Chapter 3

There were animals everywhere. If it were up to Malfoy, he'd put a fence around the entire Amazon and called it a zoo. They had a few narrow escapes from alligators when crossing rivers - even when Apparating across, the buggers hid right close to the water's edge - and enormous pythons, more snakes, for Slytherin's sake, and monkeys. The next animal he saw was going to roast on a spit, spluttering sycophants. He was sure he could eat it, too.

They didn't dare Apparating too far ahead. Granger said she needed to follow her own trek and the signs and markings of the trek taking Luna, to be able to find the place. What exactly "the place" was going to be, she hadn't explained yet.

Malfoy put down his bag and sat on a log, which he had scanned for any living thing – practice made indeed perfect. Then he sat with a sigh. He was done walking for the day.

"Granger, that's it. I'm not going another step," he called into the greenery in front of him. Crooks bounded back to him with a woof, settling at his feet. Malfoy patted his head and spoke to him. "For a kneazle, you're a pretty good dog, Crooks." Crooks beat the ground with his tail.

He saw the colours of her poncho first, then Granger broke through the green. She scanned the log again, just as he had done, and sat next to him. "All right, maybe you're right. We've made enough progress. Another two days, and we will surely have reached it."

Malfoy stretched his legs and huffed impatiently. " It ? Where exactly are we going, Granger? You said you knew."

Hermione stretched her legs, too, and leaned back against a tree. "Well, yes and no. I know something has to be there and I know where it should be, approximately. But I don't know exactly what it is, nor who we are dealing with."

"Buggering Boogabaloo, how are we going to deal with it if we don't even know who and what it is?" Malfoy exclaimed.

Hermione hesitated a moment. It wasn't easy to explain. "All right, I'll tell you what I know and what I surmised. And then you can tell me whether you agree, okay?"

Malfoy gave her an abbreviated nod of agreement, too tired to move anymore.

Hermione nodded back. "Right. There are several, seemingly unrelated threads of information. However, all threads run together in Peru, which is the first indication that they are connected. First, Harry's expedition: what did they do, where is that cave, and what could they possibly have disturbed there that warrants to put them out of commission? Who or what cursed them, or whatever is it that happened to them, and how can we undo it? Second, Voldemort and the spring of magic: what is is, where is it, what is its purpose, did Voldemort do anything particularly bad, is it at all related to our magic? This is relevant because Luna said magic will vanish if the above-mentioned disturbance, she said something was broken, isn't stopped. In fact, she said it was too late, but I'll be damned if I won't try to actually stop the process." Having talked herself into aggravation, her hair bristling and lifting slightly in the middle, she took a deep breath to calm herself. Malfoy gave her a slow sideway glance, scrutinized her hair, moved a bit to the side, and turned back to the front. She had to be careful, he was becoming suspicious.

She continued. "Third, Yoth. You know, it's almost common knowledge that the ancient Maya and Aztec had a Snake-God, Quetzalcoatl. Now, this was much further north, their colonisation in Mexico rather than Peru. However, according to my research, there's a myth that the Snake-God and his representation is much older than Mayan culture. The myth declares that the Snake-God and his children lived somewhere in the Amazon, in a city of cave systems called Yoth. And this is where the seemingly unrelated threads really come together: the cave Harry's expedition found is exactly where, according to reports, Yoth is supposed to be. Plus when we think of Voldemort, his later appearance and his fascination with snakes and Luna's message on her kitchen wall, many puzzle pieces are coming together. Are you still with me, Malfoy?"

Malfoy had gone very still, listening and staring out into the jungle where darkness slowly crept up on them. It was time to pitch the tents and make a fire and cook a meal, but Granger's telling was too intriguing.

When she addressed him now, he woke from his trance, and while nodding, indicating that he was still listening, he waved his wand at the same time to prepare their camp for the night. The tents unfolded, and a bunch of branches as firewood came flying out of the underbrush, stacking itself neatly in between the tents.

Only then he spoke. "Is this where Voldemort got part of his powers?"

Hermione nodded. She wasn't surprised that Malfoy didn't mind speaking the name. Given how Malfoy had suffered from the whole sad story, she assumed not much admiration was left. "I believe so. Traditionally, snakes are attributed immense transformational powers, as well as life prolongation. I'm fairly sure Voldemort used those powers in his return. This would also explain his outer appearance. These animal powers come at a price."

Malfoy chuckled. "Yeah, that makes sense. The old snake charmer. Gosh, I wish I could have just stomped his light out with my boot heel."

Hermione put her hand on his shoulder in comfort. "Didn't we all?" Malfoy snorted in reply. "Yeah, I suppose."

After a moment of contemplation, however, he straightened up, shaking her hand off, and inquired, "Okay, what else? What does this have to do with the spring of magic? And purebloods? And the explorers' coma?"

Hermione pressed her lips together and shook her head. "This is what I couldn't find out. I surmised that Voldemort played with snake magic in his attempts to find immortality. Some residuals of his early trials lead to Peru and ancient magic, one of which set off the alarms a few months ago. Further, it is possible that Harry's expedition disturbed some ancient cult magic, but I have no idea what exactly. I have to see when we get there. And how all of this ties back to the spring of magic …" She shrugged. "I hope we'll find out."

When she stayed silent, as if she'd said everything, Malfoy gave her a verbal nudge. "What does this have to do with me being a pureblood?"

Granger smiled. "Ah, yes, I forgot. Well, as much as I hate to admit – in our magical world, being a pureblood is considered to have magic in its purest form, right? Like the noblest grape going into the purest wine. Purest gold unspoilt by any less noble material. I also assumed, given his obsession with purebloodedness, that there is a particular magic at play, blood magic perhaps, a pureblood could help with."

Malfoy snorted again. "Yeah, sure. Doesn't say anything about magical skill or quality, but yeah, I suppose." They didn't have to mention the Weasleys or Neville Longbottom. They both knew what was meant.

Hermione nodded in reply, her thoughts going in the same direction. Neville was her friend, but he certainly wasn't a prime example of highest quality magic. "Yes, and I figured, if we are dealing with something to do with our magic, I'll bring a representative of its nobility as a bait. Or negotiator, whatever will be necessary. I wanted to be prepared for all eventualities "

Malfoy's gaze could have skewered her. "Or sacrifice, is that what you want to say?"

She shrugged. "I don't think we have to go quite that far."

Malfoy chuckled. "Just as you thought nobody would be able to detect your shenanigans with the magical blinders?"

Damn! At first, she had thought he was just poking in the dark, but he had it figured out! How did he know? Denial. Denial is the best first defence. She forced herself to stay calm. "I don't know what you mean, Malfoy."

This time, he laughed aloud. "Yeah, right. Clever as you are, you forgot one thing, Granger: somebody already invented the wheel. Just because you're using a spell that hasn't been used for centuries, doesn't mean that nobody knows about it – and it doesn't mean that you newly invented it. Purebloods may be arrogant and self-serving, but they know their history. And not everything is kept in books in a public library."

He grinned broadly at her deer-in-the headlight expression. "As fate would have it, it was actually a Malfoy who invented this particular spell. And yes, I know it. As such, I'm immune to it. But only maybe a handful of other people. Including everybody who speaks Parseltongue, i.e. Harry Potter. Because parts of that spell are also grounded in snake magic, fancy that."

When terror crept on her face, knowing that her best friend would be able to detect her oh-so-secret-spell she used to keep her solitude – it felt like Harry snooping through her underwear drawer – Malfoy laughed some more. In view of his obvious delight, Hermione became angry.

"And what do you intend to do with that knowledge? Why haven't you come out yet to expose me?"

Malfoy still grinned from ear to ear. "Oh, I figured there would come a time when this knowledge is worth some more than petty revenge. Like right now. I didn't mind taking the ship either. I've never been on an airplane, I didn't want to embarrass myself in front of you if it wasn't to my taste, so to say."

Hermione's hair started to zing. Calm, Hermione, keep calm, she implored herself. He really had figured out everything, dang it. "So, what do you want, Malfoy? Is it money? I don't have much of that." She figured some blackmail was in for her. Damn, she'd have to ask Harry for money – if ever he awoke.

The blond man next to her sobered and inspected his fingernails. How she had hated this arrogant fuss when they'd been at Hogwarts. Still did, in fact. "Not so much, Granger, so keep your hat on. And certainly no money. I suppose part of what I want is already under way. I guess I have to thank you for picking me to take along on this trip. Unless we die or end up like Potter and his consorts, I figure this trip will do my reputation some good. The former Death-Eater to the rescue or some such shite." He motioned an imaginary headline with both hands. Hermione frowned at his fantasy.

Malfoy frowned back at what was clearly reluctance from her part. "And perhaps, when we get back, you could help me with my reputation, too. We could go on a date or two – just dinner," he quickly threw in when she scowled deeper at his explanation. "But being seen with the Golden Girl could be good. Especially after we've been on this mission together." He shrugged as if he wasn't quite sure himself whether this was such a good idea.

Hermione contemplated him grimly. How would he guarantee that it would be just those two dinners, given that he knew her secret? She really had to stay on the ground, a side-effect of the spell, she could hardly go up to a skyscraper without becoming dizzy, due to the powers of her spell. She couldn't have taken the plane, even though this would have been much quicker to pursue Luna and her kidnappers. She had stunned people, for the time being, saying she'd needed to stay hot on the kidnappers' heels, perhaps even overtake their ship and rescue Luna before she got to Peru. That had been one thing when she employed her blinding spell at the same time, but Malfoy was too clever and immune. He'd seen through her blinding screen. Well, at least that meant he was back to his old form. In the long term, she had to find a better solution. She'd become too comfortable, doing what she pleased.

But she could take care of that later. The most important thing now was to get Malfoy to Yoth and rescue Luna and find the cure for Harry.

She reached out her hand for him to shake. "Agreed. Two dinner dates when we get back, IF we get back, and have found a) Luna, b) the cure for Harry and colleagues, and c) made it out of here with all limbs attached and our minds sane."

Malfoy took her hand and shook. "Agreed. And now, let's settle for the night. I take the first watch."

They took to their work silently as the night jungle around them awoke. They lit the fire to stave off animal attacks and closed their tents with magic to keep the snakes out. The last word was certainly not spoken, but it was enough for the day. They needed to keep their strength.

Two days later they had really reached what Hermione decided was "the place". Only there was nothing special.

The landscape was pretty, Malfoy thought. There was a waterfall from the ledge of a looming mountain in the middle of the jungle, a small lake (without alligators) where the water collected from the fall, and something that looked almost like a cosy clearing where the jungle receded from the water's edge. He wouldn't have minded taking a bath, but thinking about what they dealt with, he abstained. He just splashed his face a bit and felt at least a little refreshed.

"Do we have to get up the mountain, Granger?"

She had already gone further to the rocks at the bottom of the mountain, exploring who knew what. Now she turned back to him, a deep frown on her face.

"I believe so, Malfoy. According to Harry's report, the cave was about halfway up. He described the lake at the bottom, too, so I surmise we've come from the right direction and don't have to walk all the way around the mountain. However, it's going to be tricky. How good a climber are you?"

He scoffed. "What's wrong with Apparating up the cliff?"

Granger looked sceptical. "Well, we could try, but there are some tricky points where we really cannot see where we land. It wouldn't do us any good to get up there and find that we fall down a crevice. I believe a bit of climbing is the safer way."

Malfoy sighed. Physical exercise had never really been his forte. "All right, then. If we must."

A small comforting smile from Granger didn't make him feel much better. "I'm afraid so."

Fifteen minutes later saw them already halfway up the waterfall. However, it was slow going because the cliff was steep and footholds were few and far between. Good thing they didn't have much baggage, except for Malfoy carrying Crooks in a sling on his back. He'd offered like a cavalier and now he regretted it. Malfoy felt the urgent need to whine.

"Why in the world do we actually have to get up to that cave, cluttering clabberts? I thought Potter had already explored that one. What do we have to do there?"

Farther up, Granger panted when she pulled herself up over a ledge. "We have to take a look what's in there, Malfoy. Whatever they disturbed, it started likely in the cave, don't you think? We have to look for clues."

"Clues, clues," Malfoy nagged. "Why couldn't they have disturbed something in the lake, licking lollipops? It would have been nice to take a bath."

He didn't realize that Granger stopped before he bumped into her. "What, why are you standing there as if you've met a basilisk for tea?"

"What did you just say?" she whispered back, standing stock still.

Malfoy huffed. "I said I would have liked to take a bath in that nice little lake down there, but Potter and his certified diplodocuses spoilt it."

Life came back into Hermione. "That's it! Malfoy, you're a genius. They must have thought the "spring of magic" is that little lake, or the source of this waterfall, and first took a bath, then followed the stream uphill until they hit the cave."

"Oh." Malfoy looked anything but a genius. In fact, he felt rather stupid, not to have seen this. "But is it? I mean, is this really the spring of magic?"

Granger had turned to the stream and was leaning down, catching water between her hands. Crooks kicked and struggled and wanted to be let down. Malfoy did and Crooks jumped to the water for a drink.

"No, of course not," Granger replied deep in thoughts, patting her familiar. "Be careful, Crooks, don't get too close. The stream is rather strong."

She got up and stood, watching the water, and Malfoy thought she should rather take her own advice. "But it's a clever idea to make people believe it is. Almost like a temptation – and then when they do take a bath in the lake …"

And then everything happened very quickly – a greyish-brown snake came out under the rock Granger was standing on, off-setting it. Granger wobbled, and to make matters worse, the snake came up like a rattlesnake and hissed in attack. Malfoy, watching everything in horror like in slow motion, hesitated one second too long, tried to jump to her aid, seeing how she tipped forward and sideways to get out of the snakes reach, but gripped empty air. Crooks jumped and barked at the snake, which receded, but it was too late. One more wobble from the witch, one more tilt and shift and the rock slid, Granger still on top of it, over the edge like a surfboard over the crest – with the only difference that a rock doesn't float, not even close.

With an immense splash, Granger and rock hit the rushing stream and were pulled under, sinking in seconds.

Malfoy stood, baffled for a few second and then he Apparated halfway down, then the whole way down again, Crooks running, falling, barking and whimpering hot on his heels, to the bottom of the waterfall where they had started, to see if he could catch Hermione somewhere if – when! - she came back up. He even went into the water up to his hips to see if he could pull her out when she passed by but realized soon that he couldn't see enough in the rushing water.

Back on dry grounds, he stared for a full fifteen minutes, running back and forth at the water's edge close to the fall, calling, screaming, crying her name, not believing that there was nothing to see but water, water, and more water. Cold, crushing water. No brown hairbush, no flailing arms, no colourful Peruvians wool, nothing.

When Crooks started howling, he finally admitted defeat. Sitting down right at the bottom of the mountain, where their climb had started, he sat and stared some more. He just couldn't believe that they had come so far and now, Granger was gone. The kneazle-dog sat next to him, whining, whimpering, pining for his mistress. Malfoy put an arm around him, his throat tight. He had to swallow a few times before he could say, "Crooks, my friend, what are we going to do? Your mistress is not coming back."

"Woohoohoo," wailed Crooks, and Malfoy felt very close to doing the same. He couldn't suppress a sob. He'd never liked Granger much, her being of Potter's opposing team, but she had proved to be quite good company on their mission in the jungle. He felt pathetic that he sat here, sobbing for a witch he had completely underestimated all his life.

"Woohoohoooo," Crooks howled again, and this time, there was an answer.

"Oo-oo-oo," came from the water. Malfoy jumped to his feet and pulled his wand. Crooks, on the other hand, went beserk: he barked and wagged his tail and had clearly recognized the voice.

"Oo-oo, ee-in-e-all." Malfoy heard the strange cryptic sounds and couldn't believe them. "Granger?" he said, incredulous. Then again, louder, "Granger? Where are you?"

"Ee-in-e-all, -ere, -ere" it came somewhere from the water. "-ai-, -ow-uu-one."

Malfoy was confused. Where was she? What was she saying? How could she still be alive?

Then a rock flew through the fall toward him. And in Malfoy's head, it clicked.

"Wait, you're behind the waterfall? How can you be behind the waterfall? Is there another cave?"

"-es," he heard. - - ow – uu – ine."

Another rock came out from the water, with a line attached to it. It fell short of the water's edge, but Malfoy could see it. He stepped in the lake to get it. "Come on, Crooks, let's go see your mistress," he said excitedly and picked up the white dog to put it in the sling. And then he pulled the line and dived into the water.

The water film was only about 30 centimetres deep, but Malfoy was drenched when he'd crossed it. Luckily, his mood lifted considerably when he saw Granger waiting for him on the other side. Crooks went ballistic and struggled to get out of the sling tied on Malfoy's back.

"Wait, wait, Crooks, I'll get you … stop it, I'll take you down, wait." Malfoy hurried to untie the sling but Crooks already jumped to Granger with his hind legs still in the cloth. He almost fell, instead he dragged Malfoy and the sling behind when he jumped up to greet Hermione with enthusiasm and licked her face with gusto.

She laughed. "Yes, Crooksie, yes, sweetie, I'm alive, yes, I'm so happy to see you, too, yes, you good boy, you're a good boy, …" and so on. It was an image of exuberant joy and Malfoy didn't mind at all. It wasn't fitting that he also jumped and licked Granger's face, but he almost felt like doing it. He kept his countenance, however, and used the time of happy greeting to dry himself and his baggage. Then he started to explore the cave.

It was large and astonishingly dry. Only about ten metres behind the fall were wet. From where he stood, the mountain opened into a cathedral-like dome that went deeper than the Great Hall at Hogwarts, as far as he could see, and its end was lost in the dark. Crooksie and Granger, happy and reacquainted, came up to him where he stood.

"I didn't have time to explore yet. I went under, then came to right behind the fall in the wet sand when I heard Crooksie howl. Lucky you caught on so quickly." Granger clapped his shoulder and smiled broadly. It seemed she hadn't dried herself yet, her clothes still clung to her. With a frown, Malfoy gave her a quick sweep of drying spell before she got too cold. It wouldn't do if she caught cold now. Plus her wet clothes were distracting.

Looking into the dark depth, he wondered aloud. "This is not the cave Potter discovered, right?"

Granger shook her now-dry head. The hair still stood up in all directions. "No, their cave was definitely up the mountain. He never mentioned anything to do with the waterfall, and we talked a lot about their expedition before he, you know." She didn't finish her sentence, just gave a helpless head shake. Malfoy knew exactly how she felt. He felt the same way every time he looked at his suffering mother, wandering the empty halls of the neglected Manor. If only he had the money to send her away for some healing.

"I wonder …" he started, only to stop himself. Could it be this easy?

Granger picked up his thought. "Yeah, me too. This could be it. Let's go."

Malfoy nodded and followed her when she took off, deeper into the darkness. He was glad they'd been thinking along the same lines. If he was to hide an entrance, a natural waterfall would be the next best thing to a Disillusionment. So, they were getting very close.

It was dark but not as dark as it should be. Some natural light source from the rocks gave off some dim light, helping them at least to see where they were going. But after a few hours, through wide caves and alleyways and slim tunnels, barely enough to fit a man through, they hit a solid wall. It was man-made, definitely brick, and solidly made. A dead end.

Malfoy groaned. "That's it, Granger. This is the end. We have to turn back." His feet were sore, he was thirsty from the dry air and from exhaustion and a nice schnapps to soothe his soul wouldn't have gone amiss, either. Outside it must have been night and he felt dead on his feet. Surely, she had to see that.

Granger had relentlessly pushed forward, every time he so much as dared to open his mouth, to suggest they turn around as clearly, there was no one living here and this was clearly leading nowhere.

And now, they'd reached the end. This would show her.

Granger was already busy investigating the wall. Her hands brimming over the surface, she was deep in thought and feeling as to how to continue their way.

"Granger, surely…"

"Ssshhhtt," she interrupted him. "Can you hear it?" Her ear to the wall, and her hands close to her face, she listened intensely. He stood next to her, feeling stupid with his face pressed against an old wall in the middle of a mountain. Then he heard it, too.

There were voices, low and melodious, chants and hisses, but he couldn't make out any words. While he listened, Granger had already continued to feel the wall again, moving her hands this way and that.

"What are you doing?" he hissed.

"Shht," she said again. "There's been magic here. I can open this wall. Look, there's a pattern."

Moving her hands, he saw a path of light where she'd touched certain bricks. Their lightness was blinding in the almost darkness. A few more trials and she had discerned a pattern, which made up a complete path in the darkness. It looked a bit like a geometric snake ...

… and then the wall opened. Not brick by brick, like the wall to Diagon Alley, building itself into an archway, but all at once, melting away, giving room to a cave higher than Hogwarts castle, filled to the brim with people or snakes or both, Malfoy couldn't see that quickly, he just registered the hissing, and his hair stood up in horror.

Quicker than he could see in the dark, wondering if the squirming he perceived was snake brood or too many people in too small a room, he was seized by both arms and lifted through the hole in the wall, exposing him to the entire room. Granger was right next to him, and Crooksie barked like mad at their feet until he, too, was seized. They were carried through the crowd, or lifted above, Malfoy couldn't tell, with an overlaying murmur like a church choral drowning every clear perception and feeling topsy-turvy on top of everything, until they landed with a thud in front of a pulpit, raised from the rock, above the rest of the cave hall.

A human body with a snakehead looked down on them. Benevolence was not the word that came to Malfoy's mind.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? Did you manage to get here despite all our efforts to keep you away?" he heard above the hissing din that seemed to fill the entire cave. A quick side-glance to Granger confirmed that she'd either landed on her feet or was already up and ready to fight again. This time, it made Malfoy feel slightly better, to see her so alert.

"Sacrilege!" somebody shouted to Malfoy's left. "Sacrilege! Death to all intruders into the sacred halls of Yoth." He thought he recognized one of the people who'd shouted "No se!" at him when he'd met them on the trip.

All right, they had arrived then. Now, just how to get out again?

"Yes, I believe there's that." Snakehead deliberated only for them to hear. Louder, he said, "Seize them. Throw them into prison until we can show them to the Great Snake. He will decide what to do."

That wasn't quite to Malfoy's liking and he made it known. His wand outstretched, he tried to fend the approaching "beings" off. Were they human? Snakes? A mixture in between? Animagi? He didn't like thinking about it. "Stand back, you anachronisms! Keep your hands, errr, what are your appendages, you slithering pockmarks, anyway, keep off, you imitation snakes. Don't you dare touch me. Dugbogs, Erklings, dizzards, Chimeras."

"Malfoy, Malfoy, calm yourself, you're only making it worse," Granger shouted. She had her wand drawn herself, but it was no use, she clearly saw. There were simply too many. Even if she'd blown away the first few lines of snake-people, there were thousands more to replace them. It took only a few seconds to seize them, good and properly, Malfoys curses notwithstanding.

"Let me go, you savages. Ow! Pithecanthropuses! Zapotecs! Serpentine sea-gherkins. Ectoplasms."

They were thrown unceremoniously into a cell carved from the rock, with only one single torch and a very solid door, which fell shut with some finality that scared Hermione to the bones. Given how long they'd already spent in the near dark, one torch was plenty, Hermione figured. However, so was the door. She dropped on a stone bench and leaned against the wall when her knees turned to pudding.

"Doryphores! Terrorists! Bundimuns! Glumbumbles! Diricawls!"

"Calm yourself, Malfoy, please! When we meet the Great Snake, it won't help to curse at it," Hermione said despondently. How could she'd been so stupid? Of course, there was a snake cult with gazillions of followers. What danger she'd brought herself and Malfoy into. No wonder they'd been everywhere, snakes all over the place, and she felt she was being followed. They had been monitoring her every step, trying to keep her away, to preserve their secrecy – something to which she could well relate. Whatever they were, beings with mixed genes or Animagi of sorts, if their existence became widely known by too many visitors, they would be overrun by spectators. And to preserve their secrecy, apparently, they felt justified to do what they must. Hermione's throat tightened, thinking what this had to mean.

How could they possibly get out of this? "I just hope it's not a Basilisk, this Great Snake, or we'll be doomed," she murmured downcast. Crooks jumped up next to her and whined. She patted his head and scratched behind his ears. "I know, Crooksie, I'm sorry. What's to become of us?"

"I'll tell you what's to become of us, my word," Malfoy growled. "They will hear us out, listen to our reason, hand over Luna, give us the cure for our friends at home, and send us on our way. Or else."

Hermione had to smile. Malfoy's righteous anger did her good. She only wished he was right in his assessment, but she very much doubted it. "Your word in Merlin's ear, Malfoy. I hope you're right."

"Damn straight, I'll be right. You just wait. I've got a thing or two to say to his Snakiness."

The door opened again, and several men poked their heads in, spears in hand. "You come. Great Snake awaits."

"Oh, he does, does he?" Malfoy brawled. "Good. I hope he's got ears unlike other snakes because I've got a lot to say."

Hermione hurried up next to him when he stormed away, the guards in tow. "Please, Malfoy, I implore you. Let me do the talking. We have to stay calm."

"We'll see about that," Malfoy pressed out. His face set, he looked quite peeved.

They were brought in what could only be described as a throne room. A huge throne stood directly on one end, carved directly from the rock but nicely decorated with chiselled images, Inca style. Snakes were quite prominent in the depictions; Hermione could see that from where she stood. The whole room or cave was lit with thousands of torches, giving it a majestic appearance and making it as light as day. Hermione blinked away her watery tears and covered her eyes for a moment to adjust.

On the throne, raised above everything else, sat a giant snake with arms and legs. An anaconda, by the looks of it, Hermione thought, the Amazon being their natural habitat. But was it a man not having completed the transformation to snake or really a snake with limbs? Either way, the thought made her shiver.

Snakehead, who they had previously encountered, stood halfway to the throne, awaiting them. Passing through the crowds, Hermione thought she'd recognized some scaly faces: the receptionist of their hotel, somebody looking almost like the police inspector, a man at a shop close to the hotel they stayed at in Callao. Malfoy thought he'd recognized the shopkeeper from Aguas Caliente.

When they'd reached Snakehead, he turned around and addressed the reptile on the throne.

"Behold the Great Snake," Snakehead intoned. "Divine Ruler, I bring before you the intruders who dared to enter our temple."

I wonder why he speaks in English, Hermione thought. Or is this some kind of telepathy that we simply understand as if it was English? She felt dizzy.

Whatever it was, the Great Snake spoke next. At least, that's what Hermione figured he did. She'd heard those kinds of noises only once before, a mixture of hisses and gurgles, befitting a snake.

Snakehead turned back to them. "The Great Snake, divine ruler of the great temple, wishes to know by which trickery you've come to find and enter our temple."

Hermione stepped forward after exchanging a glance with Malfoy, imploring him again to stay calm. He frowned back and but nodded lightly.

"Oh Divine Snake, Great ruler of the temple, there was no trickery. I fell into the waterfall and was swept under. From there we followed the cave to the wall, which gave way to let us in. We are searching for our friend, and we have reason to believe she is here. We want to bring you no harm, only to bring our friend back home."

Snakehead seemed to translate as he turned back to the throne, stepping forward until he stood right next to his ruler, uttering similar hisses and gurgles as the Great Snake before.

The enormous anaconda with limbs answered likewise, as her spokesperson approached, and Snakehead turned back to them.

"Your friend will be put to death for disclosing secrets of our community. It is our law. She will die by snake poisoning, as is custom. So will you. Our laws decree but one penalty for violating the sacred Temple of the Snake."

Hermione felt sick hearing they had close to no chance to ever leave again, but Malfoy didn't take it lying low. "You cannot kill us, it would be plain murder. We did not intend to violate anything, we have simply been searching for our friend. If you hadn't kidnapped her in the first place, we wouldn't even be here, slithering serpents."

Angry hisses reverberated through the hall at Malfoy's angry voice, Hermione besieged him with her hand on his arm. "Quiet, Malfoy, please . Noble Ruler, it is true what my companion says. If she hadn't been brought here, neither would we be. How is it that she disclosed your secrets when she didn't even know she was doing it?"

Snakehead translated and the Great Snake leaned down to confer with his spokes-snakeman. After a short exchange of hisses, Snakehead spoke again.

"We are not willing to disclose our secrets any further. To assure their continued secrecy, you will be put to death immediately. Guards, proceed!" A league of guards, standing watch around their supreme ruler, stepped forward, coming toward Hermione and Malfoy in the middle of the hall. Hissing from thousands of snake followers accompanied their doom. Hermione felt as if her head would split in half at the noise. She felt her heartbeat in her throat and her scalp itching all over.

"Murderers, Brutes, Pithecantropuses, you cannot kill us," Malfoy yelled while moving closer to Hermione, Crooksie, who barked as if his life depended on it, in their midst.

"Oh, but it is not us who will kill you. The snakes will decide whether you live or die." Snakehead said slyly above the din.

With his words, a large round emblem in the floor, depicting a rearing snake, started to open, revealing a pit. The hissing coming from the hole in the floor already indicated what filled it. More hissing, Hermione thought. She really had enough of it, her head pounding. On the other side of the throne, Luna was brought in.

"Luna," Hermione cried without getting a response. Luna seemed to be still in a trance. Led by more guards, she soon joined them, and they stood together at the edge of the pit, surrounded by guards pointing their spears at them. Then, Luna awoke.

"Hermione!" she exclaimed. "What a spectacle, hm? Isn't it nice of the snakes to give us such a welcome? However, your hair is standing up, did you know?"

"Yeah, sure, we're very welcome here. To be precise, ..." Malfoy snarled from the other side. "Wait, what, your hair…?" He took a quick side glance and delight lit up his face.

Hermione couldn't feel any delight. She took her friend's hand. "I'm sorry to say, Luna, but it doesn't seem as if we're welcome here. It was nice to have known you. Malfoy, Luna, Crooksie, I'm sorry I couldn't bring you out again."

"This is not over, Granger. Don't give up yet," Malfoy barked with renewed vigour. "They haven't taken our wands. I'll kill as many snakes down there as possible. Maybe it's enough. No Malfoy has ever been killed by a snake. Not directly. However, there may be one more thing …"

"Hey," he yelled over to Snakehead and his supreme ruler while the guards started moving in, poking them with the spearheads. "Does the name Voldemort tell you anything? He was somewhat snakey, just like you guys. My father was one of his advisors and so was I. Purest pureblood, surely you know what that means? You wouldn't want to kill a fellow follower, wouldn't you?"

Renewed hissing erupted but the guards halted for a moment. "Nice going, Malfoy. Wait 'til they find out that I wasn't exactly a fan of Voldemort," Hermione hissed at him while her vision began to blur. Snakehead and the Great Snake seemed to confer again. Perhaps they did know Voldemort, after all.

"Hey, they stopped, didn't they? A breather is all we needed. Now, think quickly. What was that magic you dabbled in?" Malfoy whispered back.

"Err, what?" Hermione was too dazed by her fear and her headache to think clearly. Plus her hair was starting to cloud her vision.

Malfoy nudged her, but gently. "The spell you did, the blinding spell. What was that about?"

Blinding spell. Oh, yeah, the one Malfoy knew about, the one he figured out. It was … a light clicked on in Hermione's mind.

"Snake magic! Yes! But what can it do here? These are all snakes!"

Malfoy nodded satisfied. "Snake magic, that's right. You can't do anything with that here, but what did it do to you? Why is your hair standing up when you get excited?"

Hermione thought hard. What was he saying? When it took her too long, because Snakehead and The Supreme Ruler seemed to have concluded, nodding their big serpent heads and making gurgling sounds that sounded almost like laughing – oh, great, Voldemort had been a laughing stock, here, and purebloods were useless - he led her further on.

"Why do you have to stay grounded? Why can't you even take a plane? Think, Granger! And let your hair unfold. Your kneazle can do more transformations, right? For example, a goat? Perhaps a three-headed goat?"

"Oh, yeah, Hermione," Luna piped in. "I'm sure they would be quite impressed seeing your magic that stems from your Astarte connection."

Astarte connection! Oh, Merlin, what had she done just trying to preserve her solitude? Was she any better than Voldemort, fiddling with things that should be above mortal command? Her terror over her understanding must have shown on her face. Malfoy nudged her again.

"Worry about the consequences later, Granger. Now use it, you useless Muggle, you squibbery thief, you Mudblood" And again, "MUDBLOOD."

Hoo boy. Nobody called her a Mudblood anymore. She had done magic way above her age and experience. She had gone ways no Muggleborn ever did before. She belonged! Magic was her right!

There was a flash of righteous anger in her heart and a surge of magic in her brain, flowing through her scalp into her hair, raising it, lifting it up, with flashes of magic bristling in the tips. She barely noticed how Malfoy had kneeled down, talking to Crooksie at her left, but she felt the surge of magic going through her familiar when he transformed. In fact, she felt every bit of magic in the hall, her two companions next to her like x-rays against a dark screen, a small dab for every person with snake features in the cave, and bigger dabs where the supreme ruler sat and his Snakehead beside him. She saw it with her eyes, the pure energy of magic. Magic! This was all about magic. She felt her innards fighting against each other like a brood of vipers and light pulsing from her chest, her womb, and her hands when her magic flooded her like a life force, and she only hoped she wouldn't pass out and fall backwards into the snake pit.

A gasp reverberated from the beings around her, and she felt how everyone fell to his knees in one swift move. A low murmur erupted, turning into a low chant. Difficult to discern from the overlaying hissing sounds, she thought it sounded like "Sssshub, Sssshub, Sssshub".

She felt a gentle touch on her left, holding and protecting her swaying body, and reality returned when she heard a bleat. The withdrawal of her magic connection made her knees wobble, and she was glad to find Malfoy holding her shoulders and Luna still holding her hand. The sharp smell of goat under her nose brought her vision back, but it swam with dizziness and her head had surely split. When her legs gave out, she was glad to find a goat standing halfway between her and the ground. She still hit her knee sharply, but Crooksie caught the rest of her and gave another encouraging bleat. The last thing she saw were his green eyes, three pairs of them.

And then she did pass out.