CHAPTER 2: THE MESSENGERS
"We're not in trouble, are we?" Artimus nervously tucked his chin against his chest.
"No. None of you is in trouble."
O'Bannon noted Headmistress Esmeralda's reaction. He expected maybe a slight chuckle from the old witch, knowing how fearful Artimus was at the slightest possibility of getting detention.
Instead, she held all four of them with a deadly serious gaze.
Okay, if we're not in trouble, then what's going on? And what reason did Jared's mom and Artimus' brother have for being in the Headmistress' office? He then stared at the skinny young guy sitting near Hector Rand, wondering who he might be.
"Please, sit," Esmeralda insisted.
The quartet lowered themselves onto the couch, with O'Bannon sitting on the end. He peeked over at Liana Diaz, and bit his lip when he noticed her expression. Worry. Then again, that might be too generous a term. Maybe something more akin to dread.
What could make her look like that? Jared's mom was an auror, for crying out loud. It would take a lot to make someone like that worry to such an extent.
"Obviously, you're wondering what Mrs. Diaz and Mr. Rand are doing here, along with our guest, Roger Luzinski." Esmeralda nodded to the young man with the goatee. "They're all here on business for the Guild of the Light."
"Whoa," Jared said breathlessly.
O'Bannon's mouth fell open. Guild of the Light business? And they were letting him and his friends sit in? The astonishment nearly paralyzed him. He'd spoken to both Rosa's and Jared's parents, as well as Headmistress Esmeralda, about joining the Guild with Rosa, Jared and Artimus. While they had all turned 17, the Headmistress decided to wait until they graduated before initiating them.
"Wait." Rosa held up a hand. "Are you gonna let us officially join now?" Her face lit up with hope.
"No, honey." Liana Diaz shook her head. "You'll all still have to wait until graduation. But . . . there is something the Headmistress would like you to do."
O'Bannon furrowed his brow. It seemed like Mrs. Diaz had to make a real effort to get out that last sentence.
"You okay, Mom?" asked Jared.
Mrs. Diaz rubbed her hands together nervously as Headmistress Esmeralda spoke.
"A situation has come up. A very grave situation."
The quartet all focused on the Headmistress as she continued.
"What I'm about to tell you is highly confidential. You are not to discuss it with anyone else at this school. Understood?"
The four teens nodded. Tingles went through O'Bannon's stomach and spine. He scooted forward on the couch, waiting anxiously for the Headmistress to reveal this big secret.
"Recently, the Guild learned of a plot by American Death Eaters to construct a Longathian Tunnel between the U.S. and Britain."
"A what?" O'Bannon canted his head.
"A magical tunnel," Esmeralda answered. "It's very complicated to build, but when completed and connected between continents, it can condense a trip that would take days by boat into just a couple hours of walking. One of the big advantages is they are harder to detect than a port key or traveling via Floo Network. There were quite a few between this country and England during the last war. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's followers put them to good use shuttling supplies, reinforcements and messengers between our two countries. Both the Guild and the Order managed to shut them all down. But now the Death Eaters are building a new one."
"So does the Department of Magic know about it?" asked O'Bannon. "Are they trying to find it?"
Hector snorted. "Forget the Department. It's been infiltrated at the highest levels. The Guild even has reason to believe the Deputy Secretary of Magic himself is under an Imperius Curse."
"Seriously?" A stunned look fell over Artimus' face.
O'Bannon figured his own face looked the same. The number two man for the Department of Magic, controlled by Death Eaters?
"Is there any way we can contact the British?" Rosa looked from one adult to the next.
"You know as well as I do the issues with sending messages to Britain," Mrs. Diaz pointed out. "What with the way they're scrutinizing every owl or Floo call into and out of that country. We can't even take the chance of sending coded messages given how thoroughly the Ministry is scanning everything. And we have to warn the Order of the Phoenix as soon as possible. We believe that tunnel is only days away from completion."
"From the way you're talking, it sounds like the Death Eaters have bigger plans for it than just running messages back and forth." Rosa pressed her palms against her knees.
"You're correct, Rosa." It was Headmistress Esmeralda who answered. "The information we received, and for obvious reasons we cannot divulge the source of it, suggests that when the tunnel is completed, hundreds of You-Know-Who's followers will stream through it to England, increasing that madman's dark army ten-fold."
"Jeez." Jared appeared stunned. "England could be drowning in Death Eaters soon."
"Not just Death Eaters," said Mrs. Diaz. "Would-be Death Eaters, giants, werewolves, vampires, wendigos, reptoids, fire elementals, shadow fairies."
"Hell's bells." O'Bannon grimaced at the thought of so many dark creatures flooding England. "Those are some serious reinforcements You-Know-Who's bringing in."
Esmeralda came forward in her seat. "Right now You-Know-Who is operating in the shadows, slowly consolidating his forces in Britain. But if he brings in all these Death Eaters and dark creatures, it would allow him to move much more quickly against the Ministry of Magic. And given how obsessed Minister Fudge is with denying You-Know-Who's return, I doubt the dark army will have much trouble conquering the Ministry. With his home country under his control, rest assured You-Know-Who will turn his attention to the rest of Europe, and eventually to North America."
The quartet said nothing. A shudder went through Artimus' body. Jared and Rosa exchanged looks of concern. O'Bannon interlocked his fingers just above his lap. He stared at them, his chest tightening. The faces of his friends from Hogwarts flashed through his mind. Fred and George, Lee Jordan, Angelina Johnson, Ginny Weasley, Dean Thomas, Michael Corner, Harkorth from the Durmstrang contingent.
And of course, Mireet Miradeaux.
His hands trembled. Anger wrapped around his fear. Damn the Ministry of Magic. Damn Cornelius Fudge. How the hell could any rational person deny the existence of one of the most evil beings to walk the planet, to the point of oppressing an entire country? What he wouldn't give to have that useless lump of crap in this very office so he could smack his ass around until he finally admitted You-Know-Who was back.
It's on your head, Fudge, if any of my friends die because of that murdering bastard.
"Is anyone doing anything to stop this?" O'Bannon's voice rose with each word.
"Of course we are," Esmeralda replied. "The Guild is searching for the entry point of the Longathian Tunnel. Unfortunately, our source wasn't able to give us a specific location. We only know that the tunnel starts somewhere in New England."
O'Bannon sighed audibly and fell back into the couch. "Well, that narrows it down."
Headmistress Esmeralda twisted her mouth before going on. "There are no guarantees we will find the tunnel before You-Know-Who's reinforcements are sent through it. Therefore, it is imperative we warn the Order of the Phoenix. If we can't close down the tunnel on our end, perhaps they can do it on their end."
"But how do we warn them?" Artimus turned up his palms. "You all said yourself, it's impossible to get a message through to England without the Ministry intercepting it."
"That's where Roger comes in." Hector turned to the young wizard. "We both work at the Office of International Magical Travel. But since we can't use magical travel or communications with England, we're going to get around it by having Roger go back to his roots."
Artimus' face scrunched up in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"
"I'm Muggle-born," Roger said. "Given the way You-Know-Who and his gang feel about my kind, it wasn't hard for Hector to convince me to join the Guild of the Light. Anyway, while the Ministry is keeping an eye on owls and Floo portals and the like, it's a good bet they're ignoring Muggle transportation."
Roger licked his lips and continued. "So, what I proposed to Headmistress Esmeralda, is we send someone to England on an airplane. Then they can find someone from the Order of the Phoenix and warn them about the Longathian Tunnel, fly back to the U.S., and Fudge's cronies and You-Know-Who's gang will be none the wiser."
"And who's going to do this?" O'Bannon tightened his intertwined fingers. He had a feeling he already knew the answer.
"You are," Esmeralda said flatly. "All four of you."
"Really?" Rosa almost sounded joyous.
"Us?" Artimus' voice cracked.
"Damn," Jared muttered.
O'Bannon remained silent. The entire world grew still around him. Him? Headmistress Esmeralda was giving this task to him and his friends?
"Wh-Why us?" Artimus stammered.
"I would prefer to send someone with more experience over there," said Esmeralda. "But quite frankly, the Guild needs all the experienced witches and wizards it has to locate and shut down this Longathian Tunnel. That is our top priority. Secondly, by mutual consent, none of us in the Guild know where the headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix is, as they don't know where our headquarters is located. Security purposes, you see. We can't risk someone getting captured and giving the location for both groups' headquarters. But we do know where some Order members are, a place you're very familiar with, Jimmy."
O'Bannon straightened, his eyes locked on the Headmistress. "Hogwarts."
"Precisely. You have to get into Hogwarts and alert either Headmaster Dumbledore or Professor McGonagall. You're known to them. They'll trust you."
"Don't you know the headmaster there?" asked Artimus. "How come you can't go?"
Headmistress Esmeralda flattened her palms on her desk. She looked down silently for a few seconds, then lifted her gaze to the quartet. "Because I'm more needed here."
O'Bannon eyed the old witch, waiting for her explanation.
Instead, Mrs. Diaz provided it. "Headmistress Esmeralda has more experience than anyone in the Guild at locating and closing Longathian Tunnels. Time is short, and we can't afford to have her running around England with the tunnel so close to completion."
Esmeralda's mouth tightened. Her shoulders sagged a bit before she spoke. "I know you're all of age, but still I'm loathe to send students into a situation like this. This may not be as dangerous as fighting off Death Eaters and dark creatures to close a Longathian Tunnel, but there is an element of danger. If any of you are caught, you will be facing a long stay in Azkaban, and there will be nothing anyone in this country can do to get you out. However, you have been assisting the cause in certain ways, and you have proven yourselves in combat against Death Eaters. I don't think there are any other students at this school I'd entrust with a mission like this. Still, this is not something I will force you to do. The decision is entirely yours to make."
Tension gripped O'Bannon's muscles. Yes, he and his friends had been doing their part for both Esmeralda and Dumbledore. That mainly consisted of trying to convince other students of Lord Voldemort's return, identify potential recruits for the Guild, and also peg which students might be looking for a Dark Mark once they graduated.
But that was all minor league stuff compared to this.
His imagination conjured up dark, dank rooms with Dementors hovering around him. He'd heard a few stories about conditions in Azkaban. The Wizarding prisons in America sounded like five-star hotels compared to that place. O'Bannon had no desire to spend decades, or the rest of his life, in a place like that.
Yet he had promised Dumbledore and his friends at Hogwarts he would do whatever he could to help in the fight against Voldemort.
If I chicken out, You-Know-Who might win in England. And if he wins here in America, people like me will be the first against the wall.
"I'm in." O'Bannon nodded.
"Count me in." . . . "Me, too." Rosa and Jared spoke on top of one another.
The three turned to Artimus at the end of the couch. The boy took slow, measured breaths. Slowly, he turned toward O'Bannon, Rosa and Jared. Worry radiated from Artimus' face.
"Yeah. I'm . . . I'm in, too." Artimus tightened his face, trying to force a mask of confidence.
Rosa smiled and rubbed Artimus' shoulderblades. Jared leaned over and tapped fists with him. O'Bannon gave him a thumbs up. He also caught sight of Hector Rand sucking on his bottom lip as he stared at his younger brother.
"So, when do we leave?" O'Bannon asked.
"I booked you on a flight from Logan International Airport to Glasgow." Roger stood up and reached into his robes. He pulled out four airline tickets. "It leaves at eleven forty-five tonight. You'll have one layover in Dublin before you reach Glasgow International. If everything goes according to schedule, you should be in Scotland tomorrow afternoon around five, local time."
Roger stuck a hand into his robes again, this time producing four wads of green paper and four pieces of silvery plastic.
"Here's Muggle currency and credit cards." He handed them to the quartet. "The paper money has been charmed so they'll assume the form of British pounds once you reach that country."
Jared examined the bills. "Is this a lot of Muggle money?"
"A thousand dollars for each of you. And the cash and credit cards are only to be used for necessities. Food, transportation, lodging. The Guild won't take too kindly to you using them to buy a new stereo system or big screen TV.
"You may also want to pick up some Muggle clothing." Roger looked at Jared, Rosa and Artimus. "No offense, but when it comes to fashion, the Wizarding World hasn't moved past the early Twentieth Century. You'll stick out like a sore thumb wearing the kind of clothes you normally do. And the last thing we want is for you to draw attention to yourselves."
"We already have some Muggle clothes," Rosa pointed out. "Jimmy's gotten us Bruins sweatshirts and Red Sox T-shirts. We can wear those."
"Don't."
All heads turned toward Mrs. Diaz.
"Roger said you can't afford to draw attention to yourselves. Clothing with words and logos draw attention. The plainer your clothes, the better. And Rosa, that also means doing without all those earrings you like to wear."
Rosa opened her mouth to argue. Her aunt cut her off.
"I'm serious. Your safety, and the success of your mission, are more important than some fashion statement. No earrings. Understood?"
Dejected, Rosa sighed. "Yes, Aunt Liana."
"Okay, now that we've ruined Rosa's day . . ." Jared swung his head left to right. "Can someone answer the really big question for me?"
"Which is?" Hector asked.
"How do we get into Hogwarts? I mean, with that Inquisitor woman, um . . ." Jared turned to O'Bannon. "What did you say her name was?"
"Umbridge.
"Yeah. With that Umbridge lady lording over the place with an iron fist, I don't think we'll be able to just waltz in through the front gate."
"Don't worry about that." O'Bannon gave his friend a dismissive wave. "One of the benefits of being a friend of Fred and George Weasley, you learn about all the secret passages into and out of Hogwarts. And once we're inside, I can find some ways to get us to Headmaster Dumbledore's office without being seen. Heck, how do you think we snuck into and out of Hogsmeade or stayed out past curfew so many times without getting caught?"
He held his breath for a moment after finishing the sentence. Neck muscles tightened, he hesitantly looked to Headmistress Esmeralda, who aimed a disapproving gaze at him.
After a few nervous seconds, the old witch sighed and shook her head. "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that."
O'Bannon's muscles loosened.
Esmeralda stood. "Well, I'll let you get ready for your trip. Good luck to all of you, and please, be careful."
"We will." O'Bannon got to his feet, followed by Jared, Rosa and Artimus.
Esmeralda came round her desk and shook their hands. Mrs. Diaz gave her son and her niece long hugs before heading over to O'Bannon.
"You take care of each other, okay," she whispered in his ear as she embraced him.
"We will, Mrs. Diaz. We always do."
Mrs. Diaz finally hugged Artimus. The moment after she let him go, Hector stepped up to him.
"You sure about this, little brother?"
Artimus stiffened, trying to force a confident expression on his face. "Yeah. Yeah, I can do this."
Hector clasped his brother on the shoulder and smiled. "Good luck. Stay safe."
Artimus nodded. He moved his arms out to the side, paused, and gave his brother a manly hug, with more slaps on the back than actual embracing.
O'Bannon noticed Rosa gazing at the scene with a huge smile. Even he felt a tingle of warmth inside him. The Rands were not big on public displays of affection, or any sort of affection given what he knew about Artimus' father and his other two jagoff brothers, Horace and Arcadius. Hector seemed the only one in that family to show genuine concern for Artimus rather than make him feel worthless.
After Headmistress Esmeralda told them she would explain their absence to "personal business," they left the office. The quartet walked a few feet before slowing to a halt and looking at one another.
"Wow." A look of astonishment fell over Rosa's face. "Can you believe they want us to do this?"
"I know." Jared's face lit up with excitement. "I'll tell you, it sure beats playing junior recruiter for the Guild. I mean, we're actually doing something really important."
O'Bannon nodded silently. He tried to feel confident, pump himself up for this. Isn't this what he wanted? To be part of some big mission? To make a real contribution to the war effort?
Instead fear and trepidation formed a maelstrom in his soul. He thought being caught and spending the rest of his life in Azkaban would be his greatest fear. But that barely made it to the forefront of his mind. Instead he thought of his friends in England, and what would happen to them if he failed. He thought of Headmaster Dumbledore, Headmistress Esmeralda, Mrs. Diaz, how they were depending on him and his friends. How could he let them down with something this important? He even thought of his parents. How would they react if he never came home again?
We can do this. We've already fought Death Eaters . . . and beat them. We don't even have to fight anybody. Just sneak in to Hogwarts, tell Dumbledore about the Longathian Tunnel, and sneak out. No prob.
We can do this.
We can do this.
O'Bannon wondered how many times he'd have to repeat that before he stopped worrying.
NEXT: WIZARDS ON A PLANE
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In the description of the dark creatures destined for England, I based reptoids on the real world reports of "lizard man" sightings throughout North and South Carolina for the past few decades. The Wendigo is from Algonquin mythology. It is a malevolent spirit that can possess people who engage in cannibalism, turning them into creatures who continue to feed on humans.