Hey everyone!
Oh no! I broke my every-day-an-update streak! :( but my line of work is unpredictable, and very demanding, and alas, side-fling stories for fun at times suffer… oh, and I'm amazed. No comments or thoughts on this Isis? AT ALL!? Shocking. Isis is not pleased. XD
So, onwards! Chapter 18.
***
Reddish waves of malice threatened to devour and drown him, and there was nothing to hold on to for a chance at life. He screamed for help, searched for his wand, and nearly lost it in the slippery mire he knew was blood- blood of the victims of something horrible, terrible, unstoppable…!
He yelled the spell and nearly was drowned by the blood that rose to invade him, but the wand responded and help arrived- a giant falcon swooped down and picked him in its great talons, and he breathed in relief. Relief that turned to horror once he realized that he was the falcon's prey, and its beak came with force upon his skull, cleaving it open-
Harry sat up in bed, drenched in sweat and panting. He leaned forward, head in his shaking hands.
"Dream… it was just a dream," he muttered, rubbing his eyes to chase away the dying embers of a nightmare far more frightening than he had had in ages, maybe ever.
His eyes stung and teared up as if something acrid had gone into them, and Harry hissed in surprise and confusion as he blinked furiously and wiped his face upon his sheets and sleeve. His vision cleared, but Harry wished it hadn't. As he gazed at his palms, he saw blood oozing off them, dripping in a sickening way- blood from that mire, that sea of dead victims, and it was on him, he couldn't rub it off!
"Ah… ah…" Harry stammered, peering around owlishly for help, but yelled in fright: he could see without his glasses, and there was blood spattered everywhere, blood of murder, blood of deceit, blood of victims that were rising in rebellion at something, someone that had not been stopped…!
Harry jumped out of bed, trying to escape, trying to make himself wake up, for surely he was not awake and somehow the nightmare was continuing.
"I did all I could!" he shouted, wondering why nobody else was around, why nobody else was shaking him awake so this horror, this madness could finally end. He ran away to the open door, and finally, everything went black.
***
Nikos knocked on Professor Frideswide's office, early in the morning before breakfast. The door swung open so abruptly that the man flinched.
"Come, come, come," she said, bustling about her office. It was full of shelves with all sorts of vials and bottles and pots and boxes- no raw ingredients- as well as several trinkets that apparently the professor liked. Nikos arched his eyebrows in that many of them were muggle- a lava lamp, a magnetic field hovering globe of the world, ever-moving pendulums, fiber optic trinkets.
"How can you have these things here?" Nikos pointed at the things that needed electricity to work, or electronics. "Magical places don't let them work."
Erna giggled naughtily as she switched on the lava lamp.
"Only for those that don't try hard enough, my man, only those," she said as she watched it. She tilted her head.
"Are you here to inquire about my advances in muggle gismo incorporation to the magical institution, or for something more mundane?"
Nikos grinned, feeling the witch was giving him energy just by talking to him- a rare sensation to have.
"Mundane, I'm afraid, but now I'm intrigued. Still, mundane takes precedence; I really really really need you to give me some Apperception Potion- just for today."
Nikos cringed at Frideswide's stern look and knit his hands in front of his face, wondering if he should have shaved first before asking her this.
"Whatever makes you think I'd have something illegal like that?" she huffed. "No wizard in their right minds would even want to use it, rather than just sleep and do whatever they need to do rested."
"Yes, yes," Nikos nodded, not getting out of his cute-slash-begging pose, "no wizard in their right minds would, but augurors tend to need it once in a while, for emergencies."
Frideswide said nothing, turning her back to Nikos to shuffle some papers that had been neatly stacked already.
"Please?" Nikos asked again. "And I'm good for it- your wish will be my command. Word of honour."
"I don't know you that well, Nikos Galanos," Frideswide grumbled again and she reached for her stack of books. "I don't give illegal potions to crazy Greeks."
"I will teach you the Healing Sigils," Nikos said.
Erna's movement paused for a moment, and Nikos grinned, even though she then continued in her display of indifference. He straightened up.
"Professor Frideswide, time is ticking. I spent the better part of the night laying the chart, based on some new information I got from Rasmus' wand- the boy cast a pain mirror charm on his attacker, and that allowed me to pinpoint their imprints, and the general area of where they are. But it sapped my energy, and now I absolutely need to go see to Hodd, and get him out of the coma if I can. He has knowledge we need if we are to find the darkies!"
Frideswide turned a little and shot him a side glance.
"So you need to force your mind and energy to be enhanced to heal Hodd?"
"In so many words, yes," Nikos nodded. "I'd wait a few days, but whatever they are doing, they are doing it now. The chart shows we have a window of maybe another twelve hours. I can't wait."
Erna exhaled and her shoulders hunched. Nikos grinned, perking up.
"Thank you!" he said as he watched her picking up a pen. With a swift move of her wand, she transfigured the pen back to the potions casket it originally was. She turned to glare at Nikos.
"Anyone comes shuffling through my pens, I come after you. I was in Ravenclaw, but even Slytherins feared my wrath."
"Yes, madam," Nikos grinned.
"And you'll go to bed as soon as you are done, and not wake up for the fortnight." Frideswide shook her finger at her and Nikos laughed.
"I'll put in my six hours of sleep."
"Eight."
"Seven?"
"Deal," Frideswide opened the casket and retrieved a very small round vial with a dark green effervescent liquid in. She went to give it to Nikos, but pulled her hand back just as the man's palm was about to close around it. Nikos looked at her questioningly.
"And you will teach me the Healing Sigils."
"Absolutely," Nikos said and grinned as Erna handed him her potion. He bowed in wordless thanks and turned about to leave.
"Nikos," Frideswide stopped him just as he was at the door. "The potion's illegal for a reason. Take care of yourself- and that apparently insane mind you carry in your skull."
"I shall; after all, I must be sentient enough for that lesson, ne?" Nikos winked over his shoulder and walked out the door.
***
The bandages were off, and the impossible, gross food crossover was history. Rasmus was generally happy that it had only taken just shy of 24 hours to bring him back to some sort of health. He looked at his arms as he slipped on his shirt. There were paper-thin pink scars lining nearly all of his blood vessels, which was a split between cool and icky. They also hurt or itched from time to time, but he knew it would stop with time.
"You should not leave until at least tomorrow," Poppy was saying, frowning in disapproval and quite irked that she had been overwrought by a Healer. The boy's godfather had said he was good to leave, provided he abstained from physical exercise. Of course the young Snape had said he would, but Poppy simply knew he'd be back on this bed spewing blood in no time.
That would give her just cause to give that irresponsible man a serious talk. Poppy huffed.
Rasmus grinned up at her. Some pink lines still crisscrossed like tiny rivers upon his face, but most had been healed.
"I will take care, I promise," he said and stood up, swaying a little before controlling his balance and slipping on his dark purple sweater. "And I'll be back for the potion in time."
Poppy was ready to make him recite the hours he would need to return for the Blood Replenisher, but she had no chance. Hermione rushed in, with aloof airs and specific purpose.
"Madame Pomfrey, is Rasmus free to go?" she asked in a voice that made all sort of alarms go off in Rasmus' head, but most of all curiosity. What would a member of the golden trio want with him, when none of them had made any efforts to befriend him since the school started?
Poppy looked surprised as well, but not suspicious.
"Whatever you do, Miss Granger, do not let him exert himself. He is not to engage in anything that involves expending too much energy, and especially not anything physical." Pomfrey was stressing the words making her voice jump an octave unexpectedly. Hermione nodded quickly.
"Rest assured, Madame, I will see to it he's careful. Rasmus, do you want to join me? I have all your homework for you." She turned to Rasmus, locking stares with him in a way that clearly stated, as she intoned her question, that he was to say yes, and it was important.
What if it's a prank?
No, it wouldn't be. Potter wouldn't do that right now. Maybe Halloween, but not now, and after the courtyard. So he turned to Poppy and nodded, then slipped on his shoes, placing his wand up his sleeve.
"Good. I want that homework to be trustworthy, and everyone says you're it."
"I am definitely it," Hermione nodded, barely containing herself, and before Pomfrey could repeat her warnings again, she led Rasmus out of the room.
"All right, what's going on? Am I going to need dueling skills?" Rasmus asked, trying to walk in his usual lofty gait, but found that it was threatening to tire him alarmingly quickly. Hermione noticed immediately as well and slowed down as she answered:
"No, no. Listen, Harry and Ron are often hot headed, but you are not someone they want to make life hard for. I am here because, well, I figured that you or your godfather- he's your godfather, right?- maybe can help without anyone making a gossip out of Harry again."
"Me?" Rasmus' eyes widened. "What's so gossipy about what Potter may have?"
"Everything is gossipy when it comes to Harry, but this is even more gossipy than usual," Hermione said with a sigh and looked at Rasmus again. "How much do you know about the War here?"
"Enough," Rasmus said, rather dryly.
Hermione nodded and bit her lip.
"Well, do you know that Harry had visions, because of being You-Know-Who's horcrux?"
"Yes," Rasmus felt as if each answer was being pried from him, as if each answer would tell this girl more than he wanted about himself, about his father, about the relationship they had had. He anticipated the next prying question about the how or the why, and how he would shoot it down just like he had for at least ten different Slytherins, their cousins and their Hufflepuff minions, but it never came. Hermione simply went on to the issue that was troubling her.
"Well, Harry has visions again- and they are not like Voldemort. They… they seem different, and worse."
By that time, they had reached the portrait Hermione wanted. She had taken several shortcuts for Rasmus' benefit, but the young Slytherin could tell they were close to Gryffindor Tower. She spoke a password and ushered him in.
They found themselves in a room all in red and gold, that looked suspiciously like what Gryffindor's common room would be. Hermione smiled at him a little nervously.
"This is a side room that will give us privacy from the rest of the dorms. Several centuries ago it was the Gryffindor common few students have ever known of it since Gryffindor Tower was reconstructed some three hundred years ago, and I do only because I read even the footnotes of Hogwarts: A History. We won't be bothered here, and Harry can tell you what the vision was. You know; so you can tell your godfather- I am certain he would know what to do with this. He's an Auguror, isn't he? They are experts on how to harness the mind, Occlumens aside."
Rasmus found Hermione Granger and her tendency to just talk without stopping overwhelming- the place overwhelming- the fact that Potter was there looking pale and drinking chocolate overwhelming. And Ron Weasley just looking at him as if he was a creature from Care of Magical Creatures class- or worse, was not helping any.
Harry sighed, rubbing his temple.
"I'm fine! 'Mione, I really am, it was just a nightmare! You shouldn't have bothered Rasmus just as he's up."
"Shut it, Harry. It is not a nightmare when it manifests when you're awake. I told you some of those spells in that book were going to be dangerous. Why didn't you wait until at least I'd studied all there was to know about them?"
Rasmus watched, thinking to himself that he had never actually thanked Potter for covering him up in the courtyard- something that Poppy had told him the Gryffindor had done while changing his bandages and trying to-unsuccessfully- chat him up.
"I've been dragged here already, so if you got something for my godfather, now's the time to tell me," he said with a slight drawl. "Or I can just get you an Oneiromancer from Greece. I'm sure one of the buddies would pry a ball from one of the girls' hands for you," he couldn't help adding.
"We don't need a dream reader orb, any more than a cup of tea at Trelawney's," Hermione snapped, thus solving Harry's and Ron's unvoiced question.
Rasmus had wanted to sit down, but now he forced himself to remain standing, just so that Hermione wouldn't think he was cowed into sitting. He felt his legs shaking. Harry sighed, passing his hand through his hair.
"You must be tired, aren't you?" he whispered at Snape's son. He still was uneasy when talking to the boy, unsure how to approach him. It had been very convenient how after the first day, Rasmus had kept away. Harry had been prepared to keep it that way for the entire year.
"No, but you're making me," Rasmus said a little frustratedly. "Say what you got to say. If it really is something for my godfather, he will want to know before he needs to prevent it with his charts."
"Well… this dream," Harry stammered, "it's just that- I see it."
"Shocking," Rasmus couldn't help the sarcasm, but Harry shook his head, speaking before Ron could retort.
"No," he said. "No, you don't get it- I see it. Right now, I am seeing this dream."
And in the ancient Gryffindor common room, Harry described the splatters of blood, the oozing waves of it all around that superimposed themselves before his waking eyes, and Rasmus felt a cold shiver go down his spine- and newfound respect for what it meant for anyone to sit there and calmly talk about what sounded like the scariest experience of someone who is not crazy.
Snape's son swallowed. Harry Potter had bravery, after all.
"Your Hermione is right," he said in a softer voice. "I actually can help."
***
And that's that! Mind games, anyone? *mad cackle*
So, now for the reviews of the last two chapters:
Stonegnome1: Thank you for your suggestions! None of these chapters are Beta'ed and most of them are put up the moment I type them up, no second read, simply because I don't have the time to do it. So such corrections are appreciated. As for Rasmus' reaction to Harry at first meeting: His best-suited house probably is Ravenclaw, as the Hat insisted- he actually forced it to put him in Slytherin because he has an agenda. Also, while he did try to be civil to Ron and Hermione, who Harry is was too much for Rasmus. Up to them, for Rasmus, Harry is the boy for whom his dad died. And as for why he'd go to Hogwarts- Severus didn't want him to, but he knew there was good chance Rasmus would try it anyway, as a student or teacher.
Zoe Bright: You know garlic ice cream is a real abom- eh, I mean creation. Glad you like the wand! Olive wood is very beautiful and very hardy. And pegasi… they're pegasi! :D
Sindie: Thank you, thank you! And well, I guess that the dead could provide some sort of mystical/occult intrigue. Many have before used the plot device. As for whodunit? We'll soon see ;)
Griffin Raven: Thank you! I'm happy, that's what I was going for with Rasmus. As for Finn, you are right, but remember, everyone sorted anywhere has a reason to be there ;) Even Rasmus, who bullied his way in.
RebeccaRoy: someone would do it eventually.
Jellowind: Well remember she had no problems conspiring with shady wizards at the expense of minors… but yes it was too violent a way to go. Think of Bertie Botts jelly beans, as for the ice cream flavours. Wizards are insane. (Some muggles are, too. Garlic ice cream actually exists)
And that's that! See you tomorrow!