. I think she healed my internal injuries too."
Sharif drew his wand and summoned his examination goggles from a shelf. He put them on and tapped a small button in its side. He moved in closer to Hermione and peered at her through the goggles. "By the old Imhotep, this goes beyond what we are capable of. Unless these goggles are deceiving me I am looking at a textbook example of a uterus in perfect health. Are your other injuries have been healed as well." He pushed the goggles ono his forehead and looked at Holly with awe. "It's a miracle! Will she remain like this or will the healing wear off?"
"The healing won't be undone," Holly said.
"Does this mean I can conceive?" Hermione asked hopefully.
"With a man like Ron, it will be very difficult not to," Sharif grinned. "All you need to worry about now is how to prevent having a litter."
Captain Sharif's words helped the new reality sink in, adding to Harry's elation. "Holly, you healed Hermione!" he said, throwing his arms around her and crushing her to his chest. "Holly, Holly, Holly, you're the best thing that ever happened to me!"
"Ginny!" Hermione gasped. "Ginny, you're not going to believe this…Holly completely restored me to health. I can have children!"
Ginny was there? Harry whipped around and saw Ginny standing in the doorway.
She was smiling, but it didn't quite extend to her eyes. They looked shiny with unshed tears. "I'm happy for you, congratulations." Then, without another word, she hurried away.
"What's wrong with her?" Ron frowned.
"Honestly, you can still be such a dense git sometimes," Hermione huffed.
"What are you talking about?"
Harry suspected what Hermione was getting at. He wondered how much Ginny had heard before she appeared in the door. Had she heard him say Holly was the best thing that ever happened to him? But he still didn't understand why she'd react that way. Holly was his daughter…
Hermione shook her head. "I'll explain later," she said, casting a furtive look at Holly.
"Ah," Ron had caught on, and so, apparently, had Holly.
"I don't understand. I don't want to keep Harry from her," she said.
Hermione hopped off the bed. "She knows that, but it isn't that simple."
"Why not?"
"It has to do with her feelings. But there is very little we can do about it right now."
"Ms Granger? Already up and about?"
The new arrival was a very surprised looking Commander Ironheart.
"Thanks to Draconian intervention," Sharif smiled. "It seems Holly's healing powers are considerable. What can I do for you?"
Ironheart bent down and winced as he rubbed him leg. "Heal the bruise on my shin."
Sharif shook his head. "You should pay attention to where you're going rather than watching the woman you walk past."
"Very funny, Imhotep. If you must know, my future granddaughter-in-law kicked me."
"Mary?" Sharif laughed. "Yes, I understand she and Nicolai are quite inseparable. But don't you think you're getting a bit ahead of yourself?"
"You'd agree with me if you'd seen them together a while ago…ah, that's better!" Ironheart sighed as Sharif placed the tip of his wand against the little lump on his leg. "I'm also here to let you know Mayumi will be up here to have that eye-colour charm reversed…after she recovers from her shock."
"Mayumi has a different eye-colour?" Hermione frowned.
"That's right," Ron said. "I would've told you, but it was the furthest thing from my mind."
"Well, I'm all better now, so fill me in!" she said eagerly.
"In a nutshell, Mayumi and Princess Matsu are twins, identical twins. That dimwit—" Ron nodded at Harry "—didn't notice the similarity between the two. Can you believe that? It would be like not noticing the similarity between Parvati and Padma…Susie and Millie…"
"What? Identical twins? Goodness, this opens up a whole new can of worms, doesn't it?" Hermione said.
"Hopefully they're tasty worms, because I hate it when fishing for clues takes up too much time," Ironheart said.
"And you didn't notice they were twins?" Hermione asked Harry incredulously.
"It wasn't just me!" Harry protested. "None of the others saw the similarity when we rescued her. Neither did Wolfe, back at the…" Wolfe! Why did the mention of Wolfe suddenly bother him so much? There was something, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He concentrated. Merlin had taught him that the answers lay within. He had to clear his mind…
"Harry? Are you—"
Harry raised his hand to cut off the distraction. Flashes of relevant memories emerged. "It knows when wizards die—" Aberforth had said. "I'm already listed as dead—" Nathan had added. Harry had seen the gold dot at the end of the line that extended out below Wolfe and Galatea. But… "Aberforth, the tapestry can tell when a wizard dies?"
"Yes?"
"Then how come I didn't see the year of death below Wolfe's name?"
***
Elessar: How could you tell after a single chapter?
Bane: It appears you don't read my replies carefully either. I didn't say the subplot was in EaL. It is in Mind War, and I mentioned Mayumi enough times for a reader to remember her. And with reading carefully I mean re-reading both stories at least once. I hide lots of clues to future developments away in the chapters, most of which aren't as obvious as the similarities between Matt and Mary. But you're right. There are slightly too many characters with significant dialogue.
nycgal: Hope you've had a good time at camp.
Gogirl: At least 6 more chapters, as many as 10. And as you can see, the truth about Wolfe will be revealed soon.
RLupin1003: Why thank you.
bigdaddy753: I'm glad you liked it.
Lord Dreadnault: Don't worry, she and Harry will have the talk soon. I dunno about getting pregnant by Harry just to compete with Carey, though. That would strike me as a bad idea.
Starwest45: You thought the chapter was fluffy???
Calen: I'll break your review down into bits for better analysis.
1) Good series overall. One thing I don't like is the whole soul mate and that other thing you said about people being linked. What? They can't just be friends or people in love, they have to be soul mates? That's very BS in my opinion anyway.
That other thing is the Twin Flame. Belief in Soul Mates and Twin flames is based upon belief in reincarnation. And I agree with your opinion that the characters don't all have to be Soul Mates, did I? I just mentioned examples of a few, and you automatically assumed this stretched the rule to everybody. Did I say Wolfe and Galatea are Soul Mates? Or Gavin/Mayumi, Helga/Nathan Bill/Fleur, George/Angelina, Percy/Hannah? No, I didn't!
2) Also, this Wolfe going bad, being the dark general thing kind of like everyone thinking Harry was bad.
On the surface it may seem repetitive, but I assure you that it most definitely isn't. You should no by now that in my fics things rarely are what they appear.
3) I'm glad you said that it might not be H/G though, cause not all relationships last forever and people do move on and fall in love with other people.
I wasn't talking about my fic. I was talking about canon. (Though I do believe Harry and Ginny would be good together)
4) I do think that your fic is way too 'they have to be in a relationship' orientated though. But I guess that's a girl thing. Can't have a fic without people falling in love…ohh no.
For your information, I'm a MAN, HOMME, HOMBRE!!! I do get a lot of female input because both my betas are women. And you know what I've learned? Female input is GOOD. They are more in touch with the emotional side of things and greatly contribute to my writing in that respect. As for the technical side of things, the romantic interest always adds spice and drama to the overall plot.
5) Harry should just get with a person he can relate to, not someone he just finds he loves and that love magically comes out of thin air. And okay that didn't really happen with that whore Ginny, but he could do better and it wouldn't be the end of the world. Him and Heidi could probably work, but maybe not because of why he chose her.
He can relate to Ginny better than he can relate to anyone else. But Ginny's only human too. Harry flipped (both in canon and in EaL) and used the Cruciatus Curse. This is Ginny's way of flipping. You can't expect her to be the epitome of perfection. She's insecure and jealous…only human. And as you yourself have said, their love didn't come out of thin air.
6) But him and his daughter's mother could work. She was nice, nicer than Whorinny Weasel. *g*
Err, there's no way around this pal…Carey used Harry! True, she got some feelings for him later on but that hardly justifies it, don't you think? And what the hell do you mean Whorinny??? Are you one of those idiots who think Ginny's a slut for going out with Michael Corner and having her eye on Dean soon after? Or do you only have a problem with my version of Ginny? Either way, please refrain from using such language in your reviews.
7) Ginny doesn't love him anymore anyway, I hope that's the reason for her ring breaking.
The shattering of the diamond represents that breaking of Ginny's heart. And peoples hearts get broken only by those they love, and always continue to love even after they're hurt.
LadySiri: Glad you had a good trip.
Lady Reaper of the Shadows: Matt is big man, so you couldn't expect him to be small in that department, could you?
Hawkeye: Another name I hope to be seeing more frequently. And Harry and Ginny will sort it out, one way or another. *evil cackle*
Lioness-07863: Nathan won't stay too long.
Joyce: You're very perceptive. And thanks for the compliments, even though I humbly have to admit that I let the story grow out of control a little.
Jane Grey: Blood-Chimeras are real, I didn't invent that. Someone won a Nobel Prize by researching them.
As for ghosts, I don't think they necessarily have stay behind for eternity. I think Nick was focussing about his case in particular. Myrtle came back for revenge. In my interpretation ghosts are able to move on once they get a strong enough epiphany about the meaning of life or afterlife. Nick simply didn't get it yet, and I imagine not many ghosts would, seeing as not many people do in life.
Hmm, Mayumi, I'm afraid I'm going to have to let you down there. That will happen off screen.
Mirrors for communication, lots of fantasy stories use it. And the O.W.L.s, yep, it appears I was way off. But some things have yet to be explained, like why Percy got 12 O.W.L.s when the maximum amount of subjects a student can fit into a schedule are 10. It has been suggested that with some subjects theory and practical exams both get separate credits. I guess we'll have to wait for book 6 to find out. And no, I'm not going to bother rewriting the bits in my story.
The title comes from the transformation of Mary's eyes.
Lamina Court: Want to see Ironheart again, eh?
Siri Kat: So chapter 10 made you laugh! ;-)
Casual Reader: LOL, that question is so you!
Foxfur: You told your kids about two characters in a fan fiction story? How did they react?
I'm afraid I'll have to let you down on the meeting between Mayumi and Matsu. It won't happen on screen.
jona: I hope the next few chapter will also be up to scratch. At least they will be much longer than the early chapters of the story.
Author's Note: I forgot to mention this in the previous posting, but it was my beta reader Christine who so brilliantly wrote from Heidi's POV in chapter 25. There's no way I could have pulled it off so convincingly. Sometimes picturing a man and taking away reason and accountability isn't enough. Only a woman can write women really well.