Harry Potter and the Icons of Myth
By: souls
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Author's Note: This will probably be one of my shorter chapters.
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Harry Potter and the Icons of Myth
Chapter 21: Cloak and Dagger
-Late August-Dead Sea-
Voldemort has had Lestrange look through that bloody cave a billion times. Whatever he's looking for just isn't here. This particular repository of knowledge has been plundered a million times over the years by Muggles. The enchantments surrounding this place are older than any ever heard of. From time to time the ancient wards governing this place 'glitch' for lack of a better word. Then some hapless Muggle makes some big discovery of a tablet or scroll they can't even read.
It is a fascinating place though. There are tomes that predate Muggle and Wizarding culture by centuries: The Dead Sea Scrolls, The Acascian Records, Kedavra's Notes (the most infamous). No one has set eyes on Kedavra's Notes since before Merlin's time. Legend has it that Merlin's sire killed Kedavra and stole the notes. He later placed the Dementia Curse upon the tome. It's locked away in the sub-basements of the Ministry in the ancient section.
The sweet smell of charred flesh invaded his nostrils as Voldemort punished Lestrange for wasting precious time. The man twitched and whimpered as Voldemort lifted the curse.
"Master. Most of the scrolls that are left state that what we seek was last seen in Uruk. Although I believe that after it's fall the missing scrolls were probably moved to the ancient city of Arbela."
"Then we must head there at once. For your sake I hope that information on what we seek is there." The Death Eater cringed at the not so veiled threat.
A fire lit against his arm signaling the Death Eaters to apparate. 'Here we go again. Trudging after this megalomaniac under the hot Middle Eastern sun. I hope we find something soon there are only a few days left until The Dark Lord dismisses me to return to Hogwarts. I need to know what he's up to before then.'
-Irbîl, Iraq-
The Death Eaters reappeared. No one took much notice of the robed men and women. Lestrange looked around trying to figure out his next move. He suggested searching the outlying buildings of the old city proper.
'This has got be the most colossal waste of time I've ever undertaken for the Dark Lord.' A Death Eater to his right growled as once again their search turned up nothing. If Snape had thought it'd have done any good he would have warned the man not to speak.
"We're never going to find…" He never completed his sentence as he was propelled backwards into the stone wall. Blood erupted from his mouth from the force of impact.
The Dark Lord walked over wand a hand outstretched as if holding the man to the wall. "I find your lack of faith most disturbing." With a clench of his fist the man's head snapped violently sideways his limbs flailing like a marionette with clipped strings.
'Poor bastard.' Snape thought as he passed the body and followed the others into a battered down building. The stone work was old and crumbling. In Snape's opinion it wouldn't have taken more than a gentle sneeze to topple the structure upon them.
'Humph…now there would be a fitting end. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named…The Dark Lord done in by a ickle old rock, oh how the might hath fallen.' A cold smile crossed his lips. If it hadn't been for the weird glare Lucius was giving him he might have chuckled at the mere thought of death by rockslide.
Wormtail came running up to them at that moment. "M'lord we've found something." Voldemort followed the rodent-like man into a dusty antechamber that had steps going down into a great pit. Several Death Eaters flanked Voldemort as he entered the depths of the pit. Halfway down the steps disappeared and there was a great nothing above and before them. Below them the distant floor of the chasm curled and knotted upon itself.
A joyful smiled crossed Voldemort's face, and sending a shiver up Snape's spine, before he began to speak to the darkness. "*Sahrasa…eshreeé…aslisss…losSlythe'Rath…spitzrosharr! [*Rise up children and listen. Lord Slytherin speaks!]" A chorus of spitting and hissing joined Voldemort's as thousands upon thousands of snakes acknowledged their lord. A wave of asps slithered upon each other to form a bridge across the chasm. Only a king cobra barred his path.
"*Ashiras…Slythe'Rath…suuussss…iseShivu'el…reisereessa…vnumsàh…slethvss. [*You are Slytherin's son. I Shivu elder. I see and I know your venom. Use my path.]" The old king cobra finishes whipping back to cross the bridge. Voldemort leaves shoes behind and crosses paths with the old king.
At the end of the passage a rock blocked a small alcove. The rocks levitated away revealing a series of scrolls. "At long last, Oracle, I have the remaining scrolls." A shrill cackle filled the cavernous ruins.
~*~
"Scheiße!" Harry cursed when his scar began to hurt making him ultimately miss the target with his knife.
"Vince, you've gotta learn to concentrate if ya ever intend to hit the target. Yer can't always depend on magic for every situation." Kurt said as he pulled the errant knife from the picture of his mother. The old lady in the picture had ducked behind a table and was now cursing at the young man.
"Nice one Black!" Draco said from his seat on the couch as he nursed a bottle of Firewhiskey.
"That's enough for today we still have to run those barrels of dragon's blood and manticore venom over to Berlin by nightfall."
~*~
"Severus." Voldemort called to the greasy haired wizard. Snape walked up to the Dark Lord and bowed. He took the opportunity to get a good look at the scrolls before him. "You will soon be returning to Hogwarts. McGonnagel is in charge now. I want you to keep an eye on her especially if she has any more contact with Flamel."
"Yes M'lord." A minute later Snape was gone.
~*~
TBC
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[A/N: What was on those scrolls?]