Journey to Pandora - Chapter 2
by Chrstnwrtr
Armed with breathing masks, two extra brooms for Ron and Hermione, and the Herbology of Different Worlds book, the three friends were ready to go to Pandora to retrieve a helicoradian plant to keep Ginny from looking disfigured for the rest of her life. They chose a field away from Hogwarts so they wouldn't be caught openly practicing apparition.
The three of them disappeared into the air and successfully landed in a meadow of all sorts of plants. Pandora was big. The plantlife was strange compared to Earth. They noticed one tree with pink fronds dangling from it. In the distance, they saw mountains floating in air along with strange creatures flying in the air, riding atop other strange creatures.
"Harry, this place is huge!" complained Ron. "How are we supposed to find this 'helicopterarian plant' or whatever the heck it is?"
"It is a helicoradian plant," corrected Harry, adjusting his mask. "According to Herbology of Different Worlds, the plant is carnivorous and retracts when touched. We need to figure out a way to cut it out of the ground and take it with us."
"Well, we need to find it first," Hermione added. "Does the book have any pictures of it, Harry?"
"Yes it does. Take a look." Harry handed Hermione the herbology book. Hermione's eyes then locked on a bunch of spiral-like plants in the distance.
"Over there," she said, pointing toward the plants.
The three friends mounted their broomsticks and flew toward the helicoradians. Harry tried to touch one, but it retracted quickly into the ground. Hermione also tried to capture one, with no success.
"Well hurry up, guys," said Ron. "We just need to get one little plant and we're out of here."
While they were desparately trying to grab the spiral plants, someone was watching them in the distance. This individual did not like these three strange beings trying to destroy the Pandoran plantlife. Suddenly, without warning, an arrow flew by their heads and landed into the ground, about five feet away. The three friends turned to face an abnormally tall, blue-skinned creature with a scowl on its face.
Neytiri had just left Hometree to find food. As she was about to mount her ikran, she felt a disturbance in the area. She then left the ikran and scoured the area but no luck. She kept on walking for about 10 minutes or so until she found three strange beings in the distance, picking away at the native helicoradian plants. Angered by this act of "vandalism," she decided to teach the trespassers a lesson. She took her bow and aimed an arrow toward the direction of the strangers but fired it into a nearby bush, scaring them.
She then approached the group of strangers and, by looking at their masks, was immediately reminded of the Sky People that tried to destroy her people. She also knew that some of the surviving Sky People were taken prisoner after the last big battle. Perhaps a few of them escaped, she thought. The more she thought about the Sky People, the more she became angered. However, these beings were shorter and younger than the ones that tried to kill all the Na'vi. Still, Neytiri was intent on finding out who they were and why they were killing the plantlife.
"What are you doing here?" she asked the strangers in an angry tone of voice.
A young man with red hair stood up and stammered. He was surprised that the blue creature could speak English. "Uh, we-we-we're, um, uh, well..."
"Stop it, Ron," said another stranger who had long hair as she slapped him. "You see, we mean no harm at all. We're merely trying to get a sample of your plantlife for a friend."
Neytiri was not convinced. "You do not need to kill our plants for your 'friend!'" she snapped. "How dare you!"
"I can explain," said the third creature, sporting black hair and a strange mark on his forehead. "Our friend back home is ill and we need one of your plants to help her get better. If you need more information, I have a book with me..."
"Silence!" Neytiri scolded them. "I am sick of your kind trying to destroy my people and my world!"
"We're not trying to destroy your world," the stranger with the scar said. "The plant has valuable healing properties and we only need just one to get the formula."
Neytiri was unfazed. "You three will come with me!" she snapped and motioned them to follow her. "We will see if you are really telling the truth or are just out to kill us!"
Harry's scar now started to throb as he, Ron, and Hermione were marched out to a large tree by a giant, half-naked blue creature with a tail. As they got to the tree, they noticed that they were surrounded by similar creatures. They stared at the group of three would-be wizards as they were paraded out to a throne; they all seemed to be speaking some strange language. Sitting in it appeared to be the husband of this weird-looking individual. Off to the side was an elderly one that appeared to be some sort of shaman.
"Jakesully," said the blue creature. "I have found three Sky People trying to pick our plants!" She pushed them toward him, who looked at them not with scorn but with curiousity.
"What are 'sky people?'" asked Ron, clutching his broom.
"Quiet," snapped their captor.
Jake stroked his face. These were kids, not government agents or soldiers, he thought. He was also surprised to know that they were smart enough to wear masks to protect themselves from Pandora's atmosphere. One of them had a lightning bolt-shaped scar on his forehead. Another was carrying an old book.
"So Neytiri says you're destroying Pandora's plants, huh?" said Jake with a sly grin on his face. "Can you explain this to me?" He sat back on his throne, preparing himself for a rather interesting explanation from the group of teenagers armed with masks and broomsticks.
"Well, my name is Harry Potter, and these are my friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger," Harry said. "We are from the Hogwarts School of Wizardry."
"They are wizards!" cried Neytiri. "They must be evil!"
Jake looked in Neytiri's direction and cleared his throat loudly and then motioned for Harry to continue.
"Well, one of our friends back home is ill with a sickness that left untreated, would cause her to grow calluses and warts all over her body. We need a specimen of the helicoradian plant to help make the antidote."
Jake shook his head and laughed. "You guys are a riot. That is the funniest thing I've ever heard in a long time. Now give me one good reason why I should believe you." He thought that these three junior wizards were just having fun with their magic and decided to mess around with Pandora's flora and fauna.
Ron gulped. Hermione gasped. Harry's scar hurt more than ever, but he put the pain out of his head and showed Jake the old herbology book. He also took out a paper from his pocket with Ginny's recorded diagnosis on it. He flipped through the pages of Herbology of Different Worlds to the section on Pandora and invited Jake to read it. He also presented the paper with Ginny's medical information. Jake looked through this old book and realized that the three junior wizards meant business.
In the meantime, Neytiri's mother and the clan's shaman, Mo'at, looked at them and then relayed some information to Neytiri in their native language. Neytiri's eyes widened as she looked at Ron, Harry, and Hermione. Jake finished reading the section on Pandora and handed the information back to Harry, his hand trembling with fear.
"Well, it looks like you kids are telling the truth," said Jake. "I haven't even seen information on Pandora that dates back 70 years ago. I wonder how people managed to find this out." He handed the note and the book back to Harry.
Harry then realized that something was fishy. If no one had successfully been to Pandora until now, then how was the information put together, he thought.
Neytiri then raised her head and spoke. "My mother Mo'at has confirmed that you do have magical abilities. But how do we know that you are not evil?"
"Neytiri, they're just kids," Jake replied. "Besides, the Sky People were American. These guys are British."
"Then what is on your face, Harrypotter?" asked Neytiri. She brushed his bangs away from his forehead to reveal Harry's lightning scar.
"It's a scar," Harry replied. "It's a long story how I got it. Right now, it hurts," He backed off, rubbing his forehead. He started to feel lightheaded and promptly passed out on the ground.
Harry was then carried to a net-like hammock followed by Mo'at, Neytiri, and his friends. Mo'at placed a pleasant smelling, herbal paste on his forehead and rubbed it over his aching scar, keeping the breathing apparatus to his mask intact. She then mumbled a few words of her native tongue and walked away from the hammock. Harry wasn't sure if his pain was stress-related or if Voldemort was acting up again.
Harry woke up to find his friends off in the distance talking with the Na'vi people and showing them how to ride a broom as well as using it for more practical purposes, such as sweeping. As a joke, Ron pointed his wand at a wild ikran and turned it into a rabbit and turned it back to normal. The native Pandorans marveled at the magic of these youngsters, having never seen a broom or even a magic wand in their lives. He sat up and noticed that Hermione was holding the item they coveted: the helicoradian plant. Neytiri approached him with a cloth to clean the paste off of his forehead.
"Harrypotter of the Gryffindor Clan," she said. "Are you feeling well?"
He nodded as his forehead was cleaned. "Gryffindor Clan?" he asked. "How did you know what house, er, clan I come from?"
"Your friends told us. They said that where you come from, there are four clans."
"Ohhh," Harry replied. "Yes, myself and my friends are in the Gryffindor Clan," he said. "The three other clans are Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin."
"Tell me about these clans."
"Well, we're divided into four groups, er, clans by a Sorting Hat..." He managed to give Neytiri a condensed version of the four houses of Hogwarts as well as the point system it goes by and how points are earned and deducted.
While Harry and Neytiri were talking to each other, Ron and Hermione came up to them. "Harry, it's time to go," said Hermione. "We got what we came for and now we need to go back and explain to the Ministry of Hogwarts as to why we apparitiated while underage." She put a hand on Harry's shoulder. He got out of the hammock and thanked the Na'vi for their help.
"How did you guys get the plant?" Harry asked Hermione.
"Oh, they mumbled some strange words and place their hands over the plant and it came out. They said another plant will grow back eventually."
The Na'vi followed the three teenage wizards out into a field and waved their final goodbyes. Jake shook their hands. "You guys are welcome to come back any time," he said with a smile.
Ron, Hermione, and Harry then were whisked away back to where they came from: Hogwarts.