Spiritus aduro
Part VIII
It was dark, cold and misty. Six men, unshaven and rough looking, obviously from the dregs of society were grouped round a fire, doing business with a cloaked and hooded figure. What they were saying was unintelligible, yet she could tell that it boded no good. They had a mission to fulfil for a master. Who this master was, or where he came from she did not know. Indeed, she had no idea how she knew that they planned evil deeds, but she did. It was tangible in the air, and though she could not hear them, she knew their purpose. They were the servitors of death, and their master aimed to conquer all in a quest for eternal glory. In spite of their lowly background - or perhaps because of it - these men were ambitious. In the whisper of the wind she could read their intent - to rise to glory with their master, or perish in the attempt. As she retreated from the dismal surroundings of these, the lowest of the low, one thought remained with her, crystal clear. Their master was in Albania, and they…they were in Romania. A terror was to be unleashed. Just what that terror was she did not know, but the fear that gripped her was real, and an image flashed before her eyes…
* * * *
"Jon!" Merri gasped, as she jerked into an upright position. Her bedclothes were all awry, as if she had been struggling, and she was drenched with sweat. It had been a bad dream that was all, she realised, breathing deeply, trying to calm herself. She couldn't remember what had happened in it, but the sense of fear stayed with her. And that fear was for Jon. Restlessly, she threw back the blankets and shrugged on her dressing gown before padding over to the window to survey the night sky. The dream had unsettled her. Though she couldn't remember the actual content, she was sure that she had dreamt it all before and she couldn't shake the feeling of dread that it induced in her. It shouldn't have had that effect on her - it was just a dream, after all. But she was alone tonight. Charlie and Ria were both in Egypt, and the silence surrounded her like a blanket of suffocation. She would have given anything to hear Ria mumbling in her sleep, as she did all too often. Nonsense words, but tonight just the knowledge that her friend was there would have given her comfort. She would willingly have paid to have to suffer Charlie's sleepy snuffles and snores. For someone who had shared a room for the best part of his life, he was a remarkably loud sleeper. But at this moment, noise was what she craved, for noise would bring with it security and peace of mind. Merri sighed. It was stupid to let a nightmare influence her sleep pattern, but it was so very real that she couldn't help it. Tracing the constellations with her mind's eye, she pondered. Why was Jon featuring in these dreams, and why couldn't she shake the fear that the dream had caused? More than anything, she wished that her flatmates were at home.
* * * *
It was very hard for Merri not to notice Charlie and Ria's return to Romania. Aside from the noise that the two of them were making, Charlie's trail of luggage was a dead give-away.
"CHARLIE!" she heard Ria yell.
"RIA!"
"GET YOUR DIRTY LAUNDRY OFF OF MY BED!" Ria screeched. Merri laughed. Everything was as it should be.
"It's not dirty!" Charlie protested, emerging from his bedroom. "Oh, hi, Merri, can't stop - her holiness is being pernickety again."
"You found her then. Excellent," Merri smiled, as she followed him into Ria's room.
"It looks dirty to me," Ria told Charlie. "Look - it's all crumpled!"
"Because it's been in a suitcase, smarty-pants," Charlie replied.
"Well, clean or dirty, I still don't want it on my bed," Ria stated, firmly, before seeing Merri. "MERRI!! How are you? Did you miss us?"
"Things were a lot quieter around here without you," Merri admitted, honestly. "But somehow, it's just not the same without the arguing."
"Well, if Mr Weasley didn't insist on leaving his junk on my bed then everything would still be a lot quieter," Ria told her. "How did it get into my room in the first place, Charlie, dear?"
"I put it here," Charlie told her.
"What was wrong with your own room?" Ria demanded.
"Not enough space. Still isn't, so you'll have to leave it there for a little bit longer."
"There was plenty of space before you left, Charlie," Ria pointed out.
"Then Bill sent him a wizigram," Merri explained. "He turned the place upside down packing before coming to rescue you. Just like the scorned lovers in plays."
"Scorned lovers?!?" Charlie and Ria exclaimed. Merri smiled. It worked like a charm every time.
"Wouldn't that involve me turning Charlie down?" Ria asked.
"I am not her lover!" Charlie said, exasperatedly, at the same time.
"I know." Merri said, grinning wickedly. "It was just a passing comment." Ria lobbed a cushion at her, which Charlie dodged as he left the room, and Merri heard a vague comment about women and sport somewhat muffled underneath the pile of clothes that were hiding his face. As the door clicked shut she looked at Ria, who was pulling a face at her.
"Meanie."
"I aim to please," Merri told her, laughing. "And you fell for it. You always do."
"Maybe. You do know that he's not my scorned lover, right?"
"I know he's not your scorned lover, Ri. Whether he does or not is another matter."
* * * *
With Charlie and Ria safely back in Romania, breakfast-time was a rowdy affair, and Merri wouldn't have had it any other way.
"No Charles, I'm telling you that Princess Prunella has the World Record for winning the Ugliest Hag award thirteen times!"
"No, Ariadne," Charlie mocked, "I'm telling you that Queen Quikiatu won the Ugliest Hag award fifteen times, in a row, to boot!" Merri looked from one to the other and smiled. Only Charlie and Ria would spend half an hour arguing about the trivia questions in the Butterbeer Break section of the Daily Prophet. Frankly, Merri wondered why they bothered. She wasn't sure who wrote the questions, but really - who cared about ugly hags? Well, Charlie and Ria, evidently. Ria's toast lay abandoned on her plate, a single bite taken out of it. Charlie had rammed his all in at once when Ria had begun her initial diatribe - a disgusting habit that would have made his mother shriek with dismay - and Merri was surprised that he hadn't licked the plate clean.
"…I've never even heard of Queen Quikiatu. You're making it all up, I can just tell."
"Do you want to win the prize money or not?" Charlie demanded.
"I don't really care. But it's Princess Prunella."
"It's Queen Quikiatu."
"How do you know?"
"Because 'Princess Prunella' has three letters too many," Charlie smirked. "So there." Ria scowled, but any reply that she might have made was prevented by the arrival of a rather dilapidated looking owl.
"Honestly, Charlie, you need to explain to your family that Errol isn't really up to visiting you more than once a month," Ria told him.
"Errol isn't up to visiting me, full stop," Charlie replied. "But how else do you expect my letters to reach me?"
"Doesn't Percy have an owl?" Ria demanded.
"Percy wouldn't let any of the kids use Hermes, not that I blame him. The chances are, knowing my brothers, that if Percy did lend Hermes to one of them he'd get him back dyed bright purple."
"Well, even so…there is owl post, you know!"
"The nearest Owl Office is so far away from The Burrow that its significance is laughable," Charlie replied, solemnly.
"Who's it from?" Merri asked, curiosity getting the better of her.
"George, I think," Charlie replied, offering Errol some water and the rest of Ria's toast.
"Well…" Ria said, for once not chastising her friend for stealing her breakfast. "What does he say?"
"Hold on, and I'll read it," Charlie replied, unrolling the parchment and clearing his throat. "'Dear Charlie… How are things in Romania? Been fried by any good dragons yet? Fred, Ron and I were almost fried by Mum the other day. You remember I wrote to you asking about Ford Anglias? Well, Mum found out just what it was we needed information for. Don't worry, none of us squealed on you, even if we did end up spending the morning de-gnoming. I suppose you know that Harry Potter is Ron's best friend by now - ickle Ronniekins consorting with the rich and famous. Before long he won't be acknowledging us anymore! Anyway, as Harry doesn't have any parents - you'd know that, of course - he has to spend the summer with some awful Muggle relatives. Ron knew that the Dursleys (that's their name) were really out of order to Harry, so he invited him to stay at the Burrow, as you do. But Harry didn't reply. Now, I know Errol isn't the most reliable owl in the world, but we were all pretty certain that he could make it to Surrey without conking out. So we waited, and then it got to Harry's birthday, and Ron was just getting tetchy. He can be just like a little old woman sometimes - wonder where he gets that from…'"
"Your poor mother!" Ria interjected.
"He didn't mention Mum at all, your holiness. Don't jump to conclusions." Charlie grinned.
"You've read me the letters your mum sends you, Charlie, dear," Ria pointed out. "Trust me, he's referring to your mother."
"Well…maybe. But that's irrelevant and beside the point." Charlie continued to read. "'He can be just like a little old woman sometimes - wonder where he gets that from? It was driving Fred and me nuts, so we…borrowed Dad's latest Muggle device, a car. A Ford Anglia, believe it or not! He's enchanted it, so we flew all the way from home to Harry's house, and then we rescued him."
"Only your brothers would do that, Charlie," Ria smirked. "And to think that you gave them the information to make it all possible."
"I gave them the information? I seem to recall a certain dark haired Kentian had something to do with it."
"How many times…? It's maid of Kent! We're not from Mars, you know! Kentian indeed!"
"I dunno," Charlie replied, grinning. "You certainly don't resemble a normal human being some of the time. You know some remarkably obscure stuff. Ria the Witch from Outer Space. It has a certain ring to it. Maybe I can find someone to turn it into a story…"
"You're so amusing," Ria responded, sarcastically. "And stop trying to change the subject - I seem to recall the letter containing the aforementioned information was written in your hand. And if your mum ever finds it, heaven help us all!"
"Oh, you're loving this," Charlie mock-glared at Ria. "Is Charlie-torture your favourite pastime or something?"
"Oh yes," Ria replied, a wicked grin on her face. "And don't you forget it. But I want to know what happened." Charlie returned to the parchment.
"'His aunt and uncle were starving him; he even had bars on his window. Hopeless, that's what some Muggles are. We used a few tricks to get all of his stuff, and then we drove home. Fred was pretty good, actually. But flying a car is nowhere near as much fun as Quidditch. And everything was going hunky-dory; we got home OK, and were about to sneak back into our rooms and surprise Mum with Harry, when she turned up. Well, you know what Mum's like, and we ended up de-gnoming. Fred says that frankly, he thinks we were lucky to avoid decapitation. Oh, but Ginny was the funniest. She has a secret crush on Harry, you know, and she walked into the kitchen, screamed and walked out again. Excellent teasing material.'"
"Now that's just cruel," Merri voiced her thoughts. "Your poor sister - she's only…what, nine, ten?"
"Eleven," Charlie corrected her. "But Fred and George tease everyone, you know. And Fred's the worst. Ginny's probably used to it by now."
"You can't possibly expect us to believe that Dillon and Cerian have never teased you about your crushes," Ria added. "I know that we used to rib Lucy rotten when she was going out with Geoff. I think I wanted to know whether I got to be the bridesmaid or not after their second date," she smiled. "But do carry on, Charlie, dear."
"Thank you. 'Summer is going as summers usually do - we've been practising Quidditch - three members of the Gryffindor team in one house - can't be bad. Ginny's been avoiding Harry, which seems stupid to me, but it's painfully obvious that she likes him, and I really think he finds having her attention embarrassing.
We went to Diagon Alley yesterday. Well, I say we went to Diagon Alley, but Harry ended up in Knocturn Alley instead. He's never used Floo Powder before and he must have missed the grate. Wish I'd thought of doing that. Apparently he saw Lucius Malfoy. Dad reckons there's something dodgy there. He's probably right. I wouldn't know, because I've never been to Knocturn Alley. But Lucius Malfoy is a git. When we were in Flourish and Blotts getting our schoolbooks he had a fight with Dad. Of course, Dad would have won, but Hagrid broke the two of them up. Malfoy was making snide remarks about us being poor. Well, I'd rather be poor and normal than have money and be scum like he is. Bloody Slytherins.
Oh, and guess who the new DADA professor is! Gilderoy Lockhart! Mum's secretly in love with him, you can just tell. Personally, I think he's a bit…la di da. Phoney. I'll bet he can't teach for toffee - I wonder what it would be like to have a decent DADA prof? I'll get back to you on that one.
Anyway, I'd better be off - Fred wants to pull a prank on Percy, who's being very perfect, as always. Sickening really. Oh, and write back more quickly this time, you git!
Love
George.'"
Merri grinned as Charlie folded the parchment up. The Weasleys all seemed to have a certain charisma about them that made their goings on fascinating to hear about.
"Wish I had a flying car," Ria lamented.
"You're strange, Ri," Charlie replied. "Bet you like Gilderoy Lockhart too!"
"Oh ha ha, very funny," Ria responded. "Lockhart is for middle aged witches and little girls who don't know any better. I'm sorry, but 'World's Most Charming Smile'? Where on earth did they get that idea from? I always think it looks like he's got hold of something unsavoury in the pictures on the books."
"It worries me that you've studied his books in detail," Merri told her.
"My mum has them on the coffee table," Ria retorted. "She's never read them - she thinks they look clever."
"How motherly of her," Merri smiled. "What I really want to know is whether you've read them or not."
"Well…"
"Ha! She has!" Charlie crowed. "And we thought you were intellectual."
"They were funny - I've never read more codswallop in my life!" Ria told him, defensively.
"We believe you," Charlie said, grinning. "What was it you said? For middle aged witches and little girls? Which category do you fall into?" Merri regarded the resulting battle with interest. There was something endearing about Charlie and Ria. Strange, but endearing.
* * * *
August rolled into September in a flurry of brightly coloured leaves. The dragon eggs had all hatched by now, and Merri had her hands full with both Ezara and Prudence's babies to see to. But somehow, in between playing nursemaid to a host of baby magical creatures, she managed to spend a large amount of time with Jonathan Sommers, something that resulted in a lot of teasing from her flatmates. Not that she cared. Jon was one of those people that you met once in a lifetime, someone that you would want to hold on to. Her relationship with him was like none she had ever imagined before. He wasn't her boyfriend in the strict sense of the word - neither of them had ever said 'I love you' and for that, Merri was glad. She didn't want it to be said until it was true; to say it before was to grossly devalue those three precious little words. They had only known each other for two months, and rushing into things was not her style.
The two of them were taking a walk, making the most of the lingering warm weather. Strolling through the dense woodland, Merri felt strangely peaceful. They were walking in silence for the most part, both of them drinking in the beauty of their surrounding with hungry eyes. The magic that they did, the magic that they had learnt, it was nothing at all compared to the magic of the trees that surrounded them. The forest was full of life - birds sang sweetly in the trees, amongst the leaves and soil on the ground the worms wriggled. The sun filtered through the ancient oaks, creating a dappled effect and illuminating the rich reds, yellows, purples and browns of the leaves that were now dying. It was a paradise beyond any magic, and it was a paradise that Merri could stay in forever. Or rather, it should have been.
"Bloody hell!" Jon exclaimed, and Merri stopped examining the wildlife to see what had caused his sudden shock. What she saw made dread fill her heart. The scene was familiar, though she had only witnessed it once before. In the clearing lay a young unicorn, caught in a brutal looking trap. Even as she took it all in, Jon was on his knees beside the unfortunate creature, gently freeing it from the fierce teeth of the cruel tool.
"Is it alive?" Merri asked, fearfully. The small creature was still, too still, and the silence that had been so pleasant just minutes previously was now scaring her.
"Just," Jon replied, curtly. His tone, which had been warm just minutes earlier, was now icy cold with anger and loathing.
"Well, shouldn't we do something?" Merri asked, eyeing the silver pool of blood with shock and distaste.
"Of course we should bloody do something," Jon snapped and Merri stepped back reflexively. This angry Jon was not a Jon she was acquainted with, and she didn't think she really wanted to be either. She stood in silence as he levitated the half-dead unicorn, and followed Jon anxiously to his house. The silence was no longer companionable. It was cold, so cold that even though the sun was shining Merri shivered a feeling of dread gripping her from within. Something bad was going to happen. She didn't know what it was, but it was going to come. Then she blacked out.
* * * *
"Merri? Merri! Dear Merlin, let her be all right! MERRI!" Merri stirred, her eyes fluttering open. The blurry image that greeted her frightened her, and rather than attempt to focus her vision, she closed them again, tightly, in the mistaken belief that if she couldn't see it then nothing bad would happen. "Merri? Merri, open your eyes." Merri recognised the voice, distorted though it was with anxiety and sorrow. Slowly she opened her eyes once more, and this time she made an effort. Jon. She could see Jon. She was suddenly conscious of a cup being pressed to her lips. "Here, drink this," he said, gently. She shook her head, mutely. It smelt awful. "Please, Merri? For me?" She shook her head again.
"It…smells…a...aw…awful," she said, her dry mouth making it hard to get the words out.
"I know," he soothed, gently stroking her hair. She was suddenly conscious that her head was cradled in his lap. "But it will make you feel better. Drink it. Please." Silently, Merri did as she was bidden and, vile as it tasted, once she had downed the potion she felt much better.
"Wh…what happened?" she asked, fearfully, aware now that she was shivering. Jon must have noticed too.
"I don't know," he said. "The unicorn…well, anyway, I thought you were behind me, and then I heard you scream, and I came outside and…you were here." It seemed to suddenly dawn on him that the two of them were still in open, and the sun was setting, the warmth of the day leaving with it. "We should get you indoors," he said, softly. Then, as if she weighed no more than a feather, he scooped her up into his arms and carried her into his home, gently laying her on his bed . Then he disappeared. It seemed like he was gone for an eternity, although in reality he left her for barely a minute before returning with a glass of water, which he offered her. She took it gratefully, and sipped its contents, feeling much better as the cool liquid soothed her throat.
"What happened to the unicorn?" she demanded, struggling to sit up. Jon shook his head at her.
"Don't sit up. You've hit your head. I'll call Ria or Charlie in a minute, and let them know you're here. You can't go home in that state."
"Jon," Merri was growing frantic. She couldn't sit up - she physically didn't have the energy, but that didn't mean that she wasn't going to try. "What happened?"
"It's okay," he soothed her.
"It's not okay at all," she told him, irately. "WHAT HAPPENED TO THE UNICORN?" Jon looked away from her, and Merri regretted her outburst. "He's dead, isn't he," she said, softly. Jon held her gaze and she could read it in his eyes. "Oh, Jon! I'm so so sorry!" To her horror, tears began to well up in her eyes, and before she could stop them, she was sobbing.
"Shhh," she was vaguely aware of Jon's arms around her, of him murmuring words of comfort in her ear, brushing stray tendrils of red hair off of her face.
"I'm sorry," he said, softly.
"It's not your fault," she sobbed. "You did everything you could."
"No…not just for that. For shouting at you. And for not being there."
"You were there! You were trying to save him!"
"You could have died, and if you hadn't screamed I wouldn't have known!"
"I didn't scream," Merri told him. "I had this feeling that something bad was going to happen and then… I woke up," she frowned. "Maybe I did scream. I don't remember screaming…you don't think I'm going mad, do you?" Under normal circumstances it would have been funny, but at that moment she was scared. Very scared.
"No. You're not mad," Jon said it with such conviction that Merri believed him. She trusted him. "Merri - has anything like this happened to you before?" Merri looked away from him. "It has, hasn't it. Why didn't you say anything?"
"Because I didn't want you to think I was some crackpot," she explained, exasperated at herself for giving away her most closely guarded secret. "Back when…back when Voldemort was around, and my Dad was auroring all the time…then it used to happen a lot. I'd get this feeling of dread…sometimes I'd see things happening…then I'd black out. I didn't tell anyone. Not even my parents. But it hasn't happened for years - not since he disappeared. I thought that perhaps I wasn't mad after all."
"Do you know what I think," Jon began. "I think you've got the Sight."
"The Sight?" Merri laughed. "Sure. Whatever you say."
"No, listen to me," he said it with such intensity that she was forced to look at him, to hold his gaze, and the conviction she saw in the depths of his eyes was enough to convince her.
"I'm not sure which is worse," she told him, solemnly, "being a nutter or seeing things."
"Oh, being a nutter, definitely," Jon smiled. "But I think I love my particular nutter very much." Merri looked up at him, shocked. Now that she hadn't expected. But there was sincerity in the way he met her inquisitive gaze, and for once she allowed her heart to rule her. And she didn't regret it.
* * * *
"So what are you going to do?" Charlie demanded of them. Merri felt Jon's hand squeeze hers as he replied.
"Hunt them down. Hunt them down and make them pay."
"Are you sure that's wise?" Ria asked, worriedly. "Surely going to the Aurors would be a better move."
"The Aurors?" Jon made a dismissive noise. "They won't do anything. What can they do? The Reserve is none of their business. No. This is up to us."
"Well, if that's what you want to do, then I'll help," Charlie told him, determination showing on his face. "Only scum get involved in a trade like that."
"Oh, I'll support you," Ria assured them all. "I just wanted to be sure that there was no other option. People do not kill innocent creatures around me and get away with it. We'll catch them, or my name's not Ariadne Rutherford." Merri smiled at her gratefully. Even when things were at rock bottom, there was always hope. When people like Ria and Charlie were prepared to oppose the evil that would poach on purity there was always a chance that things would end up all right in the world.
* * * *
They didn't tend to get owls in the evening very often. Generally the post arrived at breakfast time, and provided ample amusement for the inmates of the flat before they set off for work. So, when Charlie received an owl later on in the day, naturally Merri's interest was peaked. When she asked him what it was, however, he was unusually close-mouthed. It was evidently news that was of importance to him, but from the look on his face, Merri wasn't sure whether he considered it to be good or bad. However much she wanted to know what had piqued Charlie's interest, there were some things that were better left well alone, and she judged that this was one of them. Charlie as a person was warm and outgoing, but his wrath was not to be incurred at any cost, and Merri was wise enough to know that to pressure him for details would gain her nothing but bother. Therefore, she left him to his post, and was free to wonder just what the mysterious letter contained.
* * * *
Merri had been out with Jon once again. Their relationship, which only a week previously had been only slightly more than platonic was now slightly more than romantic, and Merri was thriving on it. She had never dreamed that she could be this happy. She was just plain boring old Merrilees Fergusson, redheaded Scot from Hufflepuff that no one was interested in. She had grown resigned to watching people fall in love with her friends while she remained single. She wasn't stupid - she knew that her looks were never going to attract a flock of admirers. Even now, she was secretly scared that one day she'd wake up and it would all be a pleasant dream. What she didn't realise, and what Jon did, was that beauty was more than skin deep. Besides, he suited her. There was something about being in love that made the plainest of people - people like herself - become the most beautiful. It was a glorious inner peace, and she glowed with it as she entered the house, only to wish that she hadn't. Charlie and Ria were arguing again. They had been at it ever since they got back from Egypt, but Merri had yet to get to the bottom of the situation. All she knew was that an idea of Charlie's was not going down well with Ria, and that Charlie wouldn't let the matter drop.
"It's possible, Ria. You know it is."
"It is not."
"It is. Look - he says so."
"Charlie - listen to me. It. Is. Not. Possible."
"How do you know?"
"What?!"
"How do you know?"
"And just what is that supposed to mean?"
"How do you know? You can't know."
"How dare you?"
"Ria…"
"HOW DARE YOU!!!"
"Ri, I'm sorry!"
"It's all right for you, Charlie Weasley, playing happy families with your hoards of siblings and parents who love you, but you just didn't think, did you?"
"Ria! Ria, I'm sorry! I shouldn't have said that…Ri!"
"What am I supposed to say, for Merlin's sake!"
"Ri, forget it."
"Well, fine. Have it your way. Evidently you're not going to shut up until I've admitted it."
"No, Ri, it's not like that! Ri, listen to me!"
"I DON'T KNOW WHO MY PARENTS ARE, OKAY? THEY DIDN'T LOVE ME ENOUGH TO LET ME FIND OUT? HAPPY NOW?" Merri stood, shell shocked, as Ria ran past her, tears streaming down her face, out into the night. The sound of the door slamming echoed through the house, and the sound of fleeing footsteps echoed in the still night air.
Author's Note: A lot of the ideas in this chapter should be credited to Andy and not me (that goes for the last chapter as well). Certain conversations in this chapter have been shamelessly plucked from conversations I've had with him (believe me, Ria was telling the truth when she said we were Kentish maids not Kentians). Just to clarify, everything in this chapter does fit in with canon, although it may not seem that way. Remember that once you've eliminated the impossible anything is possible however improbable. I'm hoping to get Part IX out in good time, but in the meantime, thanks for reading, and thanks for reviewing. All comments are taken into consideration, and if I like them, acted upon. J Hallie