And here is Chapter five. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter nor POTC. If I did, believe me, there'd be a lot more taking-off-of-shirts.
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Jack, as promised, woke Harry up in the very early hours of the next morning, before lying down land falling asleep himself.
Harry helped himself to a small breakfast of bread and water, before standing up and surveying the clearing. It was small, with plenty of trees around it. That was all Harry could make out in the darkness.
The night was still, and the silence broken only by Jack's occasional snore. Harry leaned the tree and tried to keep his eyes open, but it was hard. He tried reciting his times-tables and the alphabet backwards, and that seemed to help. He didn't fall asleep, at any rate.
It felt far longer than several hours later when Harry first noticed that it was getting lighter. He peeked through the trees and saw indeed that the sun had just started to rise. He went back over to Jack and shook him awake.
Ten minutes later, they were off again, marching in a direction that Jack had located using his compass. They didn't talk much – they were still slightly drowsy and wary of the next obstacle that would cross their path.
They walked for hours more, until the sun was high in the sky and their feet were sore.
The heat was terrible, so Jack decided that they should take a rest. They sat in the shade of a tree and shared another piece of bread and a few biscuits, and drank some more water. Harry noticed that they didn't have much more left – they needed to find the spring today, otherwise they'd just collapse from thirst.
Jack didn't seem to be at all pessimistic about the apparent lack of water. He seemed cheery. "Don' worry, kid," he said, "Shouldn't be that far now."
After a few minutes rest, they set off again.
Indeed, it wasn't long before they heard the sound of running water. Harry saw Jack smile and pick up the pace. It wasn't long until they were jogging along.
Then they found a stream. The water was clear and clean, and Harry could see the pebbles in the bottom. He bent down, to take some in his hand and try it, but Jack stopped him, frowning.
"Something's not right. Why aren't there plants or fish or anything in the water?"
Harry looked again and realised Jack was correct. Harry could see the pebbles clearly, but there wasn't a single plant in the water, not even a leaf floating downstream.
Harry looked round. He thought he saw something behind a big, leafy fern-type plant and went over to check.
"Jack!"
Behind the plant was a human skeleton, one arm reaching out towards the stream. Jack hurried up behind Harry and looked at it. He took off his hat.
"That's… interestin'…" he said. He looked at the stream again. "That ain't Aqua de Vida. If it was, he wouldn't be 'ere. That stuff's prob'ly poison." Jack checked his compass again. "Now, we've gotta keep goin' that way…" He pointed towards some trees and they set off again.
They walked for another few hours. Harry grew thirsty again and drank the last of his water. He really hoped that they came to the spring soon, because he would need another drink before long.
They were making their way through some particularly dense undergrowth when Harry thought he heard something. A voice. He stopped, and Jack looked round at him, an eyebrow raised.
"Did you hear something?" asked Harry.
Jack shook his head. "The heat might be getting' to ya, mate. But don' worry, it's not long now, or it shouldn't be, at any rate."
Harry shook his head to clear it, and continued after Jack. Maybe the head was getting to him…
Another hour later, Harry was still hearing a voice. He couldn't make out what it was saying, though, and that annoyed him. He'd told Jack another few times, but Jack couldn't hear it. It must be the heat, thought Harry; why else would I be hearing voices? Once or twice, he also thought he saw something out of the corner of his eye, something long and big and green like the plants, but he told himself that that was just the head too, playing tricks on his mind.
Harry hoped that they'd find the spring soon. He felt like they must have walked miles and miles, but the island hadn't looked that big when they'd approached on the ship.
Then he heard the voice again, and this time, he could make out what it was saying.
"They approach… Looking for the water of life, most likely. But I mustn't let them. Not allowed to pass…. I have my orders…"
Harry stopped again. "Jack!" he called, alarmed.
"Yeah?"
"I heard that voice again. I'm not imagining it. It's the next trap, it knows we're coming!"
Jack nodded. "Didn't happen to say what it is?" Harry shook his head. "Thought not. That'd have been too easy, now, wouldn' it?" He smiled again at Harry, and started going forwards again, cutting through the vegetation.
Harry was really worried, but followed Jack nevertheless.
Then Jack stopped quite suddenly.
"Oh, bugger," he said.
Harry looked past him and echoed him exactly.
In the clearing in front of them was a snake. And not just any snake, either. It was a huge monster, as thick as a train around the middle. It was green and black, and as Harry watched, a gargantuan head rose from the middle and it spied them. Harry was sure that if it could have smirked, it would have.
They turned and ran. The snake followed, and Harry could hear it talking! He didn't know snakes could talk!
"Oh, yes. I'm hungry…. they'll make a good meal for me, haven't eaten in ages….. Not since that last one to come through….. And there was only one of him, so there was, and he was awfully thin…."
Harry ran as fast as he possibly could, only just managing to dodge the trees. Jack was a faster runner, though, and Harry could see the distance between them growing greater with every passing second.
He spared a glance backwards. The snake was catching up on him easily- it didn't even look like it was trying to go particularly fast. Harry looked forwards again, to see if the forest ended soon and he could get to the sea, because he doubted that the snake could follow him there.
He didn't see the coast. He saw a tree. Right in front of him. It was too late to swerve, or even to stop. He ran straight into it. The force of the collision made him fall to the ground and he even passed out for a few seconds – or Harry thought he did, at any rate. Maybe he just closed his eyes and pretended this simply wasn't happening.
Except when he opened his eyes again, it was. He was lying on the ground, and he quickly scrambled to his feet again. It was too late; the snake had stopped right in front of him, its body reaching around the tree in a wide circle, just to make sure he had no escape.
Harry thought about his weapons. He had a pistol on him, and a sword. But what would they do against a reptile this size? The bullet from the gun would only annoy it further, and his sword looked like a matchstick compared to the snake.
"Ah…. The small one," it said. Harry could hear the slight hissing quality to the snake's voice. "I have my orders, and I'm rather hungry…" Its head rose and it opened its mouth, baring its fangs, each longer than his sword. It was ready to strike.
Harry raised his arms. He thought about the python he'd seen at the zoo, and how it had understood him. He wondered if this snake could understand him too. It was worth a try.
"Stop!" he yelled out of desperation.
And the snake did. It looked down on him with something akin to surprise in its eyes.
"You speak?"
Harry nodded. "Yes. Probably. Please don't eat me?"
The snake looked down on him, with amusement in its eyes now. "I must eat you. It is my duty on this island. I am to guard the fountain."
"Who for?" asked Harry.
"I know not. I just know it is my task, to prevent all but the most worthy from reaching the Water of Life…"
"Tell you what," said Harry, praying that his idea would work. It was either this or death. "Guard it for us. Me and Jack- the other guy I was with. Don't let anyone pass but us."
The snake laughed. Or, at least, Harry thought it did. It sounded rather odd. "If I did, then what would I eat? I am a living creature, I need not much, but I do need something. I have not eaten in years."
Harry nodded. "Of course you haven't. Which is why you shouldn't eat us, because me and Jack, we're tiny, compared to you. Miniscule. Wouldn't even make a decent snack. For a creature of your stature, we aren't even worth considering eating!"
"Yet, you are here. Beggars cannot be choosers. I have had naught but small animals to eat for far too long. You may be small, but they are many times smaller! You will be a feast for me."
Harry shook his head. "Not really. Tell you what. Let us, me and Jack, pass, and we'll give you something bigger!"
"Bigger?"
"Yes, bigger!"
"And how, pray tell, would you get me anything bigger?"
"… We killed an ogre. A big one," Harry remembered. "It'd be plenty of food. It's huge! It'd fill you up no problem, really. And compared to it, we're too small to even be bothered tasting."
The snake looked like it was considering the possibility. Harry was delighted- not-so-certain death was far better than certain death any day.
"However," the snake hissed, "This still leaves us the problem that I am here to guard the Water of Life. I simply cannot just let you by this easily…"
"Sure you can!" Harry smiled. "Why not? I'm willing to bet you've been a great guard of the Water. Really. Brilliant. The best. But me and Jack, we're not really doing any harm, are we? Just let us by, nobody else that stumbles on this place. You can eat them, no bother. Just let me and Jack through, now, and if we come back. It'll be our secret. Come on!"
"… Be that as it may, I simply cannot let you past and stop all others. It would be unfair."
"…. Has anyone ever asked you to let them past before?"
"No."
"Well, then," Harry said "If anybody else asks you, let them past. If they don't, feel free to eat them. I assume I'm right in thinking that not everyone can?" The snake nodded. "Well, what's the problem? Let me and Jack past, and anyone else who gets this far and can ask, and eat everybody else who happens this way. Might be a few more than normal now, since we killed that ogre-thing. Plus, you get the ogre itself to eat. Don't see what you're complaining about, personally, because, it's only because we came that you'll get anything at all!"
"….. And the ogre is very big?"
"Humungous!"
The snake paused and thought about it. Harry crossed his fingers. And toes. And eyes.
He hoped the snake would agree. He didn't want to die this young, after all!
"Fine."
Harry looked up, not daring to believe it. "You won't eat me, or Jack, not even if we come back to get more?" he asked.
The snake stared at him. "No. You have my protection now…. I do not know precisely how you have persuaded me around to this, but I am a reptile of my word. Neither you, nor your companion, will be harmed by me, now or if ever you shall return."
Harry's mouth dropped. He was speechless for a few minutes – he'd just persuaded a gargantuan snake not to kill either him or Jack, and to not harm them if they return! - And then thanked the great beast profusely.
It had looked down on him with amusement, and then slithered off in search of the dead ogre.
Harry's legs gave out and he collapsed against a tree. He was exhausted, now, and his thirst had come back. Then he heard a twig break behind him and was instantly alert. There couldn't be anything else on this Goddamn island, could there? He couldn't face anything else.
But he needn't have worried. It was just Jack.
He came out and looked round. He spotted Harry. "Right. So, beastie gone?"
Harry looked up at him, smiled and nodded. "Yeah. It won't hurt us. Now, or if we ever come back…"
Jack looked astounded. "Dare I ask how?"
Harry got up and grinned. "I asked it. Took a bit of persuading, mind you, but we're safe. Now, can we keep gong before I die of thirst here?"
Jack nodded. "Fair enough. One question, though. How the bloody hell can you have a conversation with a snake?!"
Harry thought about that. How come he could talk to snakes? That one had said no-one else it had come across could. "I don't know," he replied, honestly. "I just can. Maybe it's a magic thing. Never heard anyone else mentions it, though." He didn't really mind, actually. After all, it had just saved their lives.
Harry and Jack started walking again.
It wasn't long, only about fifteen minutes, until Harry heard the sound of running water. He and Jack sped up, because by now, both were extremely thirsty. And if the only drink nearby happened to make you immortal, even better.
It was only a few seconds later that they found a shimmering stream running across their path, coming from a small pool of water several metres away. Unlike the last one, this water had very healthy-looking plants at the bottom. The water was crystal clear, and seemed almost magical…
Jack grinned and turned to face Harry. "We've found it!" he said triumphantly.
Harry grinned right back at him, and quickly unstrapped his barrel from his back. He bent down to the water and scooped some of it up it his hand to take a drink. Next to him, Jack did likewise.
The water tasted amazing. It was cold and fresh, but different than anything Harry had ever drank before. His thirst vanished, and Harry suddenly felt brilliant, like he could do anything. He grinned, and wondered how long this feeling would last for.
Harry was happy. Not just content-happy, but euphoric-ecstatic-happy. He looked at Jack and saw that he was grinning like a loon too.
They quickly filled their flasks and barrels, sealing them with a lid they'd brought along. The joy slowly faded, to be replaced with a contentness that kept a small smile on Harry's face.
After an hour or two, Jack said that they should head back to the ship if they were to make it back to the ship the next day. And so, they made sure that they had their supply of water, enough food to make sure they didn't go hungry on the way back, and set off again.
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Well, that's one adventure over, and there's still quite a few more to go! We'll be skipping ahead another few months now, in the next chapter!
Please review – reading them makes my day!
'Til next time!