The Rod of Asclepius
Chapter IX
The being in the large chair gazed into the large crystal sphere that Wormtail held nervously in his hands.
"He knows," the voice told his assistant. "McGonagall has taken my trinket from the girl, but she unknowingly left it somewheres almost as useful. I may not have control over the doctor's mind, but I can see though his eyes to some degree as long as it remains on his person, and our suggestion is still implanted in the girl's mind. Now there is something I need you to do. Put the crystal ball down, and hold out your right hand with the palm up."
Wormtail complied, somewhat fearfully. The frail warlock in the chair held his wand over his assistant's hand and waved it slowly. An object slowly materialized in Wormtail's hand, he saw what it was and quickly closed his fist over it.
"You will substitute this golden snitch for the one in today's Quidditch match." He instructed Wormtail. "Then we will wait for Potter to capture it, which I'm sure he will for this snitch has been enchanted to be caught by no one but him."
"What about the doctor?" Wormtail asked.
"We will deal with him in our own good time." Riddle smiled, "and you will assist me." He whispered into his assistant's ear, and Wormtail nodded his head in agreement.
The afternoon Quidditch match was just an exhibition game for the benefit of the first year students that had never seen the sport before. The Gryffindor team would be playing Ravenclaw that afternoon in a practice meet. While the team members suited up and polished their brooms, Wormtail stealthily made his way into the equipment room and opened the truck containing the four spheres. He removed the golden snitch and replaced it with one from his pocket, and then closed and relocked the trunk.
Blackjack and Pinoko found their seats in the Quidditch stadium. The doctor had been given tickets in the VIP section, and he and Pinoko sat next to Headmaster Dumbledore.
"I think you will find Quidditch to be a very entertaining sport doctor." He said. "I've been told that it has elements of your Muggle Hockey, and Basketball, although I've never seen those games myself."
"I've read up on the rules," Blackjack told the headmaster, "and your assessment sounds fair, I can't wait to see the game in action."
"When do we get to see the flying broomsticks?" Pinoko asked, tugging on the doctor's robe.
As if in answer to her question, Harry Potter flew past them on his broom, followed by several members of the Gryffindor team. The Gryffindor's lined up on one side of the stadium, their brooms hovering in place as the Ravenclaw team flew out of their team room on the other side of the stadium, and after making once circuit of the field lined up facing the Gryffindor team.
"Wow", Pinoko cried out that's fantastic I wish I could fly a broom, "Can you do that Sensai?"
"I think the doctor might have the gift," Dumbledore told Pinoko, "But it does take lots of practice."
Dr. Black Jack turned to the headmaster. "I did once fly a broomstick, but I wasn't aware that I had any magical abilities at the time," he admitted. "I had been abducted by a policeman from the future in a time machine and I was taken many centuries back in time to treat a princess who had been injured by a sorcerer. It later turned out that this so called wizard was a fake, and he was using cheap tricks to give the illusion of black magic to try and take over the kingdom. I never did figure out how I was able to fly on a broomstick however. I thought the broom was some sort of magnetic flying device."
"It may surprise you to know that I am aware of that story." The headmaster replied. "Time travel is possible via magic, though the spell is rather difficult to master. There was a sorcerer who once did travel backwards in time with the intent of conquest. He was caught and sent to the Azkaban wizards prison where he spent the rest of his life. I believe that it was he who you were dealing with."
"You mean I defeated a real wizard without magic?" Blackjack asked.
"Maybe you did use magic without realizing it?" Dumbledore replied. "It has been known to happen."
With the sound of a half dozen trumpets the Quidditch match began. The trunk containing the two Bludgers and the golden snitch was opened and the three magical balls flew out and began to circle the playing field. Gryffindor took position of the Quaffle first and managed to score the first goal. Ravenclaw quickly recovered, and the score stood even for nearly all of the first half of the game. In the backfield, Harry and the Ravenclaw seeker were chasing each other looking for the golden snitch. With less than a minute before the trumpets sounding the end of the first half of the game the small winged golden sphere zoomed over the stands where the doctor was sitting.
"What was that?" Pinoko asked as the snitch flew though her field of view. Seconds later Potter zoomed by, his right hand outstretched in an effort to catch the illusive object and win the game for Gryffindor. He and the orb made another complete circuit of the field and he finally grabbed the snitch right in front of where the headmaster was sitting.
There was a bright flash of light as Harry's hand closed around the snitch. He disappeared into thin air in full view of Dumbledore, Blackjack and Pinoko, his charred broom fell onto the floor of the stadium below.
"What just happened?" the doctor asked the headmaster.
"Evil magic," the headmaster replied. "It appears that young Potter is now Riddle's filth captive. I should have expected as much. It may now be up to you to prevent Voldermort's return to power."
The snitch felt burning hot in Harry's gloved hand. The world around him appeared to disappear in a blinding light the instant he took possession of the golden orb, and he suddenly felt himself falling for what seemed like hours. He then found himself in a dimly lit room standing in the middle of four other students. Kiki Karikiya, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, and Ernest Macmillan stood like zombies staring at the space where Harry had suddenly materialized. At the instant that Potter appeared the spell that gripped the four students suddenly evaporated.
"Where are we and how did we get here?" the four of them voiced at once. Harry dropped the snitch form his hand and it fell lifelessly to the ground. He realized that the enchanted Quidditch game piece had been turned into a portkey that had transported him to his current location. The lightning bolt shaped scar on Harry's forehead began to hurt as a light appeared in the corner of the room. Sitting in a large arm chair under the soft glow of a cone of light sat a hideous figure of a man. His complexion had a pale green tint to it, his face was featureless with only two slits for a nose, small slit like eyes without lids or lashes, and a lip less mouth that showed no teeth as he spoke.
"At last I have you young Potter." Riddle spoke in a snake like voice. "Soon you shall be the instrument of my compete resurrection and return to power. Not quite yet however, for my strength isn't quite up to it yet. But soon."
The light faded and the arm chair vanished.
At the headmaster's orders the Quidditch match was halted and the stadium was searched, but no sign of Potter was found. Pinoko and Blackjack found themselves in the headmasters office, along with the heads of the four houses.
"I think there can be no doubt that Riddle is behind all this." Dumbledore said, "Besides Potter, he now has one student from each of the four houses in his clutches. The doctor has shown that the four students were transported from the hospital via portkey, and I suspect that is how Potter was abducted from the Quidditch match. The snitch was transformed into a portkey as well, keyed to Potter."
"I'm scarred!" Pinoko said, clutching the doctor. As she grabbed Blackjack about his waist she knocked the crystal sphere from his robe pocket, and it rolled on the floor towards the headmaster.
"What is this?" Dumbledore asked.
"I've seen that before." Professor McGonagall replied, "Someone left that with the doctors assistant with the purpose of enchanting her."
The headmaster picked up the ball and examined it. "This sphere is linked to another. It was probably given to Pinoko so that the doctor's movements and actions could be monitored from afar," Dumbledore said, "However I think I can make use of it for the same purpose." He drew his wand from his robe pocket with his right hand and made a few slow passes over the sphere which he now held in his left hand. The sphere gave off a soft blue glow for an instant, and then went dark.
"I think I've managed to reverse this enchantment," the headmaster smiled. "Now maybe I can use this little bauble to locate Riddle and our missing students."