Wizards of the Djinn

Chapter 6; Maridis

Forbidden Forest

Harry ran and ran, stopping only long enough to watch the hill collapse behind him. He had noticed on his exit from the cave that Hogwarts had been enclosed in a red misty dome. He knew that the Aurors would be sweeping over the area within minutes and he wanted to be as deep into the Forest as he could before that happened.

He had no idea if Hogwarts wards would allow him access to the grounds and the Forest nearer to the school but would face that problem later. There was plenty of Forest this side to hide in and it wasn't like he couldn't fight his way out later if he needed to.

As he ran, with Luke stilled cradled against his chest he sent out commands to the six Djinn that he still had in this realm. He figured he could use the extra scouts and defence in case he met up with the Aurors or worse than that in case he met up with Albus Dumbledore, he really didn't know yet what the man would do if he met him.

Hogsmeade

Auror first class Alastor Moody, having been reinstated at Headmaster Dumbledore's request, was awaiting his reinforcements.

He and five others had arrived in the town after being ordered to check out the magical explosion that had been detected by the Ministry's sensors and to subdue and capture the cause when they found it. They had Apparated into the town just in time to see the hill collapse in on itself and after the veteran Auror had recovered his wits he had called for reinforcements.

Two minutes later fifty Aurors Apparated in around them and he started giving out orders.

"Captain, set up an anti-transport ward for ten miles in every direction and have your men sweep the town before setting up blockades on the west side of the town. Make sure the locals get in their houses and stay in them!"

After getting the right response he turned to his own men and motioned for them to follow him as he moved towards the edge of town at a brisk jog whilst pulling out a magic detector and scanning the area to try to sense the magic of the person they were hunting. It worked brilliantly. There was a powerful Wizard currently running into the Forbidden Forest.

Forbidden Forest

Harry felt the tug at his Wizarding Magic and cursed as he realised what it meant.

Carver? Can you hide my Wizarding Magic? They are following it!" He was breathing too hard to talk normally. He listened to Carver as his six Djinni appeared around him.

I can, but I need you to switch to the Demon form like I taught you, that way your Djinn Magic will be stronger than your Wizarding Magic and I can make it hide it.

Right. Harry didn't break stride as he focused on the transformation. It was much like he had seen with Animagus Transformations except that it was much slower. His muscles rippled as they became that of a humanoid Marid and his body changed its shaped. He watched as his height increased by a good three feet and the floor fell below him. He tugged off his trench coat knowing that his clothes would be ruined and he didn't want to unnecessarily ruin this particular item. He was just in time as he felt his t-shirt rip and two bat-like wings ripped from his shoulder blades and stretched as he ran before folding close to him to decrease the friction whilst he was on the ground.

Once he had finished the transformation he knew that he was over eight feet tall, with thickly muscled but still lean limbs. The torn shirt and jeans clung to his figure in rags as he ran through the forest seeing the forest as though the place was lit by Muggle flood lights that he remembered seeing at night at the local football pitch.

The dark hid his skin colours well but he knew that he was a deep red colour almost black which allowed him to be almost invisible in the darkness of the forest. He put on a burst of speed and ripped through the forest. Dimly noticing that his six Djinn were forced to change into faster creatures to match his speed. He had become an Alpha Marid. And for the first time he could test his transformed body the way he wanted to. He glanced at a tree in front of him and flicked his hand and watched as it was splintered apart by a detonation.

Hogwarts

It had been ten minutes now since the Wards had first been triggered and Albus was frowning as he weaved together another search web. He pulled his wand back over his head and threw it forwards again like when casting a fishing line and out of it sprung a stringy mess of what looked like string. It spread sideways quickly and took the shape of a spider's web, and took off towards the Forest the same way countless others had done so previously. Its edges twisting and turning like a spineless creature in water as it sought out everything in the forest.

The search web scanned the immediate area below it, the size itself depending on the power put into the spell. The ones being sent off now covered ten metre circles. Albus had always kept track of the inhabitants of the forest to monitor what was in there and there were always a couple of the search webs scanning the forest, seeking out new additions. This time though they would alert the Headmaster when they found anything new. Namely, he hoped, Harry.

Forest

Harry's group of seven ran through the forest dodging trees and animals almost faster then the human eye could see. Harry caught a brief glance of a small herd of Unicorns but could only just hear their frightened sounds as he kept on running. Harry knew that this was stupid though, he needed to find a more permanent home and this running around dodging Aurors was becoming annoying and in the end even he would become tired of this running even if it wouldn't be any time tonight.

He came into a denser patch of forest and it became darker so he slowed rapidly to a halt and without question his Djinn followed suit and stood silently gazing at him to find out his next move.

Harry listening using his new senses and also switched his eyesight to that of Carvers to have a look around the other planes. Hogwarts Wards were a glistening web or light throughout the lower five planes but only magical residue had seeped from them into the two higher planes. He didn't see any detection charms or similar anywhere around so he was safe for now.

He looked down into his arms and almost started when he realised that Luke was still there. He was unconscious from Harry's blast and he felt extremely guilty for attacking his friend even if it had only been an over reaction and an accident. He was pulled out of his reverie by one of his Djinn.

"Harry? Let me deal with Luke." It was Alter, the Djinn that had set off with his body to buy clothes the first day of Harry's freedom. Harry had made it very clear that he didn't want anyone calling him Master or Lord or any such nonsense and that since they were loyal Djinn and therefore more like friends than servants that they should call him by his name and nothing more formal. "I think all he needs is a loan of energy to heal his wounds. Please?"

Harry snapped to and passed Luke over to the Djinn. All of his six Djinn were in forms similar to his, though smaller. No Demon of any rank would ever dare to take the form of a Marid even under orders from their Master. Imps couldn't take on alternate forms even if they wanted to and no Djinn or Afrit would tempt fate by risking angering one.

Alter settled Luke down on the ground and began to work on him. Sending energy into the human body to supplement Bartimaeus' own in order to heal him.

Harry took the chance to look around again and pondered his next move. He asked Carver if he had any idea but his Guardian didn't. Harry was saved from having to come up with a plan though when another of his Djinn caught his attention.

"There is a cave not far from here, I believe it is about two hundred metres outside of the Wards to the school. I couldn't see why it was there but it was definitely artificial. I didn't have that much time to study it because it was only a short while ago and I was called to you before I could properly access who created it and its purpose."

"Thank you Chris." Harry had been shocked by the human name when he had first met the Djinn but knew that it was only one that he preferred rather than his given name just like Luke's real name was Bartimaeus. "We will head there as soon as Luke it up and running."

"He is worse then I thought Harry." This was Alter again.

"Is he going to be ok?" Gaia asked. She was an old friend of Bartimaeus' that had gone hysterical when he had first summoned her and she had met up again with him.

"He'll be fine but he will need more rest. One of us can carry him but we have a way to go and he won't be able to shrink his size in this condition. He would slow one of us Djinn down too much."

"I get the hint Alter," Harry chuckled slightly even in the current situation. He didn't mind them hinting at him or even arguing back as they were loyal to him and he could sense how deeply their allegiance went. "I will continue to carry him."

He scooped Luke up off of the floor and shifted the child shaped Djinn in his arms so that his head was rested securely against his chest. "Let's go! Chris, lead the way!"

They ran for twenty minutes constantly without any rest or repent and Harry soon could see, on the first five planes, where the Schools Wards met the ground. He looked to where Chris indicated and instead of the cave he had expected was a crack in the ground about two metres across and about ten metres long. It looked as if the ground had just been parted and as Chris had mentioned the inside edges indeed look artificially cut.

It was well hidden by the trees. Impossible to see from the air as it was under the canopy and easy to miss in the darkness of the Forest. Harry mentioned for Carver to remind him to put soon repelling charms on it once the search quieted down a bit.

Harry shrugged at the other six and flared his wings slightly and stepped into the chasm as he saw a spider's web closing in on them. It wasn't the first thing he had seen and he had no doubt that they had seen his group. But he hoped that this one didn't 'see' them this time or it would give away the position of their hiding place.

His fall lasted for about five seconds and even travelling half that of a normal fall due to his flared wings it still represented an impressively deep crack. He shot a small flare of Djinn magic below him to find the bottom and fully flared his wings when he was near to it so that he could land gently. It wasn't that his Marid body couldn't take the impact of an almost three mile drop but more that he didn't want to shake up Luke too badly in his dearly needed sleep.

He was soon joined by four birds and two Demon shaped Djinn who landed the way that Harry would have done without Luke. He knew even in the darkness that they must be Chris and Alter who were the two higher ranking ones out of the group as they were the only ones capable of an unassisted three mile fall.

By the time he had summoned a small flare above them the four birds had returned into the Demon forms of Gaia, Lucid, Denier and Tolan.

"It didn't see us I don't think." Tolan answered pre-empting Harry's question. "Would you like me to set up some spells in-case though?"

"Do that, thanks. Denier if you would help him?" After receiving a nod in response he watched the two become birds again and start their journey back to the surface. "Shall we go find a place to rest?"

He didn't wait for a response though and turned and headed to a vertical crack in the wall that he had seen earlier. It was only a few feet wide and only ten feet tall and tapered together at the top but it was enough to get through in his current form.

He could hear four following steps so entered the crack and started on a twisting journey that was full of right angle turns that were too perfect to be natural. After two minutes of this he almost walked straight into a wall. The room had expanded outwards so it was possible for three people to stand shoulder to shoulder now and so Chris and Alter came up next to him.

Harry looked at the wall and saw scribbles on it and was about to mention them when three gasps were heard. One on both sides of him and one in his head.

It's the old language of the Marids, all Djinni, Afrits and Marids know it. It means that this place could only have been created by and for Marids.

What does it say?

'Fare nexcus, maltaire mexus, neh ev Maridis, hola a Daem.'

And that makes so much sense to me Carver! Harry said in exasperation.

Sorry I was distracted. It means 'Heed Fear, heed warnings, here lies Maridis, home of Demons.' Carver translated apologetically remembering that Harry couldn't read the ancient script yet.

What's Maridis? Harry asked.

It's the ancient home of the Marids, it has been lost for countless Millennia ever since the wars between humans and Marids which caused the uprising of the Wizards of the Djinn and the Marids to flee to the Demons realm.

"Wow!" Was all that Harry could say. It must have been a while that they stood looking at the scribbles on the wall because they were eventually joined by Tolan and Denier.

"Try touching the wall Harry." This was Alter's suggestion. "You have Carver's entity within you and that should be enough to unlock the City."

Harry shrugged again and shifted Luke better so that he could touch the wall with a claw and then he and the others all shot backwards as the wall flashed with white and gold light and disappeared.

88

Thanks for the reviews, if anyone finds any Bartimaeus-Harry Crossovers please let me know because I would love to read them and see how they do.

I know this chapter isn't that interesting but at least its there. I've been working a lot lately but I am due for some time off soon so hopefully I will get a bit more written.