Hiding Under the Ninth Earth
Backstory 01 : All Through the Night
Chapter Seven : Visions of Delight Revealing
6 December 2003 (Continued)
Perrin and Becky were waiting for them. As they neared the two on foot, Harry understood why Dumbledore's Wizarding connection had taken them only as far as the top of the seventh floor stairs; they needed the approach time to observe.
In a rare moment of clarity, Harry really saw Perrin for the first time-and his potential as an adult. His straight sandy hair (with a small cowlick in the back that made a few strands stick up) framed a narrow face with even features, the most striking of which were his sepia eyes; one day his awkward gangling youth would become a strong wiriness supporting a handsome square-jawed face both open and friendly.
While the girl at his side, with her strawberry blonde hair done in two neat plaits and eyes the colour of a sunny winter sky, would never be a conventional beauty, there was even now a calmness about her small freckled features that reminded him of lazily sitting back against the trunk of a shady tree on a hot summer day. Standing close together, hands joined, there was something in their stance that spoke of a forever friendship beyond words, much like his and Hermione's-but different. Harry somehow knew these two were destined for each other; they just 'fit' together, like two pieces in a jigsaw puzzle.
As Perrin introduced Becky to his guardian, Dumbledore strolled out of nowhere, joining them. After a short greeting, they walked across the hallway to the Room of Requirement. Becky grinned when Perrin walked in front of it the requisite three times, his eyes tightly closed, and the door opened.
Harry hid a smile at the collective gasps of surprise from both Albus and Becky; he'd been expecting this reaction and from the glance he stole at Perrin, the boy had been eagerly anticipating it as well. The room's appearance had been difficult to fashion since they'd relied entirely on the imagination of one inexperienced eleven year old with the guidance of two Wizards who'd had difficulty envisioning what he'd wanted.
"My mum liked to collect crystals," he'd said excitedly that afternoon, "and her favourite was this one Da bought her for Christmas. He brought it in the flat when she went shopping; took three of his mates to help him get it off the lorry and up the stairs. I got to help him put it where we thought mum would like it best, because he said he was never going to move that thing again and made me promise not to tell. Mum cried when she opened the wrapping."
Unable to name what it was, he'd gone on to describe it. "It looked like a big egg made of plain stone on the outside, but the inside! The whole thing was lined with these tiny crystals, all purple and white they were and the whole ball was tall enough I could have crawled into it if my mum had let me. I always used to stick my head inside it and dream I was in another world. And I caught mum doing the same a couple of times right after Da died, only she couldn't get her shoulders in the opening like I could, and when I asked, she said it made her feel closer to Da because she liked to imagine him in some place like it. So can we do it?"
Indeed they had, but not until the room had obligingly supplied a model from which they could work. Severus had instantly recognized it, saying only "Amethyst geode, probably from Brazil." After they'd both stuck their heads into the smallish opening in the front, it had been fairly simple to direct Perrin's thoughts and words to get the desired effect. Given that Shacklebolt had said the Mendino's flat was completely empty in September, Harry had to wonder where the original was.
The model they'd used stood like an altar in the center of a polished stone floor surrounded on all sides by a dazzling, cavernous cathedral lined with flashing, sparkling amethyst crystals of all sizes from ones as small as his hand to some standing several feet tall. The tapering crystals lined the floor, the walls, and the ceiling, all pointing generally to the centre. The diffused light radiating from some unknown source behind caused the spiked gem-like clusters, of the darkest violet to the palest lavender, to glow and wink as one moved about the large chamber. Harry smiled, seeing Dumbledore crane his neck around trying to catch it all at once with the delight of a child, whereas Becky gazed around slowly in awe and silence.
"Wonderful, my boy! Simply amazing," Albus enthused to Perrin as he walked around the large space. "Truly a beautiful place for a Dissolutionment." His voice echoed strangely around the chamber sending whispers of sound into the crevasses between the stones.
As Perrin was about to respond, he jumped at a blinding flash of light; Alex had arrived via Portkey. Thousands of facets blazed at once, the splendour glimpsed only briefly before their eyes reflexively closed against the glare. Opening his eyes cautiously, Harry heard the Dissolutioner gasp much as the others had done. The body of Perrin's mother hung suspended in front of him, a white cloth with gold tassels at the four corners draped over her; the fabric shimmered eerily in the augmented light.
Looking around him in obvious delight, Alex exclaimed, "This is splendid! I have to admit I have never seen a place such as this. It's like being inside a crystal cave or one of those-what are they called-ah, yes, geodes."
Perrin nodded and added shyly, "My mum used to collect them."
Alex smiled at him kindly, "Very well done." He pointed with his hand at the model in the centre, "Is this where you wish me to place your mother? On top of this stone? Or is there another location you prefer?"
Looking around the space, Perrin asked, "Which would be better? The top of the model or that flat place over there?" He walked over to a large depression up against the back wall in the midst of some smaller lavender crystals.
"Do you have a preference?" Alex asked. When Perrin shook his head, he added, "Then I think the one in the middle would be best as the five of us will have ample room to stand."
Watching the exchange and what followed with fascination, Harry was impressed with the respect the Dissolutioner showed the boy. Alex removed his winter cloak, shrinking it down enough to pocket it in a plain outer robe of dark nubbly silk; Harry couldn't tell what colour it had been, but the vivid light made the heavy fabric seem a deep magenta. Drawing his wand out of a holder in the long open sleeve, he levitated Priscilla over to the geode in the centre and lowered her until she was at waist level, her back just touching the top of the egg-shaped stone, muttering what Harry could only assume was a spell to fix her in place, but he was too far away to be certain.
When Alex had her settled where he wanted her, he quietly spoke into the hushed silence, "We're almost ready to begin. Headmaster, Harry, and Miss Gardener? Would you please stand at her feet, about two short paces away?" He pointed to Harry's right; Dumbledore met him, his mien solemn, his eyes missing nothing. Becky stood between them, eyeing everything around her with open curiosity. "Perrin? Professor Snape? Would you stand opposite each other near her heart?" Severus moved to stand on Harry's right, giving him a clear view of his face.
His eyes scanning the arrangement, Alex nodded in satisfaction and took his place at her head. "Perrin, when I tell you to during the ceremony, I would like you to extend your arms straight out over you mother, palms down." He demonstrated. "Professor, your hands will cover Perrin's on top, also palms down." He placed his other hand on top of the one he was holding out.
Severus glanced at Perrin, who held out a hand; he covered it as instructed, asking, "Like this?"
"Precisely," Alex said with approval, "only with both hands extended. Once joined, do not separate them until the end. You will know when the time is right to do so."
Severus and Perrin nodded their understanding. Before Perrin withdrew, Severus folded his hand over the boy's, holding it fast. Surprised, Perrin watched closely as Severus drew the rosette out of his pocket with his free hand and placed it on the cuff of his heavy school robes, facing upwards. "This is a token," Severus explained with quiet formality, "a small remembrance of today."
He dropped his hands back to his sides, his stance tense; Alex patiently waited while Perrin examined the rosette. "This was yours?" he asked in a small voice, his eyes wide and staring.
"My mother's," Severus replied, his face impassive. Harry could see how difficult those two simple words had been for him to utter and willed Perrin to just accept it, to not argue or protest.
Perrin drew breath to say something, but at the last minute thought better of it. Instead he dropped his arm, the questions in his eyes unasked as he said, "Thank you."
Harry glanced at Alex, who was closely observing the two beside him. Satisfied that the Dissolutioner would not interrupt, Harry watched with hope as his husband and his ward, eyes locked in silent communion, forged an unspoken understanding, an empathy with each other that made Harry want to shout in elation. As his eyes misted, he smiled to himself over Severus' words to him just that morning; yes, he did carry on a bit. He startled at a hand placed on his shoulder, squeezing, before it disappeared. Turning his head to look at Albus, he was stunned to see the raw emotion in the headmaster's eyes as they gazed straight ahead.
With a blink it was over, both Severus and Perrin looking everywhere but at each other. With a small smile, Alex cleared his throat, and addressed Perrin. "All right then, almost there; I have one last question-this may take a moment so listen carefully." When the boy nodded, he continued, "The Dissolutionment spell is cast using one of the Ordinata, which are magical musical sequences. Based on the date and time of your mother's death, I can either use a 'Fibbonaccian' Ordinatus-" he waved his wand and a discordant, yet pleasant chord resounded in the air as if chimed by fairy bells "-or a 'Newtonian' Ordinatus." With another flick of his wand, a haunting chord ghosted off the walls of the chamber as if played by heavy wind chimes; the very air shimmered with the sound. "Which would you prefer?"
Harry started; Severus met his eyes-the Newtonian was the Ordinatus used to determine their final binding date. They both looked to Perrin, who was watching their exchange closely. He said something quietly to Severus who, after a brief pause, replied in kind. Perrin stared at him a few moments, flicking a glance to Harry. Turning to Alex, he clearly said, "The Newtonian, please."
"Good. We are ready to begin, then. Severus and Perrin, please remove the outer shroud, if you will; just take hold of the gold tassels nearest me and lift slowly."
They suited actions to words and as they pulled the cloth up from the body, it billowed like a sheet in the wind; twisting, it blew out of their hands and disappeared. Below it, Priscilla was covered in a thick black velvet cloth chased with gold in a soft curving pattern. Her shoulders, neck, and face were bare; her exposed arms gleamed palely as they lay by her sides atop the fabric. Perrin choked back a cry as he gazed into her peaceful face; holding out a hand to touch her, he jerked it back at the last moment.
"It's all right, Perrin," Alex murmured encouragingly. "You may touch her if you wish."
His hand trembling, the boy ran hesitant fingers through his mother's flaxen hair floating freely about her face; as if caught in a light draught, the strands eddied and danced about his hand. He touched his fingers to her lips and bent down to kiss her cheek. Straightening, he stared at Severus. "She's warm," he whispered in astonishment.
Standing so far away from him, Harry couldn't feel what was on his husband's mind at the moment, but the almost involuntary movement of his hand to gently touch Priscilla's and the look of peace on his face when he leant over to tenderly kiss her brow told him that, in some strange fashion, Severus had just bid his own mother farewell. The look of near adoration on Perrin's face as the boy watched Severus filled Harry's heart; he forbore to look to his companions at his side when he heard a slight sniff coming from that direction.
Turning his full attention back to the tableau in front of him, he heard Alex ask them to extend their hands. When all was ready, the Dissolutioner sang the first note of the Newtonian Ordinatus and slowly chanted: "In lucem pepartus sumus; in tenebras recedebimus."
As the note transformed from Alex's rich tenor to a deep bell-like note, the lighting within the space dimmed to a deep twilight, the gems around them twinkling like stars in the firmament.
He chanted the next phrase of the spell to the second note: "Ab eis nos antecesserunt veniunt ei qui nobis succedebunt; solum canalis temporis sumus."
Priscilla's body began to glow from within as the sound of the first note blended smoothly with the second, though not really forming a chord; each note was distinctly separate as if alternately pulsing soft and loud, both present, but only heard one at a time.
The third note of the Ordinatus rang forth: "Ab Unitate venimus; ad Unitatem redibimus."
Her hair began to stir with a life of its own, an invisible breeze ruffling the edges of the cloth covering her. Tempered in a crucible of magic and sound, the very air surrounding her body distorted and shimmied in a cold mirage. Like the feel of the charged atmosphere in a lightning storm, Harry's skin prickled all over his body, the hairs on his arms and neck rising-not at all an unpleasant sensation.
On the fourth note, Alex incanted: "Ita reddentes ea quae accipiebamus."
Small sparks, like golden embers off a bonfire, began rising out of her body near her heart. First singly, then in ever-increasing streams they rose only to disappear long before they reached the ceiling; as they met Severus' and Perrin's joined hands, they passed through living flesh unimpeded. Perrin giggled, the delight plain on his beaming face, when a largish clump went right through his arm. Severus wore a bemused expression, a small smile gracing his lips. Harry didn't know whether it was the sight of all the dancing motes in the air or the sprightly way the unfinished Ordinata tripped through the space, but he was hard-pressed to feel somber about the occasion anymore, a lightness of spirit filling him; he could only imagine how those in the stream felt.
The final note sounded: "Nolite me lamentari, nam mors mea vitam renovat."
Harry realised after a moment that the single notes were no longer coming from Alex or the spell itself, but rather were carried by the dissociating energy emanating from Priscilla. Faster and faster the glimmers ascended until they became a solid sheet of sparkling effervescence pulsing in time to the sweet random notes not quite converging into music. Each passing moment, as the sparks carrying her spun into the air, her palled body became translucent, then transparent as bit by bit, she and the shroud were absorbed into the space around her.
In a last rush of blazing light, the separate notes joined to form an achingly beautiful chord, a grace of sound rippling and echoing through them, and their bond. His arm extended as if part of them, Harry's awe joined Severus' wonderment joined Perrin's delight and drew them together; for one infinite instant the three of them were one person sharing one joy. With a wild crescendo, the music fell to a whisper fading into silence.
The connection and Priscilla were gone.
Perrin gasped and pulled away, his face full of confusion. The silence grew deeper as each of them contemplated what they'd just witnessed. Eventually, as the room grew lighter, he asked quietly, "I don't understand, why do I feel so good inside? Shouldn't I feel sad?"
Alex looked exhausted but smiled beatifically, his eyes shining. "It is a rare and fine thing when we touch the infinite as we did tonight. This is what you felt, what lingers in your heart-the connection we all share through life to everything and everyone around us and to those who came before us to those who are yet to be. It makes us feel joyous inside because we know we didn't squander such a precious moment. And, regardless the circumstance, such moments are always a celebration." He put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "It has been my pleasure to serve you, Perrin. My part is now over and it is time for me to depart. May your days continue to be filled with all the things that make life worthwhile."
"Thank you, sir," Perrin said as Alex pulled his cloak and a thick gold bangle out of his pocket. Stepping back, he threw on the heavy winter garment, saying, "Home." With a pop, he Portkeyed out of the room.
Thoughtful, Perrin walked over to Severus. Unable to hear what he said, he surmised by the slight bow Severus made with his head, that the boy was thanking him. When Perrin formally shook his hand, Harry bit back a smile, which rapidly changed to a lump he had to swallow around when Severus absently touched his fingers to the boy's cheek and moved a strand of hair that had fallen across his forehead. Harry couldn't see Perrin's face clearly, but he suspected he was wearing the same one of devotion he had at the beginning of the ceremony, for Severus cleared his throat, looking away.
Beside him, almost forgot, Becky made a pleased noise in her throat as did Albus. The headmaster broke the awkward silence when he said cheerfully, "Mr. Long? Seeing that your friends are already at dinner, may I suggest you and Miss Gardener retire to your common room? I'll have a house-elf bring you supper. Unless, of course, you would prefer to accompany us?"
Perrin glanced at Becky; again there was that silent communication. "Thank you, sir-"
"-We have loads of homework to get done," she finished, her eyes fixed on Perrin.
Albus contemplated them over his spectacles, his eyes understanding. "Very well. Severus? Harry? Shall we join the others?"
Harry watched Perrin leave without a backward glance, hand in hand with Becky and, despite his better intentions, he was beginning to feel a tad left out, but just as quickly, he dismissed the uncharitable thoughts, reminding himself that this was Severus' time to shine, something as rare as the gesture of affection he'd given the boy. He chuckled ruefully to himself, thinking that the last time he'd felt this way, he'd caused four year's worth of hurt; no, not a lesson to be forgot anytime soon.
So he focussed his attention on his still silent husband, finding that easier than brooding. As the three of them left the room, the glorious crystal cavern fading with every step closer to the door, Harry brushed his hand up against Severus' and received a smile in return.
They were almost to the Great Hall when he heard someone calling his name. As soon as Harry turned to the source, Perrin pulled up and, in his haste, half-skipped, half-walked to where they waited for him.
The boy skidded to a stop in front of them, his chest heaving. Flinging his arms around him, he gasped, "I'm sorry, Harry. Should have-forgot-didn't say-"
Harry chuckled, hugging him back. He ran his hand over the boy's silky hair affectionately. "Slow down, Perrin. The words come easier when you say them one at a time."
Taking deep breaths, Perrin nodded and did as he was told. Stepping back, he flushed from what Harry could only assume was embarrassment at his enthusiasm, not that he'd minded a bit. The spontaneous hug had completely erased his earlier dejection. "I'm sorry. I meant to-got caught up-oh bother! I just wanted to thank you. For-for-well, for everything. And-I-wanted-to-apologise-for-leaving-before-saying-it-to-you."
He heard Severus snort softly beside him as Harry replied, "It's quite all right, Perrin. I do understand." He started to say more when a hint of movement caught his eye. Glancing over to the side of the hallway, he saw wisps of strawberry blonde hair peek out from behind a column further down. Ah, so there was Perrin's conscience. "You are most welcome." There was so much more he wanted to say, but he could see Perrin straining to go and grinned in sympathy as he asked, "Didn't you say you had homework to do?"
Relief washed over Perrin's features and with a barely articulated, "Yeah, tons," he was gone. Watching him leave, Harry remembered in full the feeling he'd had as a First Year when dealing with adults-no matter how much he'd wanted to stay, he'd always been glad to leave. The boy slowed at the column and, after turning back to wave, he and Becky headed off to the Hufflepuff Common Room near the entrance to the dungeons.
Turning back to the Great Hall, Harry asked, "How long do you think it will be before the euphoria wears off?"
Albus replied sagely, "It varies from individual to individual, but generally? A day, maybe less. Pomona will keep an eye on him."
"Hmmmm. Then I suppose it's good that tomorrow is Sunday. He'll need the time to get used to it a bit before he has to face the rest of the students."
"Yes. Pomona says his house has been most supportive, but then again, I would expect nothing less of the Hufflepuffs."
As they entered through the staff entrance and made their way to the head table, Harry was keenly aware of Severus' continuing silence and only listened with one ear to the headmaster's prattle about how the different houses reacted to this type of situation. Sighing with relief, Harry was grateful Dumbledore's attention was taken by Pomona and Minerva grilling him earnestly. There were so many impressions to set in his memory, so many questions unanswered.
Soon he was as lost in thought as his bondmate, surfacing only now and again to gently remind Severus that food on a fork was best moved to his mouth rather than the other side of his plate. He finally resorted to sending an image of his husband, squalling red-faced in a huge high chair decorated with pink spotted hippogriffs, while Harry 'flew' his food into his mouth. With a low chuckle, Severus sent back a picture of himself, triumphant, dumping a bowl of boiled spinach over Harry's head, the slick, almost black strands sliding down his face and onto his shirt. Shuddering, he could almost feel the slimy stuff run down his back, but Severus ate his dinner and Harry was content.
Later that evening, Severus still hadn't said much but had communicated everything he felt quite succinctly with ardent lips and wanton hands. Leaving his thoughts far behind him, Harry embraced the tender seduction, relished the leisurely pace, revelling in the sweet oneness within, wrought by loving bodies without. And in the tangled comfort that followed their brilliant ecstasy, Harry experienced once again the calm and joy he always felt within his lover's arms.
There would be plenty of time to talk about it tomorrow.
.:o:. .:o:. .:o:. .:o:.
TBC
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The Ordinata Sequences:
Fibonaccian C-D-E-G-C : C major 9th
Newtonian A-C-E-F-A : A minor 13th
My undying thanks to Delphi, once again, for her tireless translation of the Dissolutionment ceremony which is as follows:
In lucem pepartus sumus; in tenebras recedebimus. : Into the light we were brought forth; into the dark we shall recede.
Ab eis nos antecesserunt veniunt ei qui nobis succedebunt; solum canalis temporis sumus. : From those before us, come those after us; we are merely a conduit of time.
Ab Unitate venimus; ad Unitatem redibimus. : From the Oneness we came; to the Oneness we return,
Ita reddentes ea quae accipiebamus. : Thus giving back that which we have received.
Nolite me lamentari, nam mors mea vitam renovat. : Lament me not, for my death renews life.