A/N: I just want 2 say 2 everyone thanx 4 the reviews. And you'll have 2 B patient w/Harry & Hermione, it'll take them a few chaps 2 get 2gether. Mel
Chapter 10: Haunting Prophecies
Again, Willow was in the middle of darkness, with no light to be found. She looked around and heard the same cold voice she had heard before, "We shall find the Key, no matter what it takes," it hissed, she suddenly remembered, the Dark Lord, she thought. "But Master," said a quivering voice, " it is heavily guarded, we can not get to it easily enough-"
"No matter what it takes," repeated the cold voice of the Dark Lord, "do you hear me, Wormtail?"
"Y-yes, Master," the voice quivered. "Bring forth the boy, Wormtail," rang the Dark Lord's voice through the darkness. "Yes Master," it answered. There was a sound as though someone was being dragged across a floor. "What do you know, boy?" the Dark Lord said. "I-I-I d-don't know a-anything," stuttered a voice that sounded remotely familiar. "You lie," he hissed. "I-I swear, I d-don't k-know anything," the stuttering voice repeated. "He is no use to us," the Dark Lord said, "Advra Kedavra," Willow saw a flash green light that lit up the darkness and heard a cruel, cold laugh that made her flesh crawl.
Willow woke with a start, "One of those crazy dreams again," she told herself, that's all it was, a dream." She looked across from her and saw Harry and Hermione sleeping soundlessly across from her. She smiled when she noticed Hermione's head was resting on Harry's shoulder.
Not wanting to disturb them, she laid her head on the back of the chair and thought, In this dream, the Dark Lord called the quivering voice Wormtail, what a strange name, she thought, and once again, he mentioned the "Key", I'd better go to the library, she thought to herself as she walked out of the portrait hole and down to the library with the dream still fresh in her mind.
In Tom's Head
"I wonder who that girl was," Tom said to his faithful dog, Wendell, as they sat in the back of his small hut, listening to the crickets chirp. He couldn't take his mind off that girl in his first class all day. There was something about her that seemed, strange.
Wendell issued a low, loving growl from the back of his throat. "I know what we have to keep our mind on," Tom said taking in the cool night air, "we have to protect them, but we actually have to find them first. If we have a lead we can investigate, but so far, we have nothing,"
Suddenly Wendell's ears, even the one that always flapped down, perked up heedfully, nose quivering madly. Even the pacing Arius stopped in it's tracks and sniffed the air. "What's wrong?" Tom asked. But the dog ignored him.
After a minute or two, Wendell laid down with his head between his paws and whined. "What was that all about?" Tom asked as he crouched down beside the dog and began to stroke his head affectionately. But Wendell just looked up at him with sorrowful eyes.
"I'm sorry boy," Tom said truthfully. He knew what had just happened, Wendell had seen someone being killed, another one of the Arius's magical powers. Though they could only see it if they were killed by magic.
Tom knew one word to explain that, "Voldemort," he said under his breath, "Let's go, we must tell the Head Master," he said standing up, "Was it a student?"
The dog barked. And they headed off towards the steps of Hogwarts.
In Harry's Head
Again Harry was in the damp stone room. He looked down and saw a hooded figure bowed before him.
"We shall find the Key, no matter what it takes," he hissed. "But Master," said a quivering voice, " it is heavily guarded, we can not get to it easily enough-"
"No matter what it takes," repeated Harry, "do you hear me, Wormtail?"
"Y-yes, Master," the voice quivered. "Bring forth the boy, Wormtail," Harry said. "Yes Master," it answered. The figure walked into the shadows and dragged out a curly haired, grey eyed sixth year Ravenclaw Harry had seen earlier. He was extremely pale with a bloody lip and was shaking violently. "What do you know, boy?" he said. "I-I-I d-don't know a-anything," the Ravenclaw stuttered. "You lie," he hissed. "I-I swear, I d-don't k-know anything," he repeated. "He is no use to us," he said as he raised his wand, "Advra Kedavra," he hissed. A swirl of green light hit the Ravenclaw in the chest and he was dead before he hit the floor.
Harry's head felt like it was split in two as he clutched his burning scar. He screamed in pain, waking Hermione. "Harry, what's wrong?" she asked.
"Voldemort ... he killed ... Ravenclaw ... curly hair..." he answered between grueling breaths. He wiped of his forehead with his shirt and noticed that it to, was drenched in sweat. "We have to tell Dumbledore."
They quickly walked down the stone corridors that led to the stone gargoyle guarded Dumbledore's office. After explaining the dream to Hermione, she quickly fired questions at him. "But how did he get in Hogwarts to take him? We just saw the boy this morning. Does that mean he's hiding somewhere near here? Maybe the forest?"
"Maybe he didn't take him from Hogwarts, maybe he got someone else to do it, like Wormtail," Harry inquired.
Harry and Hermione kept discussing the different ways until they finally got to the stone gargoyle. "What's the password?" asked Hermione. "I don't know, but it's always some kind of candy..."
Right before they could even guess, the gargoyle swung open and Tom walked out. With his dog close at his side. It looked up at them curiously and gave the slight wag of a tail. "Oh, hello," he said with a sort of glum expression on his face. "Fancy a chat with the Head Master, eh mates? If you ever do again... I not s'pose to just give this out, but... the password is 'sugar quill'."
"Thanks," said Hermione as the dog sniffed her hand and nipped it playfully,
"I like your dog. What's his name again? "Wendell," Tom answered looking around them as though expecting someone else to be there. "Where's your friend?" he asked. "I think she went to bed," Harry replied watching Hermione play with Wendell's velvety ears. "Well, I gotta go. See you 'round then." And he walked off, Wendell trotting close behind. "Well he was nice," said Harry stepping into the spiraling staircase after Hermione, "I think I could start to like him."
When they reached the top, Harry knocked on the door. "Come in," said Dumbledore. They walked into the office and saw Dumbledore's desk decorated with strange silver instruments and the wall with the past Headmaster's and Mistresses's portraits snoozing in their frames.
"Have a seat." he said motioning to the seats in front of his desk that Harry could have sworn weren't there a moment ago. Harry and Hermione took a seat across from Dumbledore and Harry launched into the story. "Professor, one of the students-"
"Has perished at the hand of Voldemort."
"How did you know?" Hermione asked. "Your Magical Creatures professor has just informed me. It seems that dog of his, has rare and extraordinary powers and is, if I may say, very intelligent. I have, of course, already contacted the boy's parents, and they will be arriving in the morning.
"Though there is still the question of where Voldemort is hiding and how he snatched the child right under my very nose. I would suggest we discuss this further, but I would also suggest you two be getting to bed, as there is classes tomorrow, if I'm not mistaken." said Dumbledore peering at them through his half-moon spectacles.
Harry and Hermione sat there, slightly bewildered, staring at Dumbledore. They nodded and headed towards the door. Harry opened the door for Hermione and walked out after her. They both bid farewell to him and headed back towards Gryffindor in silence.
In Willow's Head
"I can't see a thing," complained Willow as she snuck through the dark library. She cupped her hands together, "Inferio," she said and an emerald fire appeared in the palm of her hand and she began, once more, to scan the bookshelves, pulling out every book she could find that had key in the title.
She took the stack of books she had collected which came nearly over her head and set them on a table. "Ok, let's see here," she said picking up the first book, "Keys of the Past, Present, and Future, this might have something."
Willow kept saying the same thing, book, after book, after book. Until she finally, she finished the last book. "It's hopeless," she said throwing the, very old, copy of Encyclopedia of Magic volume K on the table next to her, sending dust flying from its delicate pages, "not a single one of these books had the "Key" in it." She ran her fingers through her already tussled hair in frustration. "Three o'clock," she sighed, "I'd better go to bed."
She took all the books to there original places and started to the front of the library when a book through the cage in the restricted section caught her eye. It was obviously old, it had bridle leather around it with bright gold letters on the spine.
Cautiously, she walked over to the locked door and placed her hand upon the lock, "Open," she commanded, and instantly the door unlocked. Quietly she walked towards the shelf which held the book. "Amnigies," she read running her finger down the spine. Willow was curiously interested by it and pulled it from its shelf.
Willow decided it would be more comfortable to examine it in the comfort of her dorm. So she quickly filled out a sign-out sheet and headed towards the Tower.
When Willow reached the Gryffindor Tower, she walked into the portrait. She smiled when she noticed Harry and Hermione still sleeping peacefully on the couch, undisturbed. Willow entered the dorm, trying not to wake the other girls and changed into her nightclothes, sat on her bed and opened up the old, fragile book.
On the first page was a picture of a human turning into a cat, and read:
Introduction
An Amnigie is a name for a human that has the ability to turn into
a certain animal. It takes several years to learn this ability and can be
a very difficult method. The shortest time a person has taken to complete
the process was three years. In further pages, you will learn what it takes and
possibly, become an Amnigie yourself.
How interesting, Willow thought. She yawned and noticed how tired she was, I'll finish it in the morning, she said to herself as she crawled under the covers and fell asleep.
The next day was very uneventful, except for potions. Neville had somehow managed to upset his cauldron and it spilt all over Hermione. "Hermione, there's some sort of purple fungus on you," said Harry pointing to her face. "Ms. Granger, go to the hospitle wing," Snape said surveying her, "And as for you, Longbottom, twenty points from Gryffindor," he continued as Hermione sped out the door.
"Willow, I need to ask you something," Harry said as they walked out of class, "Do you think I should ask Hermione to the dance?"
"Do you like her?" asked Willow. "Ya," he answered, "do you think she likes me?" Her mind shot back to the day Hermione told her how much she liked Harry, but she promised she wouldn't tell. "I'm not sure," she lied, "maybe. But if you want my honest opinion, I think you should."
"Really, honestly?" Harry asked. "Yep," Willow said nodding her head, "honestly."
"Thanks, Willow," Harry said smiling, "I appreciate it." She returned the smile. The rest of the day went by normally, Hermione finally got out of the Hospital Wing, fungus free, and they went to Gryffindor Tower, Willow fell into what she thought, was a peaceful sleep.
Yet once again, Willow was in the middle of nowhere, with dark all around. "Not again," Willow cried into the dark, "why me?"
She looked around her and saw the faintest speck of light glowing from deep within the dark. She started to walk towards it like a mosquito to a lightbulb. As she got closer, the speck got larger and larger, and her pendant began to glow brighter and brighter.
When she finally got to the light, she noticed it was glowing a bright green. Willow felt drawn into the light, she felt some sort of energy coming from within it. She reached out to touch the light and woke up instantly.
Willow sat up straight in her bed and cradled her head in her hands. Why an I feeling like this? She thought to herself, what's happening to me? She felt, a foreign power within her which she had never felt before. As though a power that had laid dormant within her for the past seventeen years of her life had suddenly been awakened.
She looked at the clock two thirty, she felt cramped in the confinements of the old, musty castle so she decided to get out. Willow pulled on her clothes and slipped on a cloak. She was about to walk out when she saw a emerald green, silk pouch laying on her trunk. That's strange, I don't remember leaving this here, she thought as she undid the strings that closed the mouth and slanted it so that a long, slender oak case slid out. Willow carefully set it in her pocket and walked down the stairs, through the portrait hole and onto the grounds.
Back in Harry's Head
Harry woke up with his scar burning furiously for no reason. He hadn't had any Voldemort dreams, so why did he feel like this? He looked at the clock, two thirty. The pain gradually dulled and he lay back down on his pillow fingering his scar until he finally dozed back to sleep.
Back in Willow's Head
Willow past the hut and cage which held a currently sleeping Arius and into the forest. She walked through the dark path until she found a small clearing which, unlike the rest of the forest, the trees branches were slightly hollowed into a hole that was just big enough to let the bright moon beams in so that they lit up the middle like a spotlight.
She took a seat against one of the trees that made up the circle and took out the wooden case from her robe pocket. Carefully, she lifted off the lid to reveal a long wooden flute with a strange writing on the side. "True power lies within the heart," she read running her fingers along the writing. The flute was very dear to her, her parents had given it to Willow when she was about three, just before they mysteriously past away.
Willow lifted it to her lips and blew into the mouth. Suddenly the air was filled with the sweet music of her ancestors as her fingers twiddled up and down the wooden surface. All of a sudden memories began to rush back to her like a lost dream, her childhood, her home back in Ireland before they moved to America, her parents... She remembered when her Mother used to cradle her in her arms and sing to her in their ancient language. Her ears once again heard her Mothers sweet voice as she rocked back and forth in the comfort of her arms.
Willow set down the flute and closed her eyes in thought. I wish my parents could be here, she thought picturing her their smiling faces in her mind. Though it slowly disappeared like trying to hold water in your hands, all the memories slowly leaked out of her head. There was only one thing about her parents she had never forgotten was Gaelic, the language of her ancestors. How could she forget the way it flowed of the tongue so beautifully it sounded like music. Willow even remembered some of the songs she used to sing. She began to hum the familiar songs hearing the familiar words in her mind. Willow began to sing silently to herself, but she didn't know that anybody was listening.
.
Tom's Head
Tom laid on the couch looking up at the ceiling, "He's getting closer, Wendell, I can feel it," he told the large dog sitting on the chair across from him, "we have to find the Key before its too late. The Key must have sensed it too, their probably getting stronger as we speak." Wendell looked at him with his large blue eyes as he sniffed the air, Let me find it, he seemed to say. "The only thing we know is that it's a girl, they all were," Tom said ignoring the eager dog. "I need some air." He got up off the couch and walked outside. When he got to the back porch, he heard soft music, like that of a flute.
All his burdens and worries he he'd seemed to be carrying suddenly lifted and calmness rushed over him. After a few minutes it stopped. Though a few minutes later, an even sweeter and softer music filled the air, someone was signing, and it was coming from deep within the forest. "It must be a different language. But it sounds like a girl," said Tom as Wendell walked out of the cabin to join his master. Wendell barked, "No, boy, I'm not going to go look for her, I'll let her be," Tom said, slightly smiling as he walked back into the warm cabin.
Chapter 10: Haunting Prophecies
Again, Willow was in the middle of darkness, with no light to be found. She looked around and heard the same cold voice she had heard before, "We shall find the Key, no matter what it takes," it hissed, she suddenly remembered, the Dark Lord, she thought. "But Master," said a quivering voice, " it is heavily guarded, we can not get to it easily enough-"
"No matter what it takes," repeated the cold voice of the Dark Lord, "do you hear me, Wormtail?"
"Y-yes, Master," the voice quivered. "Bring forth the boy, Wormtail," rang the Dark Lord's voice through the darkness. "Yes Master," it answered. There was a sound as though someone was being dragged across a floor. "What do you know, boy?" the Dark Lord said. "I-I-I d-don't know a-anything," stuttered a voice that sounded remotely familiar. "You lie," he hissed. "I-I swear, I d-don't k-know anything," the stuttering voice repeated. "He is no use to us," the Dark Lord said, "Advra Kedavra," Willow saw a flash green light that lit up the darkness and heard a cruel, cold laugh that made her flesh crawl.
Willow woke with a start, "One of those crazy dreams again," she told herself, that's all it was, a dream." She looked across from her and saw Harry and Hermione sleeping soundlessly across from her. She smiled when she noticed Hermione's head was resting on Harry's shoulder.
Not wanting to disturb them, she laid her head on the back of the chair and thought, In this dream, the Dark Lord called the quivering voice Wormtail, what a strange name, she thought, and once again, he mentioned the "Key", I'd better go to the library, she thought to herself as she walked out of the portrait hole and down to the library with the dream still fresh in her mind.
In Tom's Head
"I wonder who that girl was," Tom said to his faithful dog, Wendell, as they sat in the back of his small hut, listening to the crickets chirp. He couldn't take his mind off that girl in his first class all day. There was something about her that seemed, strange.
Wendell issued a low, loving growl from the back of his throat. "I know what we have to keep our mind on," Tom said taking in the cool night air, "we have to protect them, but we actually have to find them first. If we have a lead we can investigate, but so far, we have nothing,"
Suddenly Wendell's ears, even the one that always flapped down, perked up heedfully, nose quivering madly. Even the pacing Arius stopped in it's tracks and sniffed the air. "What's wrong?" Tom asked. But the dog ignored him.
After a minute or two, Wendell laid down with his head between his paws and whined. "What was that all about?" Tom asked as he crouched down beside the dog and began to stroke his head affectionately. But Wendell just looked up at him with sorrowful eyes.
"I'm sorry boy," Tom said truthfully. He knew what had just happened, Wendell had seen someone being killed, another one of the Arius's magical powers. Though they could only see it if they were killed by magic.
Tom knew one word to explain that, "Voldemort," he said under his breath, "Let's go, we must tell the Head Master," he said standing up, "Was it a student?"
The dog barked. And they headed off towards the steps of Hogwarts.
In Harry's Head
Again Harry was in the damp stone room. He looked down and saw a hooded figure bowed before him.
"We shall find the Key, no matter what it takes," he hissed. "But Master," said a quivering voice, " it is heavily guarded, we can not get to it easily enough-"
"No matter what it takes," repeated Harry, "do you hear me, Wormtail?"
"Y-yes, Master," the voice quivered. "Bring forth the boy, Wormtail," Harry said. "Yes Master," it answered. The figure walked into the shadows and dragged out a curly haired, grey eyed sixth year Ravenclaw Harry had seen earlier. He was extremely pale with a bloody lip and was shaking violently. "What do you know, boy?" he said. "I-I-I d-don't know a-anything," the Ravenclaw stuttered. "You lie," he hissed. "I-I swear, I d-don't k-know anything," he repeated. "He is no use to us," he said as he raised his wand, "Advra Kedavra," he hissed. A swirl of green light hit the Ravenclaw in the chest and he was dead before he hit the floor.
Harry's head felt like it was split in two as he clutched his burning scar. He screamed in pain, waking Hermione. "Harry, what's wrong?" she asked.
"Voldemort ... he killed ... Ravenclaw ... curly hair..." he answered between grueling breaths. He wiped of his forehead with his shirt and noticed that it to, was drenched in sweat. "We have to tell Dumbledore."
They quickly walked down the stone corridors that led to the stone gargoyle guarded Dumbledore's office. After explaining the dream to Hermione, she quickly fired questions at him. "But how did he get in Hogwarts to take him? We just saw the boy this morning. Does that mean he's hiding somewhere near here? Maybe the forest?"
"Maybe he didn't take him from Hogwarts, maybe he got someone else to do it, like Wormtail," Harry inquired.
Harry and Hermione kept discussing the different ways until they finally got to the stone gargoyle. "What's the password?" asked Hermione. "I don't know, but it's always some kind of candy..."
Right before they could even guess, the gargoyle swung open and Tom walked out. With his dog close at his side. It looked up at them curiously and gave the slight wag of a tail. "Oh, hello," he said with a sort of glum expression on his face. "Fancy a chat with the Head Master, eh mates? If you ever do again... I not s'pose to just give this out, but... the password is 'sugar quill'."
"Thanks," said Hermione as the dog sniffed her hand and nipped it playfully,
"I like your dog. What's his name again? "Wendell," Tom answered looking around them as though expecting someone else to be there. "Where's your friend?" he asked. "I think she went to bed," Harry replied watching Hermione play with Wendell's velvety ears. "Well, I gotta go. See you 'round then." And he walked off, Wendell trotting close behind. "Well he was nice," said Harry stepping into the spiraling staircase after Hermione, "I think I could start to like him."
When they reached the top, Harry knocked on the door. "Come in," said Dumbledore. They walked into the office and saw Dumbledore's desk decorated with strange silver instruments and the wall with the past Headmaster's and Mistresses's portraits snoozing in their frames.
"Have a seat." he said motioning to the seats in front of his desk that Harry could have sworn weren't there a moment ago. Harry and Hermione took a seat across from Dumbledore and Harry launched into the story. "Professor, one of the students-"
"Has perished at the hand of Voldemort."
"How did you know?" Hermione asked. "Your Magical Creatures professor has just informed me. It seems that dog of his, has rare and extraordinary powers and is, if I may say, very intelligent. I have, of course, already contacted the boy's parents, and they will be arriving in the morning.
"Though there is still the question of where Voldemort is hiding and how he snatched the child right under my very nose. I would suggest we discuss this further, but I would also suggest you two be getting to bed, as there is classes tomorrow, if I'm not mistaken." said Dumbledore peering at them through his half-moon spectacles.
Harry and Hermione sat there, slightly bewildered, staring at Dumbledore. They nodded and headed towards the door. Harry opened the door for Hermione and walked out after her. They both bid farewell to him and headed back towards Gryffindor in silence.
In Willow's Head
"I can't see a thing," complained Willow as she snuck through the dark library. She cupped her hands together, "Inferio," she said and an emerald fire appeared in the palm of her hand and she began, once more, to scan the bookshelves, pulling out every book she could find that had key in the title.
She took the stack of books she had collected which came nearly over her head and set them on a table. "Ok, let's see here," she said picking up the first book, "Keys of the Past, Present, and Future, this might have something."
Willow kept saying the same thing, book, after book, after book. Until she finally, she finished the last book. "It's hopeless," she said throwing the, very old, copy of Encyclopedia of Magic volume K on the table next to her, sending dust flying from its delicate pages, "not a single one of these books had the "Key" in it." She ran her fingers through her already tussled hair in frustration. "Three o'clock," she sighed, "I'd better go to bed."
She took all the books to there original places and started to the front of the library when a book through the cage in the restricted section caught her eye. It was obviously old, it had bridle leather around it with bright gold letters on the spine.
Cautiously, she walked over to the locked door and placed her hand upon the lock, "Open," she commanded, and instantly the door unlocked. Quietly she walked towards the shelf which held the book. "Amnigies," she read running her finger down the spine. Willow was curiously interested by it and pulled it from its shelf.
Willow decided it would be more comfortable to examine it in the comfort of her dorm. So she quickly filled out a sign-out sheet and headed towards the Tower.
When Willow reached the Gryffindor Tower, she walked into the portrait. She smiled when she noticed Harry and Hermione still sleeping peacefully on the couch, undisturbed. Willow entered the dorm, trying not to wake the other girls and changed into her nightclothes, sat on her bed and opened up the old, fragile book.
On the first page was a picture of a human turning into a cat, and read:
Introduction
An Amnigie is a name for a human that has the ability to turn into
a certain animal. It takes several years to learn this ability and can be
a very difficult method. The shortest time a person has taken to complete
the process was three years. In further pages, you will learn what it takes and
possibly, become an Amnigie yourself.
How interesting, Willow thought. She yawned and noticed how tired she was, I'll finish it in the morning, she said to herself as she crawled under the covers and fell asleep.
The next day was very uneventful, except for potions. Neville had somehow managed to upset his cauldron and it spilt all over Hermione. "Hermione, there's some sort of purple fungus on you," said Harry pointing to her face. "Ms. Granger, go to the hospitle wing," Snape said surveying her, "And as for you, Longbottom, twenty points from Gryffindor," he continued as Hermione sped out the door.
"Willow, I need to ask you something," Harry said as they walked out of class, "Do you think I should ask Hermione to the dance?"
"Do you like her?" asked Willow. "Ya," he answered, "do you think she likes me?" Her mind shot back to the day Hermione told her how much she liked Harry, but she promised she wouldn't tell. "I'm not sure," she lied, "maybe. But if you want my honest opinion, I think you should."
"Really, honestly?" Harry asked. "Yep," Willow said nodding her head, "honestly."
"Thanks, Willow," Harry said smiling, "I appreciate it." She returned the smile. The rest of the day went by normally, Hermione finally got out of the Hospital Wing, fungus free, and they went to Gryffindor Tower, Willow fell into what she thought, was a peaceful sleep.
Yet once again, Willow was in the middle of nowhere, with dark all around. "Not again," Willow cried into the dark, "why me?"
She looked around her and saw the faintest speck of light glowing from deep within the dark. She started to walk towards it like a mosquito to a lightbulb. As she got closer, the speck got larger and larger, and her pendant began to glow brighter and brighter.
When she finally got to the light, she noticed it was glowing a bright green. Willow felt drawn into the light, she felt some sort of energy coming from within it. She reached out to touch the light and woke up instantly.
Willow sat up straight in her bed and cradled her head in her hands. Why an I feeling like this? She thought to herself, what's happening to me? She felt, a foreign power within her which she had never felt before. As though a power that had laid dormant within her for the past seventeen years of her life had suddenly been awakened.
She looked at the clock two thirty, she felt cramped in the confinements of the old, musty castle so she decided to get out. Willow pulled on her clothes and slipped on a cloak. She was about to walk out when she saw a emerald green, silk pouch laying on her trunk. That's strange, I don't remember leaving this here, she thought as she undid the strings that closed the mouth and slanted it so that a long, slender oak case slid out. Willow carefully set it in her pocket and walked down the stairs, through the portrait hole and onto the grounds.
Back in Harry's Head
Harry woke up with his scar burning furiously for no reason. He hadn't had any Voldemort dreams, so why did he feel like this? He looked at the clock, two thirty. The pain gradually dulled and he lay back down on his pillow fingering his scar until he finally dozed back to sleep.
Back in Willow's Head
Willow past the hut and cage which held a currently sleeping Arius and into the forest. She walked through the dark path until she found a small clearing which, unlike the rest of the forest, the trees branches were slightly hollowed into a hole that was just big enough to let the bright moon beams in so that they lit up the middle like a spotlight.
She took a seat against one of the trees that made up the circle and took out the wooden case from her robe pocket. Carefully, she lifted off the lid to reveal a long wooden flute with a strange writing on the side. "True power lies within the heart," she read running her fingers along the writing. The flute was very dear to her, her parents had given it to Willow when she was about three, just before they mysteriously past away.
Willow lifted it to her lips and blew into the mouth. Suddenly the air was filled with the sweet music of her ancestors as her fingers twiddled up and down the wooden surface. All of a sudden memories began to rush back to her like a lost dream, her childhood, her home back in Ireland before they moved to America, her parents... She remembered when her Mother used to cradle her in her arms and sing to her in their ancient language. Her ears once again heard her Mothers sweet voice as she rocked back and forth in the comfort of her arms.
Willow set down the flute and closed her eyes in thought. I wish my parents could be here, she thought picturing her their smiling faces in her mind. Though it slowly disappeared like trying to hold water in your hands, all the memories slowly leaked out of her head. There was only one thing about her parents she had never forgotten was Gaelic, the language of her ancestors. How could she forget the way it flowed of the tongue so beautifully it sounded like music. Willow even remembered some of the songs she used to sing. She began to hum the familiar songs hearing the familiar words in her mind. Willow began to sing silently to herself, but she didn't know that anybody was listening.
.
Tom's Head
Tom laid on the couch looking up at the ceiling, "He's getting closer, Wendell, I can feel it," he told the large dog sitting on the chair across from him, "we have to find the Key before its too late. The Key must have sensed it too, their probably getting stronger as we speak." Wendell looked at him with his large blue eyes as he sniffed the air, Let me find it, he seemed to say. "The only thing we know is that it's a girl, they all were," Tom said ignoring the eager dog. "I need some air." He got up off the couch and walked outside. When he got to the back porch, he heard soft music, like that of a flute.
All his burdens and worries he he'd seemed to be carrying suddenly lifted and calmness rushed over him. After a few minutes it stopped. Though a few minutes later, an even sweeter and softer music filled the air, someone was signing, and it was coming from deep within the forest. "It must be a different language. But it sounds like a girl," said Tom as Wendell walked out of the cabin to join his master. Wendell barked, "No, boy, I'm not going to go look for her, I'll let her be," Tom said, slightly smiling as he walked back into the warm cabin.