Chapter Three
More Fly's For The Ointment
Hogwarts - 1997
"Over here, Hermione," called Draco. "Quickly, Harry's sick!"
Harry was leaning against a tree, his face twisted in pain.
Hermione and Ron ran up to him panic stricken.
"Harry, mate whats wrong. What is it?" asked Ron, full of concern.
Harry stared at him, or rather through him.
"Fading," Harry whispered, "all fading."
"What's fading, Honey?" asked Draco holding his lover close to him.
"Great chunks of me, detaching themselves like great melting icebergs," Harry whispered.
Draco turned almost angrily to Hermione. "Don't just stand there. Do something to help him!" Tears welled up in Draco's eyes as he caresses his beautiful lover.
"What am I supposed to do?" She cried, as she saw from Draco's facial expression's that he, like her, was as confused and scared for Harry.
Dimly aware of the wrangle going on around him, Harry managed a weak smile.
"Don't look so worried, you three. I'll have it all worked out soon. Everything's all right, you know. Everything is quite all right." Harry smiled as he looked up at the three people who mean so much to him and then he promptly fainted.
A private raceway – Inverness, Scotland - 2043
Elsewhere in time and space, Professor Hermes Granger was driving very fast along a long stretch of straight road. This particular gentleman was a tall figure with a young-old face and a mane of prematurely white hair. He wore an old racing cloak and goggles. The outfit was completed by a rather flamboyant red and gold scarf trailing behind him. Yes Hermes Granger was a bit of a racing enthusiast.
The car he was driving was a vintage Rolls Royce Silver Ghost nicknamed Scar. It was moving at an impossible speed for so ancient a vehicle. This was because over the years Professor Granger had tinkered with the engine so much that he had totally rebuilt it with both Muggle and Magic technology. Scar now had a turn of speed that left modern racing cars and brooms standing still. Indeed, at this very moment, Hermes was driving Scar on a privately owned racing track used to test racing engines. Just as well since every possible speed limit had been well and truly shattered by this vintage car.
Suddenly Hermes spotted what looked like an obstruction in the road ahead. The obstruction, which appeared to be some kind of pyramid, was actually speeding down the road towards him.
"By Merlin's beard!" said Hermes. He threw the car into a spectacular u-turn, which made the tyres shriek protestingly.
Seconds later Professor Granger was streaking down the road in the opposite direction, leaving a rather large black skid mark on the road behind him, and a smell of burning rubber in the air. He checked his driving mirror and saw, with indignant surprise, that the pyramid was tumbling rapidly down the road in pursuit – and it was gaining fast.
"Right," said Hermes. He put Scar into overdrive. The car shot off down the road, accelerating at an incredible rate. Hermes looked in his mirror noting with grim satisfaction that the pyramid was now dwindling back into the distance. It became smaller, smaller and then disappeared.
He slowed the car, patting the dashboard. "Good old Scar." He glanced over his shoulder, but the road behind him was reassuringly empty.
"I wonder what it wasâ€â€.." he contemplated.
He returned his attention to the road ahead, and there was the pyramid – bearing down upon him.
He spun the wheel for another turn, but was far too late this time.
Car and occupant disappeared inside the pyramid.
The scarlet gloved hand put another piece on the board.
Hogwarts – 1997
In the entrance hall of Hogwarts, Draco, Hermione and Ron knelt worriedly by Harry. To their immense relief he opened his eyes and stared vacantly up at them.
"What's happening to him?" Whispered Ron
"What are we going to do?" cried a bereft Draco.
"Search me. He doesn't seem to be ill exactly. It's more like a psychic attack," muttered Hermione.
"I am being diminished," Harry said suddenly. "Whittled away, piece by piece." His voice was faint but calm, as if making an interesting scientific observation. "A man is the sum of his dreams and memories, you know, and a wizard even more so," he finished.
He struggled to sit up, and Draco supported him. "Harry, darling, what can we do to help?" whispered his lover in his ear.
"Get me to the castleâ€.. I have to findâ€â€â€ to find" Harry said as he faded out.
"What castle?" Ron asked.
"The Potter Islandâ€." Harry mumbled
Between them Draco, Ron and Hermione looked puzzled as they got Harry to his feet.
"Find what?" asked a perplexed Ron.
"The other me's," Harry mumbled.
Harry slumped back in their arms.
Draco looked at Ron confused. "What does he mean by that?"
Ron just shrugged.
Half dragging, half carrying, they helped Harry towards Gryffindor Tower.
The Player sat back. Two of the main pieces were now on the board – four more to go. But first he had to allow himself to a little diversion. He would pick up a pawn. Insignificant, valueless, fit only for sacrifice. It could be quite amusing
The Players hands glided over the scrying pool. The swirling time-mists cleared revealing the face of an attractive platinum blonde haired woman.
New Hogsmeade - 2087
The woman called Druscilla Weasley, who had been known as Druscilla Potter-Malfoy, walked through the streets of New Hogsmeade on the way to the market, looking about her she marvelled at how swiftly the city had recovered from the devastation of the Death Eater attack.
Gleaming new buildings were everywhere; the destroyed sites had all been cleared. Those which hadn't been used as new buildings had been turned into parks and gardens. it was a smaller Hogsmeade – it would be many years before the population would rise anywhere near its old levels – but it was a greener and far more attractive one.
Life had been hard at first. For many years she had seen very little of her Husband Eric, Who was a prominent figure in the Reconstruction Government. But gradually life had returned to normal. Now Druscilla and Eric and their three children could look forward to a more peaceful life. These days it seldom occurred to Dru that this wasn't really her world at all, that she had originally come here almost by chance in the company of an old man she sometimes called Grandfather, but every one else called The-Man-Who-Lived.
It was still early, and the street was deserted.
Druscilla stopped dead, staring ahead of her.
Something very odd had appeared at the far end of the street.
A Strange Alien Shape, tumbling over and over, was rushing straight towards her.
Druscilla felt the kind of terror she had not felt for many years. Somehow the unknown had come to claim her, shattering her normal life once again. As the Pyramid swallowed her up, her last despairing thoughts were of her Grandfather.
The Player stepped back from the pool and pulled out another figure from the box. This one was of a beautiful woman with Platinum hair dressed in Silver and Blue robes. Yet another pawn was in place. Now he had to find the third version of his hero. The player swirled the mist of the pool and found that he was looking at a beautiful emerald eyed woman by the name of Harmony Jane Malfoy – The Girl Who Lived.
