Harry Potter and the Icons of Myth
By: souls
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Author's Note: I know it's been a long time but I'm happy to finally be getting another chapter out. I've missed writing on this fic. Thanks for your patience.
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Harry Potter and the Icons of Myth
Chapter 28: Reunions
-January 2nd-Paris, France-
A woman materialized in the back of an antique store. She looked cautiously around before placing the plant on a nearby shelf. She took the time to look over the store and make sure no one had noticed her arrival. No one seemed to have noticed her. The traveling cloak she wore turned black as she wrapped it more fully around herself. Silently she thanked Master Yu for the cloak he'd given her. It had once belonged to Yu's grandmother, a traveling priestess, and was made from extinct dragon hide and silk. It suited her purposes well.
As she moved towards the exit a salesperson intercepted her. "May I help you miss?" He asked, as he looked Harmony up and down.
"No thank you." The salesman continued to direct her to different items as though he hadn't heard her. After about thirty minutes he'd gotten her name and proceeded to chat her up. An hour after that she'd convinced him she wasn't interested. She pulled out a sheet of paper from her pocket containing the directions to the Leviathan.
It'd be nice to see the boys again. I hope they make it here okay. She thought as she pulled her hood up and hailed a taxi.
~*~
-Elsewhere-
Moody sat quietly reading a paper at a small Muggle café. His hat pulled down over his eye, which spun in his socket. His eye moved in the direction of the hidden apparition point he'd used earlier. No one had followed him from Westminster. Moody's eye stopped for a brief second as it lit upon the café men's room. He watched as Jacob exited a stall washed his hands and left to join him at his table. The younger man ordered two cups of coffee before lighting a cigarette. He took several drags before the waiter returned with the coffee.
"You weren't followed were you?" Moody asked as he took out his flask and poured some whiskey into the coffee.
"There were no problems getting here. Have you heard from the others yet?"
"They'll be here soon if not we continue on without them. There's Rena now." Moody said as a white haired lady with a dog in tow joined them. Jacob petted the dog before turning to order two more coffees, to go. They quickly left the café with Moody on alert in case they were followed. They headed towards the river specifically a small shack in the corner of a culdesac. Once they entered the shack Sirius transformed. Inside the shack was a mini museum containing nautical equipment and pieces of different ships. There was a painting on the wall of a ship being pulled under by a giant squid. Sirius took out his wand and tapped the anchor on the ship. The anchor splashed down into the water and the painting sunk into the floor.
"This way don't dawdle." A voice called to them from below. They went down the steps at a brisk pace. At the end of the steps they found themselves in a series of tunnels. The darkened catacombs wound their way deep beneath Paris before ending at an underground wharf. The Goblin Harbor Master motioned them aboard a ship at the end of the wharf. It was a worn old vessel made from the skeleton of a large sea dragon. Along it's side in dark blue letters was the word Leviathan. The Leviathan was one of the oldest sailing vessels in the Wizarding world. The Leviathan rocked back forth on it's moorings. A stream of witches and wizards boarded the ship. Inside it was arrayed with enough finery to put the Titanic to shame.
"Where should we start first?" Rena asked as she transfigured her jacket back into a robe.
"I think we ought to head for the pub." Moody says before taking the lead.
The pub reminded Jacob of every other Wizarding pub he'd been in at one time or another. This was just another stakeout but then again it wasn't. He figured Moody would choose a place from which they could see everything and he wasn't disappointed either. Sirius had the waiter bring them drinks while they waited on their lunch. It took all of Jacob's self-control not to laugh when Moody cast a revealing spell on his food when it arrived. Moody was without a doubt the most cautious (insert paranoid) man he'd ever met but that's what's kept him alive so long. Hours past like minutes in the darkened pub. The crowd had grown since they'd first walked in but they hadn't seen any sign of Harry or the others yet. Moody's eye had been roaming nonstop when finally he caught it. A lady at the far table was staring right at him and he hadn't even noticed. It took him a while to realize why he hadn't noticed her the first time. She hadn't moved enough for his eye to pick up any movement from her. She smiled at him and winked.
"I'll be damn."
"What is it?" Sirius asked a little louder than he'd intended to.
"I've found one of ours and she's been watching us for quite some time." He subtly points her out to the others.
"Should we go over there or wait for the others?"
"I think we ought to wait. No sense drawing attention right now."
Harmony scanned the room with all her senses. She subtly sniffed at the air trying to catch a scent. Her ears peaked through her hair. That's when it happened she heard Draco's voice coming from the corner of the room. She finished her tea and quickly rose to cross the room. About halfway there, an arm snaked its way around her waist and a man pulled her into his lap.
"It's nice of you to join us petite?" A voice came from behind her. She turned quickly to find a very beefy old man with the looks of a pirate. His bare chest covered in tattoos. One of which had been enchanted to move across his body.
"You picked a good one, Jean. She looks feisty. Sure y' can handle 'er?" A skinny toothless sailor said to the first. The others at their table looked on with glee. "Where are you going in such a hurry?" Harmony reached for a wand but the beefy man grabbed her hand. Sirius and the others started to move towards Harmony and the group of men. That's when it happened. Harmony's nails elongated into claws as she swiped at the man's chest. Five long parallel cuts now adorned her attacker's chest. This caused the man to drop her unceremoniously on her butt. The injured man not bothering with a wand struck out at her face only to be caught by a dirty red haired young man.
"Leave her alone." The men took in his dirty slovenly features and smiled. His long red hair fell in tangles, across his eyes and his clothes were no better. The jeans had several tears along them and a jacket he wore over a soiled New York Necromancer's jersey was dusty and scuffed. He didn't present much of a threat to the large beefy man.
"What are you going to do 'bout it?" The hand the red haired drifter had on the man became as immovable as a steel vice. The man began to scream in terror as he looked into the stranger's eyes. Harmony smiled as his familiar scent enveloped her. He released the man and helped the woman up. Sirius and the others were having difficulty making it through the crowd of onlookers. They could only watch helplessly as the other men advanced on the woman and her rescuer.
"We have to do something. They can't take on all six of them." Rena said to Moody as she looked on the fight before her.
"They look like they're doing pretty good so far." Moody's appraisal of the situation fell on deaf ears. The stranger had belted a man across a table and into a wall breaking his nose and arm while his partner caught another with a bad hex to the groin that made him mess himself (don't ask…ouch). One sailor had become fed up.
"Avada…." He never finished. A knife struck him in the shoulder causing him to drop his wand. The crowd was stunned both by the fact that the sailor was about to cast an Unforgivable and that they didn't know where the knife had come. The whole room had grown quiet. The remaining sailors looked around for the owner of the knife as did Sirius and the others in the crowd.
Harmony whispered something to the man beside her and he stared across the darkened pub to the corner. Moody caught it and followed their gaze. I feel upon a couple of young men at a corner table. They'd already risen and were walking towards the others. The fair-haired man quickly stunned the remaining sailors. He leaned over to Sirius who looked back and nodded. The crowd had begun to murmur but they kept a close watch on the former combatants. "Black. Wolfe." He yelled motioning them over. The newcomers looked up and joined the others as they moved towards Sirius.
"I think we should go." The dark haired youth said before exiting the pub with the operatives in tow. On their way out they noticed several goblin bouncers moving to take care of the stunned and wounded sailors.
~*~
-Room 42-The Leviathan-
Sirius gathered them all into his arms much to the chagrin of Draco who even though more friendly as of late was not used to being hugged. Rena took the time to examine them.
"They appear to be in perfect health although Ronald could use a bath." She said as she sniffed at the young man.
"That can wait a while. Has Voldemort made a move yet?" Rena flinched at the sound of the name.
"I don't know how much you've heard. The Ministry building was taken a while back and no one has been in or out of it since the siege began." Ron frowned. "Don't worry your father and brothers made it out. The Minister with some unofficial aid from the Order has moved Ministry operations to a secret location."
"We were damned lucky this time." Moody growled.
Harry turned to his godfather; "you told us to meet you here but where exactly are we going Sirius?"
"The Leviathan will make a stop in Greece and several other places before returning to France. We'll get off in Greece and take a portkey to Beauxbatons. There's a lot we need to tell you and a lot of it is bad news."
~*~
The Leviathan pulled into (more like landed at) port two days later. Several witches and wizards disembarked along with a host of goblins, and one centaur. Harry, Ron, and Draco followed Jacob down the boarding ramp. They'd all switch into sandy brown robes, as is the custom in Greece. They followed the other Order members off to the side. Harry quickly pulled back the hood of his robe to tighten the bandana that hid his scar.
No one was paying them any attention but the four teens had the feeling they were being watched. Draco narrowed his eyes watching the people still milling around the port. Finally something caught his eye. He gave a quick nod to Ron who smiled over at Hermione. Moody noted all of this right away especially since they'd all gone for their wands. Jacob took a step to his left out of the way as he too reached for his wand. A second later a strangely ancient wizard apparated to where Jacob had been standing a moment before.
Harry's wand was already out and pointed at the man's chest a curse ready on his lips. It took the operatives a second to recognize the man before turning to Harry and explain. There was no need the twinkle in the man's eyes reminded Harry so much of Dumbledore that he'd already lowered his wand.
"What are you…?" Sirius began.
"No time to explain." A sweet melody was heard and the group disappeared in crimson and gold flames leaving a single feather in their wake.
~*~
TBC