"...You do yet taste some subtleties o' the isle, that will not let you believe things certain..."
---- Prospero, Act V, Scene I, The Tempest
THE TEMPEST
--- On All Hallow's Eve ---
Candles flickered across the room, some in the windows, others on the mantle, and still more on the side-tables beside the sofas. Through the open windows there could be heard many little voices shouting and laughing as they pranced through the streets.
Inside number sixteen, Prosper Street, however, there was only one voice proclaiming the laws of the night. Jane Cordelia Granger sat curled up in the squishy red armchair by the fire, a cat on her lap and a book in her hand.
"'I am forced to tell ye this, miserable dearies, whether I would or no; so mark it well. If ye pray for the dead, they are released sooner from their torment of waiting in Purgatory and sped on the wings of light to their eternal reward.'" She read aloud in a witch's voice…or as near as said voice as she could muster. Puck the kitten yawned widely and stretched, his claws digging into the fluffy blanket, and orange tail quivering.
Cordelia continued in misty tones. "'So go and knock and the woman will open to your knock, and sing as loud as ye can: A soul cake, a soul cake, a prayer for a soul cake! She will bear on her arm a basket of cakes and tell ye for whom ye are to pray. And may ye all choke on every crumb and find praying and eating at one and the same time as miserable as the torment I endure forever riding hungry on my broomstick----!'"
She was interrupted by a gaggle of voices outside the window and a knock on the door. Grinning, she set her bookmark in between the crisp pages, picked up the kitten, threw off the red blanket with golden tassels she'd had from David last Christmas, and got up.
There was another knock, and as she called out "I'm coming!" Puck started purring in her hands, rubbing his bony head against her palm.
"You know, Puck, by the standards of tonight I should be locking you up in Neenie's room…don't want any little sprites to ride away on your back, now, do we?" she asked her daughter's kitten. He looked up at her, eyes half-open in a bemused sort of way as she tickled his chin.
She smirked at his expression. "Of course you do," she said and opened the door.
"Dr. Snowe! Dr. Snowe!" the children shrieked, jumping up and down.
"My, my, what a herd of little goblins, witches, ghosts, and ghouls coming to haunt me this night! You should have warned me you were coming. Do I know any of you, perchance?" Cordelia said, feigning surprise.
There was a round of giggling, and the six monsters hurried to lift up their masks, showing the noses and mouths and eyes of over-excited children.
"It's just us! We're not really goblins and witches! We're just pretending, Dr. Snowe! See?" One of the hidden children shouted.
Cordelia tweaked a little blond witch on her green-coloured nose. "Why, so you are!"
"Look, I'm a little hob-goblin! See my green hands? Mummy painted them, and they feel slimy!" shouted a small boy in the back, and the others clamoured to win her attention as well.
"I'm a witch! And I've got a long pointy hat, and a real wand, and I'm gonna turn you into a pumpkin----!"
"----Well, I'm not anything at all! I think that dressing up is for babies!----"
"Then how come you look like a git? Oh, wait…that's not a costume, is it?"
"----Thee, Dr. Thnowe? I lotht a tooth dith morning and Mummy theth I can thee you ath thoon ath she'll thet up an appointment----"
"----And it was awesome! Say, where's Dr. Granger? We went by your office and there wasn't a spooky maze like what he did last year, and I really, really wanted to see it again----!"
"Calm down!" Cordelia laughed over the din. "Honestly, I could barely hear anything! And aren't you guys forgetting one very important thing?"
"Oh, yeah! We forgot!" the children squealed, laughing. There was a rummaging as they all brought up their buckets and bags and shouted, "TRICK-OR-TREAT!"
A lone figure stared at the house of number sixteen, Prosper Street in the small village of Brownsville-on-Somerset, a scowl twisting his features. Noisy kids dotted past him, shouting gleefully, bragging to each other about the goodies in their bags, masks askew.
Makes me glad I was never as idiotic as that when I was younger.
He tried to refrain from rolling his eyes, but didn't quite succeed. It was plain to anyone who could see him (though, of course, no one could) that this man was bored. He'd been staring at the same house for nearly --- he pulled out his pocket-watch --- nine hours, by the looks of it.
And it is not fun, I can assure you. Doesn't this woman ever do anything? Besides the trip to the market-place this morning with that little brat-girl in tow, and then dropping off those infernal men she hangs around with at the harbour…
He shook his head, remembering. She had come back from the harbour alone, turned off her furiously vibrating Muggle machine, trotted up the porch steps, unlocked her door and walked in through it, shutting it firmly behind her.
And he hadn't seen her for the rest of the day.
That is, until all these little beasts starting running around. I forgot all about the foolish Muggle traditions they all put up with…
A breeze rustled through the side street he was standing it. He shivered slightly and pulled his shimmering silver cloak closer to him. He'd shed his Muggle clothes --- purple vest, tan trench coat, red cowboy hat, and all --- quite some time ago. There was no need to dress at all, really, when you were invisible, he thought.
Every time one of the little brats raced by him, his hand twitched next to his wand. How he longed to send a red streak their way and end this ridiculous shouting.
Whoever said witches were green anyway? They look horrendous…and I have to watch all this until they're finally through? This could last for hours!
His only comfort was that when this all ended, and the horrendous children were all tucked in their little beds, he could make his move. "There can be no witnesses!" his superior had said. So now he had to wait.
There were shouts of glee several houses down. He peered around the corner to see several teenaged boys unscrewing the hinges of someone's front door, sniggering.
He closed his eyes and sucked in his breath. This was going to be a long night.
Cordelia stood on her porch, a basket of fruit in hand.
"And what would you like, Blair, an apple or a pear?" she asked her last customer.
"Pear, pleathe! They're my favoriteth!" the little blond witch said, a gaping hole between her teeth when she smiled.
They really are adorable, she thought, looking around at them all. The hobgoblins and ghouls and ghosts were all smacking loudly on their own fruit, not discouraged at all when they weren't given candy.
We do this every year and they haven't complained so far. I personally think that because they stuff their faces with sweets all night long, they're quite relieved to have something that tastes different and fills them up when they get to our door…
"Remember, the more you eat tonight, the more cavities you're going to get! And guess who'll only be too happy to fill them all up for you, tomorrow, eh?" she said wickedly, grinning.
The oldest of the lot just scoffed. "Well, I like going to the dentist's office, because you're nice when you drill me and it doesn't hurt a single bit!"
There was a chorus of "Yeah!" and the kids all nodded.
"And you tickle us when our mouths are full of icky spit----"
"----And Dr. Granger likes to wear a clown's nose and he looks FUNNY----!"
"----And you let me hold my puppy when I come in, when that mean guy in Bristol that looks like a weasel wouldn't----"
"----And thometime you bring Neenie, and she'th fun to play with----!"
"----And we get sugar-free lollipops when we leave, and even though they're actually good for us, they taste yummy!"
"Oh, I see," Cordelia said gravely. "So you never come to the dentist's office just to see me?"
Blair ran forward and threw her arms around Cordelia, pear in one hand, and looked up pleadingly. "I like you, Dr. Thnowe, I really do!" she cried in earnest.
Cordelia chuckled and pat the kiss the top of Blair's witch hat. "Why, so you do. Now be off with you before all the good candies are gone!"
The happy children all became scary little monsters again as they donned their masks and trooped off the porch. Blair hung back. "Where'th Neenie, anyway? Did you dreth her up like a kitty like you thed you were gonna do?" she asked, peering Cordelia and into the living room.
"No…I'm sorry, Blair, but Neenie's spending the day with her father. They still haven't come back yet…maybe next year, though. Then she'll be able to sit still enough for me to paint her face!"
Blair giggled. "Bye, Dr. Thnowe!"
"Goodbye, Blair!"
I'll be seeing you again soon, I'm sure…she thought. It really is adorable, them calling me Dr. Snowe…
When she and David were married and opened up the practice down the street, it soon became very confusing for everyone to have two Dr. Grangers running around. So a reluctant Cordelia had had to change her name to Snowe-Granger. The little children, however, hated saying such a long name, so to them she was known as Dr. Snowe.
I really don't mind it all that much, she thought. Although 'Doctor Jane Cordelia Snowe-Granger' is rather long…
She watched Blair run down the walk to join her mother. Mrs. Smethwyck had been waiting near the road, supervising the children on their outing. When her daughter rejoined her, she threw a haughty glare at Cordelia and marched away.
It's too bad that such a cute little girl has such a snooty woman for a mother.
Cordelia remembered that Mrs. Smethwyck had been one of the women who had been gossiping about her behind her back last week. They were all at the park, and the group were talking amidst themselves, obviously not aware that she could hear.
"…It wasn't good enough for her being the wife of a dentist…oh no, she had to go and be one herself!" one of them had said.
Cordelia had flushed back then, but didn't say anything. Just ignore them…just ignore them, they're not worth it…just ignore them…
She had prided herself on not answering but, instead, when she and Neenie were ready to leave, she had smiled sweetly at them. "Lovely day, isn't it?" she'd asked innocently. "Oh, and don't forget to swing by the office…I can see that you haven't been very nice to your molars lately!" Then she'd turned up her nose and walked away.
Cordelia laughed, remembering. She reached down and set the empty bowl on the porch next to her various pumpkin lanterns. She and Neenie had spent all day Thursday making them, and Neenie had so much fun pulling out the slimy seeds…
She reached down and started blowing out the candles inside of the hollow pumpkins, their wolfish faces still grinning. It was as she got to blowing out the last one that she realized how dark it was growing…
Honestly, you did just blow out all the candles, so why wouldn't it be dark?
But, no…this was different…
She looked up at the darkening sky. A full, yellow moon was perched just above the treetops, the spidery branches cutting through the glow artistically…but this wasn't what had caught her attention…
…Out to sea there were some very wicked storm clouds gathering. The wind was tossing the waves against the harbour boats voraciously, and Cordelia knew that any second now, the bell would start clanging for all boats at sea to head back.
Oh no…oh no, oh no, oh no…
She knew how far out Bowman's Isle was, and David had rung her not too long ago saying that it didn't look like they were going to be leaving the island until around nine o'clock…
Calm down, Cordelia. You know how good a skipper Grandfather is…he hasn't ever lost a boat at sea before…why should he now?
Well, that's easy, her mind supplied for her. We were promised no storms until past Bonfire Night, at least, and this one looks rather wicked…and why is it so dark in the middle, there? It's almost like…but that's impossible! It's almost like…the storm clouds are being drawn to something out there…like magnetism, almost…
Fear began to seep in to her very core as the wind began to whip up, throwing her bushy hair wildly in every direction. It whistled through the creaky trees, stirring a colony of bats from the topmost branches. They flapped away into the night, shrieking, and Cordelia shivered.
Her husband and daughter were out in that.
Oh David…please come home safe!
Although David Granger had seen many things in his life, he usually veered away from strange phenomena. Of course, every once in a while, it can't be helped…you see something whether you really ever wanted to or not.
Once when he was five, for instance, he had been standing on the docks watching his father work, when there was a commotion. Despite his father's warning, he ran down to the end of the dock and looked out to the horizon. There, a large, sleek fishing boat was half-in and half-out of the water. The half that wasn't in the water was being raged by fire, men were everywhere in the water surrounding it…and the boat was sinking fast.
The other phenomena he would never forget had happened when he was eight (he'd witnessed his friend's father slicing a chicken's head off, and yet the rest of the body was still flapping around, very much alive); fourteen (an incident involving an axe to his leg); eighteen (when his brother actually admitted to being a moron); twenty-three (a very drunk night concerning chess-men and Shakespeare's King Henry VIII); twenty-four (when he and Cordelia were married); and, lastly, twenty-five (when his mother died).
As remarkable as all of those were, however, this beat them all.
He ran towards the end of the park, where Hector was gesturing frantically.
"Th-th-they told me to go get you --- w-w-we didn't know what else to do----" Hector gasped, looking around worriedly.
"What is it?" David snapped as Hector led over to the middle of the village square, where there stood an enormous statue.
Hector pointed. "That!"
David turned to the statue; it stood proud and tall, a carving of a man in a doublet on a rearing horse. The plaque near the ground proved in gold lettering that this was a bloke named Bowman Wright, who had founded the isle in the mid-1500s…
But it wasn't his plaque that drew David's attention…nor was it the horse's fierce eyes or the mouth open in an unheard whinny…nor, in fact, was it the man's nimble fingers holding the reigns, or his prideful look, or his receding hairline, or his rather long nose…
…It was the eyes of Bowman Wright that stood out the most. They glowed a bright, wicked green that glared through the darkness. It was an almost electrical glow, so fierce that David was sure a man a mile away could feel their awesome power….
The more logical part of him was sure it was some practical joke…it was Halloween after all…but he couldn't tear his eyes away from the grotesque sight of those jaded eyes staring at them all eerily…almost as if they could see right through the onlookers.
Will and Grandfather were both looking up at the statue, feeling a mixture of nauseating sickness and amazement, as David could plainly see on their faces. Rebecca was muttering, "I don't like this…I don't like this…oh, I really don't like this…"
Sebastian shook his head in amazement, not daring to look away from those all-seeing eyes, for once at a loss for words.
"I don't understand," said Hector, staring. "Rebecca was just telling us about him when all of a sudden, there was this tremble --- and --- and --- then his eyes just split open and flared green --- and then----"
The ground before them lurched. The statue shook on its foundation and a dreadful sound, like grinding stone, reverberated throughout the square. The seven watched fearfully as the mouth of Bowman Wright was slowly wrenched open, revealing a wide, gaping hole.
All around them, the lanterns that had lit up at the on-coming darkness faltered and died, leaving only the eerie green light emitting from the statue. The wind picked up around them, dragging the fallen leaves through the dark streets.
Hector glanced around them nervously, taking a few steps back. "I---I don't think we should be here…I've got a very bad feeling about this…"
As if to expound upon this pronouncement, there came a sound from within the statue's mouth. All eyes were drawn to a hissing within, as it grew louder and louder, until----
Bright yellow eyes split through the dark entrance, and a triangular head lifted itself up out of the stone mouth, glaring at them all. Horrified, transfixed, the group could only stare as the gigantic snake began to slither its way out of the mouth, the immense, black coils flexing, then releasing, and growing larger and longer. The snake started to entwine itself around the statue, and the longer it grew, the more it covered. Around the man's arms and legs, the horse's torso, flanks and all…the snake's body never ceased.
Rebecca felt as though she were about to be sick all over the stone walk.
Behind David, there was a choking sound, but he couldn't tell from whom it came. As more of the gruesome sight unfolded itself before their eyes, the little group stumbled backwards, wanting to run but not able to…
Finally, the tail of the snake slid out through the stone mouth of Bowman Wright and made its way in between the horse's legs. It was hard to tell where the twelve feet of coils began and where they ended as they moved around, encircling the giant statue…
…That is, until the snake's great triangular head appeared from around Bowman Wright's feet and started to head straight towards them.
"Oh, shit!" Will croaked. He grabbed Rebecca roughly by the arm and started stumbling backwards, the rest following suit. "RUN!"
James held his son tightly against his body, his trained eyes cutting through darkening air around them, one hand curled around his hidden wand. He longed to light it…to shield his family from whatever was out there…
There's something wrong…I can feel it but I can't see it…damned good Auror that makes me, eh?
He heard a sound behind him and turned, only to see the Grangers and Shylocks coming up to him. His whole body tensed again, however, when he saw their faces.
"We have to leave. Now." David Granger strode over to Lily and picked up his Hermione.
"Wh---what happened?" Lily asked, confused.
Will and Sebastian, talking over one another in their haste, began to describe what they'd seen in the village square.
"You saw what?" demanded Lily, standing next to her husband, fear growing in her eyes.
"A snake! A bloody humongous snake coming out of the bleeding statue, is what!" Will shouted for the second time.
James' mind was going about a hundred miles a minute. Everyone was talking around him; he could hear different voices saying different things…but he needed just one moment…one moment was all it took…
Wicked green eyes…magical statues…twelve-foot snakes…the ground trembling…no, not quite…almost have it…keep going, keep going…almost there, James, it's coming at you now…THERE!
He was standing in the Headmaster's office with Sirius, Kingsley, and Moody. All four of them were wearing their Auror robes, watching Dumbledore pace behind his desk. "You may have a seat, if you like," he told them.
Moody grunted, while the younger three Aurors shook their heads.
"Very well, then. I have brought you here on account of some new information we have acquired. You have all heard of the snake that Voldemort keeps as a pet, have you not?"
If the other three were offended by the name, they didn't show it. James nodded, acutely aware of the wizards beside him doing the same.
"And you are aware, I trust, of the situation we have been under for quite some time now concerning many stolen valuable artefacts when the wards have apparently not been breached?" Dumbledore looking over at them all, and James had to admit he was curious as to what the two had in common.
"Yes, sir, but I don't understand what this has to do with----"
"Auror Shacklebolt, the matter simply is this," Dumbledore stopped pacing, sat in his chair, and folded his hands, looking at them over his spectacles. "We have found out that the means this snake has of travelling is unlike any other seen before. Have you ever heard of the Ostium per Saxum, by any chance?"
Moody's grizzled face cleared, and Kingsley nodded in understanding. Sirius glanced a puzzled look at James, who shrugged.
"I wouldn't think you two would. It is talked of in the higher precincts of the Department of Mysteries…the records are kept in the Wizarding Archives room, in fact. You see, long before Hogwarts was created, back in the Dark Ages, there was a means of communication between witches and wizards that involved travel through solids. Now, of course, we use Apparition, the Floo system, Portkeys…but all of these include passing through concealed air in Time.
"This, however, was far different. Each wizarding estate would house a statue in one of their rooms. It could be any statue, so long as it was modelled after a magical being who had given his sculptors the permission to create a portal within the stone. If the wizard owning the statue had vital scrolls he needed to transport safely from one portal space to the next, he had simply to tap the statue in the right place and the portal would open."
"How big of a space, exactly?" James inquired.
"That often depended on the wizard. Some were large enough to fit a full-grown wizard through, if need be. There were even a few that were made expandable, which only a qualified wizard well-trained in the art of gateway alignment could have succeeded in doing," Dumbledore said.
There was an intake of breath on James' right. "And you think that---"
"I am quite sure that Voldemort has re-opened this passage-way between sculptures, Alastor. It is how he has been able to send his snake to do the dirty work that even his closest supporters could not accomplish. It is how he has been able to steal within the Ministry, I believe, to extract veins of information…how he has been able to get behind Gringotts' quarters …how he has been contacting certain, ah…forces that he wouldn't have been able to otherwise…all with the help of his beloved snake…" Dumbledore trailed off, deep in thought.
"But…wouldn't that mean that he can get into Hogwarts, Albus?" Moody asked.
Surprised, the Headmaster looked up. "Of course not! The castle itself has already sealed off any unwanted contact with the outside world, and I fully trust its capabilities! Just because you are unsure of its magic, Alastor, it doesn't mean that I am…"
"Ostium per Saxum!" James breathed, paling. "Clare, we've got to get home, now!"
Lily noted the urgency in his voice and strode over to the bench to pack up their things. James turned to the others, an apologetic smile on his face.
"I'm sorry we must leave you like this. I hope you all have a safe trip home…it's going to be a bit rough out there with this storm coming," he said. In his arms, Harry reached up a chubby hand and started messing with his father's dark hair, giggling.
Lily came up to them, a bag thrown over her shoulder. "Are you ready, love?"
"Yes…let's go." James adjusted Harry in his arms so he could quickly shake the hands around him.
When he reached David, the dentist pulled him closer with the handshake to warn him quietly, "Be careful out there, Alonso. There's something faintly anomalous in the air…just concentrate on keeping your family safe."
James looked at him, startled. "I---I will, David, don't worry."
He and Lily left them, walking quickly out of the park. Lily looked over her shoulder at them all one last time, giving them a reassuring smile.
The Grangers and Shylocks watched the Napolis go. It looked as if they were being enveloped by the darkness, and David squinted through the obscurity, trying to find their outline…but no…they were gone.
Hermione whimpered, then buried her head in her father's shoulder, sniffling. Around them, the swarthy air was stirring furiously, and a strange mist was blowing in from the sea. Starting out of a reverie, David turned to the others. "We've worn out our welcome here, it seems. Goodbye, Rebecca, Sebastian. We thank you for having us stay in your home. We'll give you a ring when we get back so you know we've made it safely."
Rebecca hugged them all and wished them well. When she reached Grandfather, she gave him an extra hug. "Be safe! I trust you to look after them in those waters, Captain, but mind you look after yourself as well!" she said, trying hard to stop the tears from falling. She had just found this darling little family…she didn't want to lose them again.
She gave Will a lingering kiss and held onto him tightly, not wanting to let go. He was finally able to pry her off with promises of his return.
David, with his daughter in his arms, hurried out of the park in the opposite direction the Napolis had gone. The rest followed suit, after giving the Shylocks their own goodbyes, and thus the group parted ways.
The wind was whistling around them as they bustled down the street. Hermione held on tightly, blinking sleep out of her eyes. Soon they left the streets and entered the dense trees surrounding the cliffs. Neenie saw that there weren't any little fairies left…they'd all gone home…
David at once began the descent down the path, but Will hesitated, looking out over the edge. The dark sea churned beneath him, throwing waves against the cliff-side with incredible force. He shivered and was nearly sick on the grass beside him.
I hate the sea…oh, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it…
He heard Hector calling to him, and unsteadily made his way down the path. However ironic it seemed that the eldest son of Captain John Granger was afraid of the sea, he had very good reason to be afraid.
It's one thing when you are perfectly safe on a boat…it's another when you're pushed into the water of a little, friendly cove…
…But the sea…the power the sea has is much too evil for words. I refuse to think about it any longer!
He inched along the rock face, many yards behind the others. Hector turned and looked at him. "Are you alright, Will? You look dead white!" he called.
Will swallowed nervously, trying very hard to keep his eyes away from straying too far to the right. "I-I'm f-f-fine!"
In the front of the line, Hermione had nodded off, becoming dead weight in David's arms. " 'M seepy, Daddy…'M bery seepy…" she muttered, stirring.
"It's alright, my little queen…we'll be there soon and then you can sleep all you want, okay?" David soothed her, reaching the end of the path. They came to the shallows where the yacht was moored, and Grandfather and Hector hurried past him to ready The Olivia.
David set Neenie down and kneeled next to her. "Neenie, you stay right here, okay? Daddy's got to go help Gampa and Pan with the yacht. Don't move!"
He hurried off to help them, shouting over his shoulder, "Will! Watch her!"
Will barely heard him. His head was throbbing along with the crashing waves and his heart beat furiously against his chest. He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths.
Hermione stood still where her daddy set her and yawned. Her eyes drooped and she was getting very sleepy…the images around her were becoming blurs, and she only faintly heard her daddy shouting to Pan on Gampa's yacht. She raised a chubby hand to wipe the flyaway curls from her face and wandered over to the water's edge.
The water swirled around beneath her, very black underneath the stormy sky. It reminded her of one time when she was watching Gampa roll a heavy barrel down the dock. When he set it aright and pried open the lid, she begged to see what looked like black water slosh around and was told that it was petrol…that it fed all the boats and the cars and it was yummy for them…
She leaned over and peered into the darkening depths…it didn't look yummy to her…
Reaching out a hand, she touched the dark water and swished her hand around, admiring how white and small her hand looked underneath the liquid. She smiled and closed her eyes sleepily, and when she opened them, she was surprised to see that the water was closer than it had been before…that it was colder and wetter and filling up her eyes and ears and nose…
The water engulfed her body and she was sinking and sinking…down…down…down…
David's head snapped up when he heard a small splash, but brought it back down again when he realized it was probably one of the otters. He turned around and saw Iris, Ceres, and Juno sliding across the yacht to one of the railings. He looked over to where he'd left his daughter, and his heart stopped dead.
"HERMIONE!"
He dropped everything he held and dove over the side and into the water. It was freezing…colder than he ever believed it possible. He opened his eyes and saw nothing but darkness…frantically, he searched the water, looking for her…looking…he saw a flash to the right and swam deeper, deeper, following the white cloth.
His breath was running out…he reached his small Neenie, floating like a little white ghost, her eyes closed…he closed her nose and gave her what little breath he had, pushing off hard from the bottom. He surged forward, swimming as hard as he could with two legs and one arm…the light ahead seemed forever away…he knew he wasn't going to make it in time…he was out of air…he was getting weaker…
His head broke through the water's surface and he gasped for air. He lifted Neenie's limp head above him and felt hands take her from his grasp. Arms seized him and he was pulled up onto the jagged rocks, wheezing.
He was grateful for the blanket thrown around his shoulders, but had to open his weary, salt-stung eyes to look for his daughter. Hector held her in a blanket and her eyes were open…she was breathing…
Oh, thank God, he thought, and leaned back. Suddenly, the air seemed much clearer than before. Whoever knew air tasted this sweet?
He faintly heard his dad screaming himself hoarse at Will, and a great resentment rose within him. He was supposed to be watching her! I didn't even see him anywhere near when I looked over…
"David? We need to leave. Can you get up, or do you need help?" said a quiet voice beside him, whom he knew he wasn't related to.
"No…I'm fine…I can do it…" he croaked. He slowly got to his feet and stumbled onto the yacht, his muscles screaming. He sat down near the bow, anxious to be out of the way. Hermione, still wrapped in a bundle, was set on his lap and she cuddled next to him, rubbing her face against his shirt.
"Love you, Daddy," she whispered, closing her eyes. He held her tightly against him, confused as to whether the drops falling down his face was the sea spray or his own tears.
The engine had started up around him, Grandfather was shouting directions, The Olivia was moving forward, navigating around the dangerous, groundbreaking pull of the ocean. They were getting further and further out into sea…
David saw that the island behind them was surrounded by a mass of dark, low-slung clouds…he thought that they looked as if they were circling the isle. The sky above them now, however, was clearing and a red full moon was climbing higher into the sky…they could even see the few stars that were out…
…It was hard to think that just a few minutes ago, they were in a climbing storm…the air around them was so still now…
He squeezed his sleeping daughter and whispered into her lovely hair.
"Love you, too, my little queen..."
Author's Note: And that is the end of that...the Grangers' are heading home, the storm is over (for them, at least), andall is well with the world (erm...besides that giant snake, of course).
...Or is it? Need I remind you that westill have eightor nine chapters left...whatever will our dear characters do from now until then, eh?The next chapter---being called "The Tempest" for quite a few number of reasons---will be the turning of the story. The plot is getting thicker by the chapter, and certain people must meet up with rather strange and frightening happenings...we musn't keep them waiting...
And please don't forget to click that little purple button...it'shovering over the brink of insanity from waiting for your unwilling fingers...