Disclaimer: All places and characters belong to JK Rowling and WB and various publishers. No money is being made off of this piece of fiction.
Chapter 8: The
The full moon hung heavy in the air. The yipping and snarling coming from the werewolf enclosure made the hair on the back of Draco's neck stand on end as Granger and him made their way, heavily disillusioned, towards where the source was being kept. The Chimaeram.
They tried to keep a wide berth from the enclosed werewolf pens and despite logically knowing the poor beasts within could not escape, the guttural growls and howling were still unnerving. Draco spared a thought for Lupin, who was undoubtedly locked in some dungeon in the castle, far from the moon's cool light, but still forced to transform.
There was a lot of activity around the Chimaeram's cage. Unspeakables walked briskly around lining up ministry Stòr weapons just outside the cage, attaching them to holders that extended cables to the bars of the cage. The various swords, daggers, and staff were lined up looking like odd spikes meant to keep things out of the cage, rather than in.
Granger and himself drew nearer and as discussed made their way over to the side, close to where Draco had spoken with the woman Unspeakable earlier. Draco wasn't sure she would be here and if she was what role she would be playing. The air near the cage was heavy with a sharp, sweet scent. A powdery purple/pink substance hung in the air within the cage, catching and glittering in the rays of moonlight. It oddly reminded Draco of how the house elves would sometimes decorate the Great Hall for Valentines day in his youth.
Granger's sharp intake of breath drew his attention away from the odd lingering mist in the air. The creature was awake. Awake and clearly drugged.
Four unspeakables holding thick Stòr staffs were positioned equa-distance just outside the bars of the cage. All of them stared intently at the creature within, rods aimed squarely at the creature. Each one had a bubble head charm glimmering around their heads. There was a flurry of activity near the head station.
The creature was kneeling bent over on the ground, shoulders hunched, its tails were unfolded and carelessly lying on the ground. Its chest heaved as it appeared to take shallow, uneven breaths. Finally, its face was uncovered, its hair drifting and swirling strangely around its head. It looked so unnatural, ethereal with its pale skin, the glittering air, and dark hair that seems to be made of liquid or smoke.
Clawed hands dug into the earth, clutching, and stretching, clutching, and stretching.
Granger's nails were digging into his arm. "Come on, lets get closer" he whispered.
They could only see the back of the creature's head from where they were. "We need to see hi-its face." Granger's ragged breathing brushed his face.
They carefully made their way around the far side of the cage, their disillusionment charms preventing them from being noticed. They stopped at the side where they could make out the creature's profile. Pointed ears were tipped in long thin strands topped in small triangular sensory organs that flapped and flitted around the creature's head like flies.
Its shoulder blades stuck out like sharp hooks on its back. Its claws continued gouging into the dirt. The air was heavy with tension.
Glancing up, Draco watched a small cloud pass across the full moon.
"BUUUZZT" a flash of light brought his glance back down. A bubble-headed Unspeakable had stepped into the cage and directed a short burst of Stòr energy at the creature. The green light flashed across the creature's skin, its muscles tensing as its back arched, hair spiked and its tails whipped into the air rigid. A low moan left the creature, as it sagged forwards limp after the lights died away from its skin. The 5 tails flopped lifeless back to the ground in a pile. The creature's head was up now, and its hair resumed the strange smoke-like behaviour, coiling around its head. Overly large eyes stared unblinking at the Unspeakable. A primitive fear and confusion on its face.
"Oh my god…" Draco breathed as Granger nearly sobbed, "No, no, no…".
The creature's face was oddly slack and open. Its wide eyes appeared black, nearly all pupil, but a thin sliver of green iris was still visible.
As was the lightning bolt scar on its forehead.
A hollowness filled Draco; he could feel his world tilting inwards.
"No, no, no…" Granger's voice continued, an odd strangled sound.
The Unspeakable was raising the Stòr staff again, pointing it directly at Potter's face this time.
"NOO!" Draco grabbed Granger around the waist as she made to leap forward. He clamped his hand tightly over her mouth muffling her cry even though the disillusionment spell would prevent any discernible sound. The light stretched towards Potter's blank face. This time he leapt into the air when it struck, giving off a strange mewing sound. He landed 5 feet back and curled up quivering on the ground, hands grasping at his face.
"HEY!" a large Unspeakable stepped forward, "Cut it out! It's nearly time!"
The Unspeakable with the staff stepped back out of the cage, "It can't feel anything in this state anyway."
The larger man stepped closer, "Do you have a problem with listening to my orders Unspeakable Schiff?"
"No, sir."
"Good, then release another dose of faengal and prepare the docks." He stepped back to the head station while two other Unspeakables stepped forward. One tossed what appeared to be a glass ball into the cage, while the second took aim with their wand and shattered the ball releasing a puff of more pink/purple powder that hung in the air, spreading throughout the cage as a heavy smoke. The creature looked up at the sound and started pitifully crawling away from the approaching smoke.
"Oh god, stop this. Stop it!" Granger moaned. Draco clenched his jaw, "We can't." Potter had reached the bars of the cage, which delivered a sharp zap. "Not yet."
"We can't do nothing!" Granger hissed, but Draco still holding her back noted she wasn't struggling anymore.
The smoke had made its way to Potter and stopped short of leaving the bars, leaving the air within the cage even more filled with pink/purple glitter.
"It's a drug." Draco noted.
"Faengal based." Granger said in a dead voice.
Potter was shaking his head from side to side, unable to avoid breathing the drugged air. His shaking form stopped, and muscles relaxed, and tails that had curled protectively around him when struck, fell uselessly away.
Draco released Granger and looked away. He thought she might have started crying, but the look on her face was that of stone, hard and unforgiving.
Potter had resumed the position and state he was in when they had first arrived. His face vacant and unknowing. The burn marks on his chest and cheek were a stark angry red against the pale skin.
"I'm going to destroy these fuckers." Granger said levelly.
"We're going to destroy them." Draco corrected, noted how similar Granger and Weasley were. Granger turned to him, her eyes searching his face. She must have found what she wanted as she nodded and turned back to the cage.
A tinkling, clanging sound had begun and low chanting in a language unknown to Draco. It was midnight.
"It's Fae…" Granger was staring intently at the head booth where the music was coming from. Soft white lights began to glimmer within the cage, flickering in time with the pulsing music. They hung in the air like lanterns.
The effect on a whole, the pink/purple air, glimmering, soft white lights, and ethereal music, would be quite breathtaking if not for the perverse nature of the cage, armed witches and wizards, and Potter drugged on the floor.
Potter was swaying on the ground now, his dilated eyes watching the white lights around him. He stumbled to his feet, swaying. He walked unsteadily towards the closest light, tails dragging on the floor behind him, clawed hand outstretched shaking. The moment his hand closed around the light it winked out of existence and another blinked into being further away.
Potter opened his hand and stared at his empty palm, confused. He took a halting breath before lurching towards the next nearest light, hand outstretched. The look of open desperation and hope on his face was nearly unbearable. Only worse than the look of confusion and sadness after his failed attempt to "catch" the light.
"I don't understand…" Granger murmured, "Why do all of this? What is it for?"
Potter made a third attempt. Another sphere of faengal powder exploded in the cage infusing the air further with the drug.
Draco eyed the bars of the cage and the connecting cables and weapons. "It must be related to how they charge the Stòr." Granger just shook her head, watching Potter's pathetic 4th attempt.
The tempo of the music increased, and the lights began to flicker in union. They raised higher, lingering close to the top of the cage, out of the reach of Potter's feeble arms. The lights glowed brightly, their intensity nearly blinding before they all in unison drifted down and into the dirt where they extinguished. Potter fell to his knees and began clawing at the ground as the music deadpanned.
"Re-start!" shouted the head Unspeakable, making a circling motion with his wand arm.
The soft lights appeared again around waist height, glowing softly in sync with the tinkling music which had resumed. Potter paused and lethargically raised his head of swirling hair. His eyes were huge, larger than they had been moments before, and they were green now, a shade so bright it was not natural. He appeared child-like reaching for the glowing orbs. His face dulled and flat, large eyes glittering. The sensor tips extending from his ears that had been flying wildly around his head settled and began flicking in unison, in sync with the lights and music. Down-up-tremor, down-up-tremor.
The lights lifted just out of reach of Potter's clawed hand forcing him to rise from the ground. The tempo was increasing as the lights moved steadily upwards increasing in their intensity.
The look of blank awe on Potter's mutated face made Draco's stomach twist.
Potter was stretching now, hands up right, spine extended, standing on tiptoe. The lights danced mesmerizingly just out of his reach. The music had become deafening, drowning out the snarls and growls from the werewolf pens.
The lights flashed blindingly before darting to the ground and extinguishing. The music halted in a droning buzz. Potter fell to the earth, claws digging, his face pressed into the dirt. The small body was shaking.
"AGAIN!", the Unspeakable shouted above and the lights appeared hovering waist height again. The charade repeated. Lights raising, music increasing, Potter stretching, lights falling, Potter crumpling to the ground.
"COME ON, AGAIN!"
Draco motioned, drawing Granger's attention away from Potter, pointed to the weapon's docking stations. Unspeakables around the cage and docking stations looked to be readying themselves. Preparing. They were all holding additional weapons.
"AGAIN! YAOOOW!" The Unspeakable was grinning widely, the lights throwing strange shadows across his face. He struck the bars of the cage with a staff, the clangs ringing loud over the buzzing drone. Potter was on the ground again. "Show us some honey Chimaeram!", the Unspeakable leered. CLANG, CLANG, CLANG!
"MORE DUST!" He called and two more glass balls shattered within the cage, the smoke so thick it obscured Potter within for a moment. His form staggered drunkenly to the ground. The music began to pulse anew, and Potter jumped into the air, his feet barely touching the ground. He swayed and jumped, his heading shaking wildly, sensors flipping down-up-tremble, in an obscene mockery of a dance as the lights pulsed and the music thrummed. Potter's body twisted and contorted, hands stretching.
The lights quavered just out of Potter's reach as he continued to leap for them, then suddenly they blinked out all at once. If Potter noticed it wasn't obvious. He continued to jump hands open as the music thrummed.
CLANG, CLANG, CLANG! The Unspeakable continued to beat his staff against the bars.
"CATCH IT!", the Unspeakable hollered, "COME ON!"
Potter leaped again and this time between his outstretched hands a light formed, small and wavering at first but growing in size and intensity as he leaped again. The ball grew to the size of a large melon and became blindingly intense. The music dropped tempo and became a drone. Potter landing clasped the ball of light between his hands and pressed his palms together, the ball disappeared as light flashed along his skin, his eyes glowed white and sensor organs flared with light. Potter arched as the magic raced across his skin before pulling his hands apart, the ball reformed, electric green in colour now, he rapidly pushed the ball of light into the earth. Electric green energy pulsed through the bars of the cage, along the many cables, through the docking stations, and into the numerous weapons lined up. The pulse lasted a few seconds, the whole area lit up in eerie green light. The same shade of the killing curse.
"How is this possible?" Granger breathed. The weapons all flared with energy, charged. The light died away and Potter was breathless on the ground.
"SWITCH! AGAIN!" The music started up. Unspeakables swapped the newly charged weapons out for others as Potter started to dance again.
"This shouldn't be possible!" Granger hissed. Potter was generating another ball of magic from thin air. "I don't understand how this could be charging all the Stòr." Draco shook his head; the music was so loud he could feel it vibrating in his chest "There must be hundreds of these weapons!" Granger's voice was taking on a hysterical edge.
Draco watched as again the magic flowed into Potter, returning between his palms and entering the earth. Avada Kedavra green lighting up the enclosure.
Another set of weapons flared with Daemon killing energy. Potter's energy.
Granger gasped, "The power He knows not." She grabbed Draco's arm in a vice-like grip, "The Stòr work against the Daemons, against Him, because it's Harry…."
Her face filled with grim certainty, "It's Harry's magic, it's Harry's hair, blood, and bone."
"This is amazing", Draco couldn't keep the awe out of his voice, "Brilliant really."
He glanced at Granger's narrowed eyes, "Disgusting, but magically brilliant." He turned back to Potter, now collapsed on the ground again. "He's a sustainable energy source, producing the only known energy capable of stopping Daemons, the Dark Lord's creation."
Granger gripped her face, "It makes so much sense now." She lowered her hands, little half-moon indents dotting her face. "But it also doesn't, how can they force this from Harry. He's human. 100% human!"
Draco scoffed and itched the skin below his left eye, "Apparently not anymore."
Potter had generated another ball of pure magic, just as large as the last. Draco glanced around, there were so many weapons left to charge. How many times could he do this?
The charging procedure was repeated more than 20 times that night.
END CHAPTER