Author's Note – Hehe… yeah… um, sorry for the wait, but it was kinda hard to figure out how to describe several things in this chapter, like the ANZAC ceremony. That's because I have no idea as to whether it's like this in Sydney or not… and in case no one quite knows, the time line for this story is kind of around the 1950s/60s… but as I've thrown in some modern ideals, etc. I'm pretty sure this is just a mumble jumble of random parts of history now… Anyway, just so everyone knows, it just isn't set in this time period… just putting it out there… And I've been having trouble getting all the formats right for this chapter, this thing just won't upload right! So that's why those who've subscribed might've gotten a few e-mails all about this chapter... Hehe, sorry...
-Chapter Fifty two.
The sheer enormity of the heat was immense, waves of it rolled off the pavement and into the thick crowd that had gathered for the Anzac Day Dawn service. The sun was barely touching the horizon, but Sydney's heat wave that had occurred during the past couple of days clearly affected the assembly.
The crowd shifted uncomfortably, but the noise never rose above a whisper, Draco stood, sweating, next to Harry, crushed near the back, hidden under the overhanging of the old fashioned stores lining the streets. The tall monument was already surrounded with poppies and wreathes. Small numbers of Sydney's Army, Navy and Air Force cadets surrounded the monument, solemnly placed as a barrier between the monument and the crowd.
The whispers grew and fluttered out in a swelling wave from the end of the street, before everyone suddenly fell silent. The sound of the drums rolled down the street and echoed around the sudden silence, even a stray dog near Draco had stopped his scratching and soft whining barks to sit solemnly, listening.
Unnerved by this, the two tourists waited for what spectacular show it was that had made the crowd gather so.
A small, formation of men with drums marched by, followed by Australian and New Zealand Naval Seamen and women. At first the faces blurred with each other, people of all different colours and races were mixed in, yet at first glance one could hardly tell from the other. Soon though, Harry spotted her.
"Alice! It's Alice! There, Draco!" Harry, luckily, had the decency to whisper.
Marching along solemnly, in the middle of her ranks and keeping perfect time, was Alice, her long blonde hair that was usually kept in a messy bun perched precariously on the top of her head was now pulled back tightly and neatly at the nape of her neck, the rest of her face hidden under the shadow of her slouch hat.
Shuffling through the midst of the tightly packed crowd Draco and Harry tried desperately to keep her in sight. Soon lost, they just followed the crowd after the rest of the parade had passed by: the units of the Royal Australian Air Force and Army was soon followed by fresh faced and excited cadets, all proud and amazed that they were in the same thing they had all watched since they were children.
Harry and Draco resigned themselves to the fact that they'd have to wait til after the whole ceremony had finished.
The sun slowly rose; it's light glimmering off the surface of the sea, caught between Sydney's high rise buildings.
Then, the ceremony started.
The crowd of citizens gathered around the ranks of the uniformed officers, keeping a respectful distance. Draco eyed the ambulance that was parked off to one side suspiciously. Did the ceremony get rowdy? Seeing how it was an Australian event, Draco didn't think that idea was too far off.
Soon enough though, Draco found out the real reason.
Weary cadets, those who attended but were ill and those who had simply eaten something wrong for a quick breaky, they were all taken aside subtly as the ceremony continued, the heat beating down at their wills as one by one they dropped like flies. Some spectators were included in the mix, however they didn't really have an excuse for nearly fainting; they were all in the shade and allowed to move, unlike the determinedly still cadets in their slightly crooked ranks.
Harry shuffled impatiently, not really understanding this Australian tradition, bored with the speeches of high ranking officials that had never been anywhere near the war, that is until, surprisingly, Alice was called from her ranks and made her way to the stage.
Once she was up there, the crowd stilled and the only noise was the breeze that ruffled some nearby trees and a cockatoo that had decided to awaken.
She cleared her throat.
She opened her mouth.
And then she spoke.
"In Flanders Field, the poppies blow,
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below."
Harry cocked his head and frowned. Flashes of memories ran through his head.
The littering of flowers that ran wild through the church ground of all those who'd been lost in the Wizarding War. The pain and anguish he'd felt that they'd all died, protecting him. He was supposed to be the Saviour-of-the-World-as-We-Know-It, yet why had so many of them died?
He remembered one free weekend when he'd gone to one of the obscure graveyards for the fallen heroes. This one was a monument for those of the Commonwealth who'd fallen. He'd been interested in it ever since Alice had vaguely mentioned such a thing. It had taken a lot of digging, but he soon found it in Londonderry, on the border of the Republic of Ireland.
However, what he hadn't bargained for was the fact that Alice would be there that day too. She wiped her face feverently as soon as she noticed his presence, which was a lot quicker than most people usually would. After a couple of sniffs, Alice had still resolutely not turned her face to him, ashamed of the tears. It was at this point when he'd placed a hand on her shoulder and said those fateful words, "I'msorry."
Fateful, because it was at that time she'd coolly asked, "For what, may I ask? My loss? Many more have lost more than what I have."
Harry hesitated, "More for the fact that I'm the reason that… she died." In the back of his mind lurked the time when he'd first seen Alice, and fallen in love with her: when she and Matt had given their all for their best friend, yet was still found lacking.
To his ultimate shock though, Alice had given a final sniff of disapproval, turned and smiled wearily at him, "Mate… Honestly, don't be so conceited. Just because you were the one that was fated to end Voldemort's reign, doesn't mean that these people wouldn't've died. If it were you or … Fred Weasley -! - these people would've still died fighting against Voldemort. It was Voldemort's twisted mind that caused all these deaths. You don't go around saying that the Allies killed the Jews ' cause they couldn't save them all from Hitler and his minions in time. They stopped Hitler from killing more, and in doing so there were casualties. The same rule applies here. You stopped more people from dying, be thankful for that at least."
Harry never cried, per say, he just managed to… get some dust in his eyes at that moment in time and couldn't get it out for a while.
He always knew Alice was a sweet girl, but he had never really experienced it himself except for at that single moment in time.
In the quiet of the graveyard, as Harry… got rid of the dust in his eye… Alice gently hushed and rocked him.
"… You blubberer." She gently mocked him, but with a sad sincerity that Harry wished he'd never have to hear again.
"We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders Fields."
Draco glanced to his right and wasn't surprised to see Saint Potter was hurriedly cleaning his glasses and surreptitiously wiping tears away.
Nor was he surprised to see everyone else having the same reactions.
He was however, surprised to find himself doing the same. He knew Alice's main power was in healing, be it in mind, heart, body or soul. And Alice had always had such a way with words that no matter how dispassionately something was written, no matter how mundane the material, if Alice read it she could bring you to your knees in laughter or have your soul bared as you cried.
Draco was so sure he'd figured out how to counter her dominant use of magic. Obviously this was to no avail.
Draco had been so happy when Alice had finally lifted Hermione's forced memory barrier, however he was unable brace himself for the cost.
One of the main rules of the Fae was that nothing was for free. For Hermione to have her memories returned meant someone else must have a barrier. For Padma and her baby to live, someone else had to take the curse.
And that person was now standing in front of him, so close, but so far away.
"Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders Fields."
Draco could've sworn at that time, Alice looked directly at him.
-Alice woke from another of her 'Day Breaks' (the longer they were in there the worse Alice's puns grew) and she paled as she looked at Hermione.
"Hermione, I forgot to tell you… You haven't eaten any of the fruit… have you?"
Hermione scoffed, "I'm not an idiot, I've read enough literacy to realise that to eat a Fae fruit is to stay here for ever."
Alice slumped in relief, "I thought you might know, I just wasn't sure."
There was silence and then Alice broke it, "Hermione, what's the time?"
She thought, "I've been here for maybe… five hours. I couldn't count on how many times you went to sleep and awoke seeing how time shifts so differently."
Alice suddenly looked exceptionally happy, "That means… My parents should be awake soon!"
It was Hermione's turn to look sceptical, "You haven't seen them since you were, what? Eighteen months? What makes you think they'll help you?"
"What makes you think they won't?"
"Your Grandparents."
"Ah. Well. Yeah, yeah, fair enough, fair enough. But the thing 'Mione, is that as soon as my dad awakes, he becomes the heir again."
Hermione frowned, "How does that work?"
"Well, it goes to the one who is most suitable. The first one to touch the crown of the heir after the heir becomes incapacitated becomes the next heir, as it is assumed they're the one who managed to overpower the heir, thus making them inefficient. Did that make any sense, whatsoever?" Alice smiled sheepishly at her.
Hermione laughed and shook her head, "No matter. I'm glad your parents will wake up soon though Alice. It's been long enough."
Alice smiled, "The moment they do, Dad's going to be heir and they'll be no point in us being trapped in here. Unless Cobweb gets the wedding date shifted and marries Draco."
The two girls laughed heartily, and then suddenly Alice stopped and stared in horror at Hermione. Hermione's laughter slowed and then halted as she too, reached the same conclusion.
"You don't think…"
"But she doesn't know he's not the heir! Of course she will!" Alice cried out in desperation.
"But he'll know it's not me!"
"And how long did it take for you lot to realise 'Alice' wasn't really 'Alice', hmm?"
"…Only a couple of days."
"Yeah, in which you were around me constantly! It's school time now. Everyone's crazy during school time! And they're planning 'their' wedding!"
"…Shit."
-The Final Post was played and the Defence Forces retraced their path back to the beginning of their parade, this time a slow rumble of cheering and laughter from the crowd was left in their wake.
Harry turned to Draco and shrugged, "Now what?"
A passing local overheard and laughingly thumped Harry on the shoulder, "Oi, mates! Everyone's going to the pub now for beer and a game of two-up. You can join us if you want."
"Really? Everyone?"
"Mate, its Anzac tradition to go to the RSL and play two up with a coupl'a pennys. And drink beer. Everyone's welcome."
"Cheers mate."
"Yeah, no worries." With a tip of his hat, the local disappeared into the crowd to rejoin his friends.
Harry looked quizzically at Draco, "Should we?"
Matt appeared from behind him, "What, are we going to the Rissole? You beauty!"
"Rissole?"
"You know, RSL – Rissole."
"You know what? That actually makes sense."
"Why wouldn't it?"
"…No reason…"
The two Englanders followed the Australian Air Force Officer through the throngs of people, towards the pub.
"Good work mate!"
"Ta O'Harrow."
"Where to now?" The two naval seawoman were wondering around aimlessly as they talked idly.
"Oh! Apparently, I have an apartment here! The key got delivered to the hotel, it turns out my landlady found out I'd come back and lost some of me memories."
"Ohhh… Can we go?" O'Harrow clapped her hands excitedly.
Goodfellow laughed, "Yeah! Then we should see whether its worth it to move out of the hotel or not!"
"Knowing you its probably a dingy little place, covered in dust!"
"Hey…!"
"Well, it'll be better than nothing, seeing as how we've finally finished our deployment. Hopefully nothing else will come by for a while."
"What, you wanna quit?"
"Meh, maybe. I suppose it depends."
"Yeah, yeah, fair enough, fair enough."
-Soon Goodfellow and O'Harrow found themselves in the heart of Chinatown after changing clothing at the hotel. All around them, colourful sights, sounds and smells leapt up at them. Goodfellow squinted down at the small map she'd drawn hastily on a scrap of paper.
"Okay, I think it's one of those rooms that are on top of a store, you know? And the store or restaurant, according to this thing, is… 'The Yangzi Dragon'"
"Okay, I'll keep my eyes peeled. You look on that side, I'll look on this side. It's down this street right?"
"Uh,' Goodfellow quickly inspected the map again, 'Yeah."
It was a long street.
It took them fifteen minutes to meet again at the bottom, one had been on one side of the street and the other had been on the other, inspecting each store or restaurant they came across.
"Did you find it?"
"No, you?"
Goodfellow frowned and looked at the map again, "That doesn't make any sense, it should be here! Lets swap sides and go up again."
O'Harrow agreed and the two friends began walking up on opposite sides of the street.
Ten minutes later Goodfellow called across the street to her friend.
"O'Harrow! O'HARROW! I FOUND IT!"
O'Harrow's ears picked up and she darted across the busy road.
"Really? Where is it?"
Goodfellow pointed at an empty shop front, "You gets in… there."
O'Harrow blinked as the shop front seemed to shimmer in front of her eyes.
Seemingly emerging from nothing, a cheerful Chinese restaurant with a swinging Dragon board with writing above their heads stood where O'Harrow had previously thought there was nothing.
"Well, I never… Cor, pull me leg and call me Blinky Bill, I could've sworn there wasn't a restaurant there… I can't believe I missed it!"
Goodfellow nodded, "Yeah, I nearly walked right past it too."
"Not very good advertising then, is it, if it's so inconspicuous that people can walk right past it and not notice!"
Goodfellow laughed with her and the two walked into the restaurant.
Inside the smells of Chinese cooking hit them and O'Harrow groaned in bliss, "Hmmm… My favourite…"
Smiling, Goodfellow made her way up to the counter, politely walking past and nodding to the restaurant's patrons, occasionally stopping to have a quick chat and laugh.
O'Harrow followed closely behind and when they reached the empty counter she whispered, "So, I take it your memories are coming back?"
She looked at her, surprised, 'Not at all. I can't remember a thing of this place."
O'Harrow stuttered, "Bu- But you – you were – who were those people you were talking to just now?"
"I have no idea!" She replied cheerfully.
A small, wrinkly old Chinese lady garbed in a traditional garment hobbled up to the desk, her features distinctly… goblin-esque…
"Ah! Adriana! My dear, how are you?" The little old woman gave the two girls a toothy grin filled with crooked yellow teeth.
"I'm fine, thanks! And yourself, Granny?"
The little old lady cackled cheerfully, "Nothing to worry about m'dear! Just glad to see you back safe and sound from your travels with the Reserves! Here, I'll take you up to your room."
Smiling curiously, the two girls followed the beaming, shuffling old lady behind a door that consisted of just a decorated hanging fabric and up some small, dusty and dark creaking stairs that wound up in a spiral. The two girls were soon wheezing, only able to stop and catch their breath when they reached another dark landing that lead to someone else's door. Goodfellow's landlady kept up a steady trot, smiling peacefully and with not a hair out of place.
After they'd reached the sixth landing O'Harrow turned to Goodfellow and wheezed, "When I'm old, I want to be as fit as your landlady!"
Unable to get answer, Goodfellow simply nodded.
The reality of the situation was absurd; they were two Naval Seawomen, at the peak of their fitness. Granny looked like she was ninety.
"Come on, young uns'! Keep up!" She called out cheerfully.
Shaking her head, O'Harrow sighed, "This can't get much worse…"
"Yes it can… We have to bring our bags up here too…"
The two girls groaned and started walking again.
"As you can see, I've kept the place nice and clean for you dear,' Granny said pleasantly as she shuffled over to the wall between the door and kitchen, 'all the plants have been watered and such." She pointed out all the lighting and fan switches to them before turning the air conditioning on.
Goodfellow looked around her apartment, wide eyed. It was far from what they had expected, it was obviously at the top of the building (ten floors between them and the restaurant) and wide and spacious with a high roof. White walls contrasted with dark wooden beams and floor to ceiling tinted windows lined the walls, looking out over Chinatown and onto the Darling Harbour.
O'Harrow had come in, grunted in surprise before collapsing on Goodfellow's black leather couch on the left that faced said huge windows. The kitchen was on the right and was encircled by a benchtop. Short, wide steps was placed between two rooms and led to a second level.
"Whew! Classy!" Goodfellow breathed.
The old Chinese lady smiled toothily and patted her hand on the way out, "Family discount, precious."
"Family-?" Goodfellow whirled around but the old woman had already gone.
"You're Chinese?"
"Apparently."
"She moves fast for an old lady."
"I'll say."
"Is that why you call her Granny?"
"No, just common courtesy. Maybe you've heard of it?"
"Ha. Ha."
"… You know we have to get our bags soon."
O'Harrow groaned, "The pain! This is worse than what K-dog puts us through!"
K-dog was their training officer, he had a long and complicated last name that started with 'K' and as no one could clear pronounce his name, it was either 'Sir' to his face or 'K-dog' behind his back.
"I'm gonna see which rooms have beds in." Goodfellow groaned.
She soon found out that the rooms on the upper level housed two bedrooms and a bathroom, whereas the bottom two rooms that guarded the staircase held an art studio/exercise room and an office filled with her medical equipment. It soon became clear that the art side of the room was used more often than the exercise one.
Artwork lined the corridor and rooms, obviously this was what she did on her time off.
O'Harrow had finally gotten up and was exploring the living room. Books lined the wall adjoining the kitchen and the office, the living room held a T.V, the couch O'Harrow had collapsed on before, as well as a shiny Baldwin upright piano.
"You play?"
"Apparently."
-"Matt, where are we going?"
"You know how in London the gateway to the magical world is the… Sinking Cauldron…?..."
"Leaky Cauldron?"
"Yeah, that one. Anyway, the one in Australia is in Chinatown, Sydney. It's called the 'Yangzi Dragon'. Beautiful pork they have there."
Draco frowned at the cheerful man, "And the reason we're not trying to find Alice… you know, the whole reason we're in this magic-forsaken land… is why?"
Matt turned and looked at them wonderingly, "Didn't I tell you? Alice lives above there. Her grandma owns the shop."
Draco baulked, "Queen Titania, owns a shop in Chinatown, Australia?"
"Yeah, when the world started getting bigger, the Fae decided to move with the people. Most went to America, but Robin Goodfellow decided to go to China for some reason, I think it was to avoid marriage. He finally made his way down to Australia for the Gold Rush, decided to stay… at this point in time he was still in the body of a … ten year old I think it was. Then he decided to grow up, seeing as how they can age their bodies at whim, so he joined the Australian Magical Academy etc, where he met Alice's mum (he still had his Chinese disguise) who wanted to meet his mum, which was lucky, because Queen Titania had decided to own the shop a couple of decades before hand so that she could keep an eye on him. King Oberon sometimes stops by, but he really can't be bothered most of the time. All very ironic really, Puck ran from marriage, to marriage."
"…So Queen Titania owns 'The Yangzi Dragon'?"
"Yep, the very one."
"Would she be there now?"
"I doubt it, she only comes up very rarely, but now that Puck and his wife are comatosed, she'll be by their bedside still."
There was silence, then, "Is she,' Harry coughed, 'pretty?" Images of the immortal being that had haunted the paintings of greats filled his mind.
"Yep, she's pretty fit for an old lady."
-For those of you out there who've never heard of Blinky Bill, he's a cartoon koala that's pretty popular in Australia. And 'You gets in…there.' Was a nod to the movie 'Labyrinth' as was the goblin-esque mention of the landlady… and precious... ^.^ you can tell what movie I've watched recently…