'She wants you to ask her out,' Draco smiled as he sent the thought. Beside him Etean sighed, he glanced at Draco out of the corner of his eye and continued to take down the notes Professor Flitwick was writing on the board. Draco continued to grin as he picked up his quill and started to write. It was tough to keep up, writing left handed as the chalk shot across the board. Etean shook his head slightly,
'That's a polite way to put it Draco,' he replied, 'what she is really thinking is a little more…pornographic,' Etean caught Millicent's eye, she smiled suggestively, 'No, a lot more pornographic!' Draco sensed Etean's reaction, the idea of doing what Millicent was thinking clearly didn't appeal to him. Not that he let it show. To look at him, you would be hard pressed to have any idea that he was even aware of Millicent, let alone that he could hear her most intimate thoughts – there was no other word to describe them. She turned back to the board, Etean shook his head again. 'I think that's enough from her for one day. Well done, you're getting good at this. Now lets see, who next?' Draco watched as Etean's eyes travelled across the room, searching for the next target. They settled on Justin Flinch-Fletchley, 'Him!' Etean looked down and continued taking notes. Draco looked at Justin, he was sitting in the front row, Draco stared at the back of his head and extended his mind to reach him. They had been at this all morning, all weekend, he felt the familiar twinge sting his temples. He shut his eyes and relaxed, settling his mind to ease the pain. His eyes drifted open as it subsided, he focussed on the tingling sensation he felt as the connection formed. Pushing the sound of Flitwick's voice out of the way he concentrated on Justin's mind. The sound of Justin's thoughts grew and filled his head.
Draco concentrated on the sound, allowing it to grow until he heard the thought, an image rather than a word formed inside his head. He sat bolt upright with surprise, he felt a warning from Etean, then the question he had been expecting. It was a minute before he could respond.
'Potter,' he shuddered, 'he's thinking about Potter,'
'Yes,' Etean replied, the tone of the thought was flat, 'but what is he thinking about Potter?' Draco was about to answer, but the mental image of what Justin was daydreaming about filled his mind, it nearly made him sick. Etean turned slightly and repeated the question,
'Trust me, you don't want to know,' he lowered his head into his hand, 'I wish I didn't know.' Etean glanced over at Justin, then visibly winced,
'Now there's a nasty image for you,' he smiled then shook his head, 'That's the risk you take when you look into peoples minds Draco. You don't always like what you see, in point of fact you rarely do,' Draco looked up. He shook his head and turned his attention back to the Professor, desperate to get Justin's thought out of his head. Flitwick stopped writing and turned back to the class, continuing his lecture. 'Best we switch again don't you think?'
'Please!' Etean grinned. His eyes travelled around the room for a few moments before selecting another student, Hannah Abbot. They continued like that for the rest of the class. By the time the bell rang, Draco had snooped about in the thoughts of every other student in the room. He winced as they stood up to leave, it was getting easier to read minds, but it felt as if his little gnome friend had invited his buddies around for a cranium busting session. Millicent made cow eyes at Etean as she passed, he waited till she was gone before rolling his eyes,
"She has quite an imagination," he said as he hefted his bag onto his shoulder, "shame she's so damned ugly," Draco smirked,
"You aren't even slightly tempted?" Etean's expression answered the question for him. They laughed and headed down to the Great Hall for lunch. The crowd thickened as they reached the Grand Staircase. Eventually, Etean and Draco reached the first floor landing and surveyed the crowd below,
"This is going to take a while," Etean sighed and sat against the railing, apparently happy to wait for the crowd to move. Draco stepped out of the way to stand beside him, rubbing the pain from his temple,
'How long more do you think we'll be waiting for a response from The Circle?' he asked, Etean turned to face him and shrugged,
'Like I said, they have to check everything out first and then compose a response. It shouldn't take too long. In fact, it should be…' the thought trailed off as he spun round to look down into the Entrance Hall,
"What's going on?" Draco asked but Etean didn't answer, he didn't need to. Draco's answer came as an ear-splitting shriek filled the air. It was followed by a hundred screams from the gathered students below. Draco looked down to see them all trying to scatter and run as a golden brown eagle flew into the Hall and circled over their heads. Draco's eyes picked out Hermione swiping at it in panic as it swooped at her. He looked up at Etean to see him grinning, the scene below apparently amused him. Etean let it carry on for a few moments before he straightened up. His lips pursed and he let out a loud, two note whistle. The eagle reacted, banking in the air and turning to fly straight at Draco. He heard the Slytherins behind him vocalising the same fear he felt as he drew back. Etean laughed, the eagle fluttered to a halt and landed gently on his forearm,
"Hello boy," he said happily as he lifted his other hand to stroke the bird, "What are you doing here?" Draco was bumped and pushed as the other students on the landing moved back, not wanting to be anywhere near the thing, Etean didn't seem to mind though,
"What is that thing?" Draco asked him, Etean didn't turn, his attention remained focussed on the eagle,
"This is not a thing," he said quietly, his fingers danced about before the eagle's eyes, inviting him to snap at them, "This is Regal,"
"Regal?"
"Yes, that's his name. What brings you here boy?" he asked the bird. Regal lifted his wing to reveal a cylindrical silver container strapped beneath it. Etean reached up and untied the chords, Regal nipped at him gently as he removed the thing, apparently happy to be free of his burden,
'Is that what I think it is?' Draco sent him,
'If you think it's a message, then yes. If you think it's from the Council, then that remains to be seen,' He scratched the bird's head again, "Thank you Regal. Now, let's see if we can't scare you up some food," he said aloud and headed down the stairs. His path was suddenly free as the other students cowered back. Draco shook his head and followed. They had no trouble finding an empty seat at the Slytherin table. Several students, suddenly finished their food, stood up and left in a hurry when they saw Regal staring at them from his perch on Etean's arm. Pansy sat on the far side of Draco, keeping her distance as Etean set Regal down on the table beside him.
"Do you do anything the normal way?" she asked, Etean looked up. Regal wasted no time attacking the roast ham in front of him, if anyone objected to him devouring their lunch, they didn't say it,
"What do you mean?" Pansy pointed at Regal, pulling her hand away fast as he snapped at her,
"Most people don't use eagles to deliver mail, what's wrong with owls?" Etean shrugged,
"Eagles are faster, stronger and smarter than owls. Besides, I use owls the same as everyone else most of the time. Regal is my pet," he reached out to stroke the birds head as it wolfed down a chunk of meat,
"You have a pet eagle?" Draco asked,
"Why not? They are good pets, strong and proud," Draco shrugged, 'Whatever,' Etean took out the cylinder and pressed his ring into the top of it. With an audible pop, the lid came off and landed on the tabletop. Etean turned it over and dumped its contents onto his empty plate,
'Erm, are you sure you want to open that here?' Draco sent him, Etean gave a barely perceptible shrug,
'How else will I know what's in it?' The cylinder was full of parchment, several sheets neatly rolled up in a tight scroll. As they landed on the table they expanded, Draco was amazed at just how many sheets that tiny cylinder had held. Etean skimmed through the pile of parchment, shaking his head at some of it,
"What is all that stuff?"
"In one word…boring," he looked up and grinned, "it's just legal crap mostly, stuff I have to sign," Etean started to leaf through the rest of the pile then paused, dropped half the parchment and picked up a red envelope. Draco thought he caught a whiff of perfume on it, Etean scowled and stuffed it into his robes. Draco raised an eyebrow but decided not to question it, he reached out and took up the top document, it was in French, an estimate for some building work,
"Who or what are the 'Etyar'?"
"What?" Etean looked up at him, seeing the parchment in Draco's hand, he scowled, "Most people understand that someone else's mail is private, Draco," Draco shrugged,
"I know, I guess I'm just being nosey," Etean sighed,
"What, specifically, are you being nosey about?"
"The word that caught my eye was 'barracks'," Etean saw Pansy's eyebrows rise as she too heard the word, he looked at the parchment,
"I would have thought that the price would have attracted your attention more," Draco shook his head,
"Money I am used to, private armies are new to me,"
"You have your own army?" Pansy added,
"The Etyar are not an army," Eteans tone was stern, Draco raised an eyebrow,
"So, why do they need a barracks then?"
"They don't need a barracks, the one they have is more than adequate, or at least it will be. This is the cost of renovating it,"
"Must be a big barracks then to cost that much," Etean shrugged,
"Not that big, just an expensive refurbishment that's all. They do a good job and they deserve their little rewards,"
"So what job do they do so well?" Etean growled at the suggestive nature of Pansy's tone, 'What is she thinking?' Draco was about to read her mind when Etean answered and distracted him,
"If you must know, they're guards,"
"What do they guard?"
"Me,"
"You?" she didn't seem to get it, Draco rolled his eyes,
"Use your head Pansy, they're bodyguards?" he turned to Etean, "Right?"
"Yes well, officially anyway. Their primary duty is to guard the Lord Etean, not that I have ever used them much for that," Etean looked back to his letters,
"So why keep them around then?" Etean shrugged,
"Why not? They have existed for a long time, they were originally created by my great, great…great," he paused and stared into space for a moment, "Oh," he shook his head, "one of my ancestors anyway. He felt he needed a private security force, I'm not entirely sure why," he paused again then shrugged, "Anyway, now they are useful, if I ever need a bodyguard, they're there. If not," he shrugged, "they still guard over everything I own,"
"You must own quite a lot then," Etean nodded,
"You could say that, they are certainly kept busy,"
"But still, it seems like a lot of money to spend on security guards,"
"Maybe so, but you haven't seen them in action and besides, they also have…other duties,"
"Such as?"
"In Merlin's name Draco, must you know every little detail?" Draco shrugged,
"Like I said, I'm nosey," Etean took a deep breath,
"Well, other than to guard my family, the only major duty that the Etyar perform is to stand watch over the French Administrative Committee at the Adjutaire when they are in session," Draco felt his jaw drop,
"You guard the French government?"
"Not me personally, just some people that work for me. Its a tradition that one of my ancestors started during the muggle rebellion in France at the end of the eighteenth century, but it sounds bigger than it is, it is more of a ceremonial posting than a defensive one nowadays," Draco reached out and picked up the parchment again, the Etyar barracks really had cost Etean quite a lot of gold,
"It's an expensive tradition," Etean took the parchment back and pressed his ring into it, leaving the imprint of his family crest where the signature should go,
"Yes, well they are worth it,"
"Are they?"
"Yes," Etean said in a flat tone, 'Leave it for now!' he added mentally. Draco leaned forward, careful to remain outside Regal's biting range,
'Are they part of The Circle?' Etean paused briefly, then shook his head,
'No, not all of them anyway, they work for me,' he stood up to leave,
"Where are you going?" Etean bundled up the letters and waved them at Draco,
"I have to read these and reply to most of them," he walked away, I'll see you later," he said over his shoulder. Draco looked at Regal, the bird fixed him with an unnerving, predatory stare,
"Erm," he called after the shrinking Etean, "Etean?" He didn't stop or turn, he raised his arm and gave another loud whistle. Regal took off from the table and flew over to land on his arm as he turned the corner of the door.
"Thank god that thing is gone," Pansy said, getting a few nods from the other Slytherins, "Etean's a funny guy don't you think Draco?" she asked him,
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I just don't seem to get him. One minute he's all over me and the next he's not interested in the slightest," Typical Pansy, only interested in herself. He scowled,
"If I remember it correctly Pansy, it was you that was all over him when he first arrived, not the other way around,"
"Are you jealous Draco?" she purred, her tone had picked up. The idea of him being jealous must have excited her,
"Jealous? Of Etean? Of course not, I know…" he paused, he was not in the mood for Pansy today,
"You know I only have eyes for you," she finished for him. That wasn't what he was planning on saying but he didn't feel like arguing. She leaned in to kiss him, aiming for his mouth but he turned his head so she got his cheek instead,
"Whatever," he said and turned his attention back to his dinner. He looked up to see Hermione staring at him, his breath caught in his chest. 'Why is she looking at me?' he raised an eyebrow at her but she quickly looked away, back down at her food. The same hollow feeling he had felt before, that he felt every time he looked at her came back. He couldn't breathe, his stomach felt like it had caved in on itself and he dropped his fork onto his plate. He knew he couldn't eat anything now, his appetite was gone. How could she think he was the same as his father? He sighed, 'How can she think I'm anything else?'
He shook his head and stood to leave, Pansy asked him where he was going but he didn't answer. He had to get out, where didn't matter but he had to get some air into his lungs or he would pass out. Draco turned the corner into the Entrance Hall and suddenly she was in front of him, standing in his path.
"Malfoy I…"
"What?" he managed to snarl. Her jaw set and she drew herself up,
"Listen," she was back to sounding like a junior professor again, "I said I was sorry for upsetting you last week and I really don't think…" he raised a hand, not really meaning to close his fist but it happened,
"Don't," he growled at her, "Don't bother, I don't want to hear it alright?" she paused and stared at his fist until he lowered it, he shut his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, "What did you want anyway?"
"I wanted to finish our project, it is due on Friday you know?" he nodded,
"Yeah I haven't forgotten," he lied, "So, what do you want to do about it?"
"How about we meet later on and get it done, yes?"
"Fine, I'll see you in the library later," he kept his eyes on the floor as he marched around her and out of the doors,
"When?" she called after him,
"Later," he growled but there was no way she could have heard him.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Hermione, we have to do it," Ron urged, "You heard what Dumbledore said, the ministry will never do what it takes to get to the truth in time," This was the perfect opportunity for them to talk, none of them had any classes to attend, unlike most of their house. The Common Room was deserted, the entire Gryffindor dorm was empty. They had checked it out before having this conversation, it was a good job too, they weren't being quiet,
"We can't Ron, what you're suggesting is illegal, more than that, it's wrong," Ron grabbed his head and spun round,
"What's wrong about it?" his voice was an angry, throaty growl, "It's not like we are hurting anybody," he looked down as Harry looked up at him, "Well," he shrugged, "Anybody important that is,"
"I can't believe you're saying this Ron," he slammed his fists into the back of an armchair,
"Damn it Hermione, do you ever stop moralising over every little detail,"
"This isn't a little detail Ron, we're talking about," she stopped and stepped closer to him, afraid they were being over heard, "about interrogating Malfoy for information…about torturing him,"
"So what? I don't care," Ron spun on his heel to face her, "I don't care if we have to torture him, I don't care if we have to…" he raised both fists into the air and squeezed them together, "if we have to ring his scrawny little neck," he took another step forward, Hermione found herself retreating from him, "I am willing to do whatever I have to do to get the information we need, even if that means I have to bleed that murdering little son of a Death Eater dry!" Hermione gulped a couple of ragged breaths. She could hardly believe that this was her friend talking to her. She knew he was angry, but now his rage was almost tangible in the air. He had called Malfoy a murderer, she knew that he wasn't talking about Draco Malfoy, but she also knew that he wasn't even trying to make the distinction in his head anymore and that scared her,
"Ron," she decided to try one last attempt to get him to listen to reason, "Malfoy isn't a murderer, he didn't…he didn't do anything wrong,"
"Nothing wrong? Are you stupid or just crazy Hermione? He is his father's little boy, the picture perfect little Death Eater in waiting. It's only a matter of time before he follows in daddy's footsteps,"
"He might not Ron,"
"He might not? Listen to yourself Hermione, why are you even bothering to defend that bigoted, arrogant little shithead?"
"I'm not defending him Ron, I'm trying to help you,"
"I have asked you to help me Hermione and all you have done is argue,"
"No what you've asked me to do is to help you torture an innocent student for no reason other than your own revenge. Dress it up all you want Ron, that is what you're doing and I will not help you do it," she paused, realising that she was going too far, that she could push him over the edge, but she was too angry to listen to her own warnings, "And I'll tell you something else, if you try to do it I'll…"
"You'll what?" he roared, stepping up to her face, for a moment, looking into his eyes she felt afraid of him for the first time ever. She found her fingers going for her wand to defend herself but Harry's voice echoed off the walls, breaking the moment,
"Shut it the pair of you," he bellowed. He stood up and grabbed Ron's shoulder to hurl him away from Hermione,
"What are you doing Harry? I thought you were on my side,"
"Your side Ron? What does that mean? What are you going to do, punch Hermione? Am I supposed to be on your side for that too?" Ron didn't answer, he just stared at Harry. Harry straightened and put his hands on his hips, "There is more going on here than you're vendetta Ron. This is more than that, this is bigger,"
"What is it about then?"
"Voldemort!" Ron was too angry to react to the name, Hermione felt a shiver run down her spine. Ron laughed, the sound surprised Hermione,
"Oh yes," he said, turning to pace across the fireplace, "This is bigger than my vendetta as you call it, but not yours. V…" he took a breath, "Voldemort, killed your parents all those years ago and that makes it OK for you to hate him and that's fine by me. But what makes you different from me?" Hermione looked at Harry, his face had gone pale, his lips were so thin she could barely see them, Ron continued, "What is so wrong with me hating Malfoy for killing my brother? I grew up with Percy and I loved him, you barely even knew your parents. Why is it that your plans, your reasons are never questioned? Why is it fine for you to do whatever you want because you hate Voldemort, but it's not alright for me?"
"I WATCHED THEM DIE!!!!" Harry's words shook the walls, he advanced on Ron, tears streaking his cheeks, "You heard that Malfoy killed Percy, you were told about it, I remember them, I remember…" he paused for breath, "I remember hearing my mother scream as he killed her. But I suppose that doesn't make any difference, I didn't really know them did I? I was just a baby," the fight seemed to leave Ron as Harry spoke, the colour drained from his face. Hermione couldn't stop the tears from falling freely while he kept talking, "I was a baby, so I suppose you're right I didn't really know them,"
"Harry…" Ron started,
"Shut it! I didn't know my parents but I knew Sirius, you remember him? Do you?"
"Harry…"
"Answer me Ron, do you remember Sirius?"
"Yes," he said quietly, Harry turned to face her,
"And you, do you remember him as well?" her lips shook, she was trembling so hard that it was almost impossible to answer
"Harry I…" she managed eventually before he stopped her,
"Just," he clenched a fist in the air, "answer me Hermione,"
"Yes, I remember him,"
"Good, did it hurt when you heard he had died, when you heard he had been murdered?"
"Of course it did but…"
"But nothing Hermione, it hurt? Great, I'm glad that the news hurt you because I saw him die too, I remember it, I see it every time I close my eyes. He died because of me, just like they did…my parents. This shouldn't come as news to you," he looked back to Ron, "to either of you but I feel I need to say it anyway," he turned to face her again, "Now, this idea was Ron's to begin with, he suggested that the rules are getting in the way and I agree with him Hermione. We are going to do this, one way or another, with or without you. But I want you to know why Hermione,"
"Harry, it's wrong,"
"I know, and I don't care. I'm sick of it Hermione. Ever since I got here I have been the boy who lived. The boy who lived while others, people I cared about died. The boy who lived through battle after battle only to have to wait for the next one to come along. I'm tired, tired of waiting for Voldemort's next attack, tired of sitting on my hands while others put themselves in harms way for my benefit, for my safety and end up dying because of it.
"I can't do it Hermione, not again," he shut his eyes as a tear fell, "I won't do it again. This time is going to be different, this time I am going after him and I will beat him even if I have to blast my way into hell and back to do it. Now, Malfoy knows something, things about his father that can help us, things he hasn't told anyone else. He has secrets Hermione and I am going to find them out," he stopped. The silence pounded her ears till she was sure they were bleeding. She sat down and stared straight ahead at nothing in particular. Ron moved over and stood beside Harry, she wasn't sure how long they stood there, she didn't hear anything they said. All she could see was their feet in front of her, then Harry knelt down and looked at her,
"The point of all this is that the why doesn't matter anymore, Ron has his reasons and I have mine. We are going to do this, we need to do this. Will you help us Hermione?"
"What?" her brain felt dead, like she was not really awake,
"Will you help us find out what he knows?" she wiped away her tears,
"How?"
"Like Ron said, we need to be able to get him alone, we need to get him somewhere that we won't be disturbed. You could do that, just meet him later tonight, say you want to work on your project thing…We'll do the rest,"
"I don't know,"
"Please Hermione. Like I said we can do this without you, and we will. But this way will be easier,"
"What if you're wrong? What if he doesn't know anything?"
"He does Hermione, I know he does,"
"But what if he doesn't?" the tears filled her eyes again, Harry shook his head and looked over his shoulder at Ron,
"If he doesn't…then at least we'll know it for certain, won't we?"
"But what will you do? It's not like he's going to appreciate this is it?"
"Who cares what he thinks?" Ron found his voice again,
"Ron," she snapped, amazed at his naiveté, "If you torture him, don't you think he's going to tell someone," Ron shrugged,
"We obliviate him," Hermione stood up,
"Oh really?" she looked at each of them in turn as Harry stood up, "And you know how to do that then?" Ron looked at Harry, they both shrugged,
"No, I thought as much," she shook her head, "Did you even think this through at all?"
"Of course we did," Harry barked,
"Oh yes? And how were you planning on taking care of Malfoy's memory then if neither of you can erase it?"
"Well," Ron looked at Harry and then at her, "We…" she understood,
"I get it," she turned away from them, "With or without me eh? Sounds like you need me to do more than bait him for you," Harry sighed,
"Will you help us or not?" Could she do it? She knew she should report this, Dumbledore would stop it in short order but Harry's speech had struck a nerve, could she really expect him to sit around and wait for Voldemort to make his move. If they didn't do this, if they didn't do something, then that was what he would have to do. Was it fair of her to make him? She shook her head, they would do it anyway. This way she would be able to stop them…maybe. She would be able to stop it going too far, stop Malfoy from being hurt. The thought of something…bad happening to him scared her, it really was starting to surprise her how much but she couldn't worry about that now, this was her friend's life she was considering, this was what was best for Harry. If Malfoy knew anything that would help them then they needed him to tell them. 'And if he doesn't know anything? Or if he won't talk?' she shook her head again, she would deal with those problems if they arose,
"OK," she whispered. It was done.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Etean entered the Owlery and moved over near the window, setting Regal down on a perch. Half the owls took flight at the very sight of Regal, those that stayed fluttered and scrambled into the highest rafters.
"Popular as always eh boy?" he said quietly, Regal shook his feathers and turned away in disgust. He took out the letters again and rapidly skimmed through them, planting his mark on those that required it, retaining those that required a more detailed response, he would write them later. He looked up to see Regal staring at him,
"OK, give it to me," he set the two piles of parchment down. The bird turned his head and stretched, spreading the feathers on his neck to reveal a small leather collar bearing a tiny silver coin. Etean carefully removed it, Regal seemed relieved to be free, "Sorry my friend, they shouldn't have used you," Regal clicked his beak and fluttered up onto the window ledge to look out. Etean disconnected the coin from the collar and tossed the leather strip out the window. He held the coin in his hand then, sensing someone coming, he stuffed it rapidly into his pocket. He turned to see Ginny enter, carrying a small grey ball of fluff in her hand. Etean recovered himself and smiled at her,
"Hello there," she started, then blushed as she smiled back,
"Hi…em you sending a letter too?" she asked lifting her hand to reveal that the ball of fluff was actually a tiny owl. It took Etean a moment to remember what he was doing there,
"Oh, yes," he pointed to the pile of letters on the shelf, "The joys of being lord of the manner you know," she shook her head,
"No, not really," her eyes settled on the window and she took a step back, "What is that?" Etean followed her look and smiled as he turned back to her,
"That's Regal," he held out his hand and whistled, Regal flew over to him, "he's my friend," he stepped closer to her, she seemed nervous. Etean laughed, "Its OK Ginny, he won't hurt you," he extended his arm. Regal looked at Ginny and she drew back,
"He'll bite me," Etean laughed again,
"No he won't," he reached out and took her hand. He slowly raised it to touch Regal's chest, "It's OK so long as he trusts you,"
"He trusts me?" her voice trembled,
"No, he trusts me and now he knows that I trust you," he let her go. She continued to stroke Regal's feathers as the bird turned his attention back to the window,
"You trust me?" Etean shrugged,
"Sure," he smiled, "Why not?" she smiled at him, "Who are you writing to?" he nodded at her other hand, it still held the tiny owl,
"What? Oh, just my brother, just…keeping in touch,"
"Yeah," he sighed, "its good to keep in touch with family," he looked over at the window and remembered why he was up here in the first place, "Here," he turned back to her, "Will you hold him for a second?" her mouth dropped open,
"What?"
"Just for a second, it's OK. He won't hurt you," he held out his arm to her, she hesitated, obviously not happy with the idea. He looked her in the eye and nodded. Slowly she held out her arm and took Regal from him. When he was safely perched on her forearm, Etean turned back to the window. He gathered up the letters he had to send and stuffed them back into the cylinder they came from. Behind him, he heard Ginny move around. "Not so fast," he warned too late as she shrieked. The tiny owl she was holding let out a deafening shriek and flew up into the rafters. Etean spun round as Regal flew over to perch on the window again. "Regal!" he scolded, "Are you alright?"
"No," she hissed, clutching her arm, "his claws, they dug into me,"
"I know," he moved over to her, "I probably should have warned you that you shouldn't move too much until he's used to you," he examined her arm, Regal hadn't even broken the skin, "You'll be fine," he kissed her scratched skin, let her go and turned to tie the cylinder to Regal,
"I thought you said he trusted me,"
"No, I said I trusted you. Regal takes a bit longer to get to know people. But don't feel to bad though, he does like you," Etean picked Regal up and turned back to Ginny,
"What makes you say that?"
"The last person I asked to hold him that he didn't like," he stroked his chest, "lost a finger," he smiled at her then turned to Regal, "Hurry back my friend," he whispered then released him out the window. Ginny stepped up beside him, he put his arm around her as he watched Regal disappear into the clouds. "You want a hand getting your bird back?"
"What? Oh Pig,"
"The bird is called Pig?" Ginny rolled her eyes at him,
"He belongs to Ron, he's really called Pidgwidgeon, but I thought it was a bit of a mouthful,"
"You got that right," Etean scanned the rafters, "No animal should have a name that's bigger than it is. Where has it gone to?"
"He's hiding, scared of your monster bird I bet," Etean grabbed at his heart in mock shock,
"Regal is not a monster," he stepped away from her and continued to scan the rows of owls, "He just stands out is all, he's…unique,"
"Like you?" she asked quietly, Etean barked out a laugh,
"In more ways than you know," he shrugged, "Ah, there you are," he pointed at Pig in the corner of the room,"
"Where?" Ginny stepped up and followed his finger, "Come here Pig," the bird ignored her and continued to cower into the corner. It took five minutes of continual coaxing from both of them to get Pig to come down and allow Ginny to attach her letter. Etean checked his watch,
"You late for something?" Ginny asked him as she tossed Pig out the window,
"No, why?" she nodded at his watch,
"Well, I am just trying to make sure I don't loose track of time," she seemed puzzled,
"Do you do that often," she asked, folding her arms around her chest, "Loose track of time?" he smiled and put his arm round her shoulders,
"Funny thing," he said as he steered her towards the door, "I never used to. I used to hardly need a watch, but lately…"
"What?"
"Well, it seems that every time I am around you, time seems to disappear,"
"Oh really," they stepped out onto the landing, overlooking a seven storey drop as they waited for the staircases to move into position. Ginny took his hand in hers and moved herself closer to him, "Is that a bad thing?"
"I'm not sure yet?" he smiled as she pulled his hand to her face and bit his thumb, "Ouch," she let his thumb go,
"Serves you right," she grinned, "Hey," her tone changed, she sounded concerned, "You're bleeding," she moved out from under his arm and turned to start undoing his cuff. Etean looked down at his arm, there were a couple of spots of blood on his shirt, he hadn't even noticed the injury,
"It's nothing," he tried to pull away but she held on, "Really, its just Regal, he can grip a little tight sometimes," she pulled his sleeve up to reveal a set of scratches that matched Regal's talons. They were superficial, nothing to worry about, they would heal in days on their own even without his rapid healing. Ginny of course know nothing about his healing abilities. He ground his teeth and hoped she wouldn't notice. Now that he was aware of the injury, his body wanted to heal. Through a sheer act of will, he held his accelerated healing powers at bay. Ginny continued to examine his forearm, clearly she was worried about the scratches, at least until she saw…
"Hey, what's this?" she pulled his sleeve up further, revealing the remainder of his tattoo, he grimaced, 'That bloody thing,'
"That is a tattoo Ginny," he said sarcastically as she started to run her fingers along it,
"I know that," she pinched him, "but I meant what does it mean?" Etean laughed, but she didn't get the joke, "What's so funny?" she frowned,
"Nothing," he got control of himself, "Its just that that question pretty much describes the whole point of that tattoo,"
"How do you mean?" Etean turned around and sat on the edge of the banister,
"It's a Valkar symbol,"
"What's a Valkar?"
"You don't know?" she shook her head, he pulled her to him and looped his arm around her again, "The Valkar…well that is a funny question. You see, nobody knows,"
"You're not making any sense here you know?" he laughed,
"The Valkar, Ginny are a mystery, and an old one at that. Nobody really knows anything about them other than the fact that they existed and now they are gone. We don't know where they came from, how they lived or where they went. There are no answers to these questions, but there are clues, ruins and ancient archaeological…
"Archeo-what?" he laughed,
"Archaeological, it means old. There are lots and lots of old clues dotted all over the world. A buried temple beneath Athens, a lost city in the Sahara and countless other places in Sweden, Russia, Bulgaria, right down to the tip of Africa, from Portugal in the west and as far to the east as Japan. People, some really intelligent people, have been studying these fragments and clues for centuries, trying to figure them out,"
"I have never heard of them," he shrugged,
"That doesn't really surprise me, not many have. But they are a big deal to a lot of dried up old professors I can tell you,"
"What does all this have to do with your tattoo?"
"I'm getting to that. You see these professors have come up with any number of theories about who the Valkar were. Some believe they were a civilisation of wizards, some think they were muggles. Some even believe that they were some sort of super-beings that had powers we cannot imagine," he couldn't keep the sarcasm from his voice as he said that, Ginny laughed at his tone, "I know, sounds silly doesn't it?" she nodded,
"A bit yeah, when you say it like that. Some people will believe anything,"
"Yes. Well, my grandfather was one who believed that he used to lecture me for hours about how the Valkar were the next thing to gods. He was quite convincing and for a time, he was able to make me believe. He dragged me on expeditions, crawling through tombs and dusty caves," he laughed at a memory, "I remember he was like a little kid whenever he found some little trinket or talisman. This," he lowered his arm and pulled up his sleeve to reveal the tattoo again, "is a mark we found in a temple buried about a mile under Cairo. We discovered it in what we believed was a temple of healing. This mark, according to my grandfather is supposed to make the bearer immune to any and all diseases and ailments. It was supposed to make you invulnerable,"
"And did it?" he laughed and turned his arm over to show her the scratches Regal had left,
"Does it look like it?"
"No, I suppose not. So does your grandfather still believe in them, the Valkar?"
"Oh yes, he will until the day he dies. I think he likes believing that there is something out there, better than he is or could ever be,"
"But you don't?" he shook his head,
"Nah, I grew out of it in the end, shame that wasn't until after," he looked at his arm, "I painted this on my arm,"
"Can you remove it?" he smiled and shook his head,
"Nope, the way I put this thing on can't be undone," She looked at the tattoo again, then grabbed his wrist and stared at his watch,
"Shit, now I'm late for class," she shouted and dashed forward. She got five steps before she turned around and came back to him,
"Guess you were right about time disappearing eh?" she kissed him, then darted off down the stairs. Etean watched her go, then dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out the coin again,
"Oh well," he sighed, "back to work."