Well familiar with the squeezing airlessness of Apparation, Teddy was nonetheless glad when it was over, cautiously opening his eyes to the surroundings of the usual Apparation point nearest the school. He quickly patted himself down to make sure he hadn't suffered any splinching at the hands of his best friend.
"I passed my test on the first try you know," Duncan said, arms crossed.
"I know. I'm just making sure, all right?" Relieved that he seemed to be in one piece and wasn't missing an ear or an eyebrow, Teddy relaxed. "You're awfully noisy, though."
Duncan snorted. "I bet I go silent faster than you once they teach us."
"Hah! I bet it takes you weeks."
"Oh yeah? I'll—" Duncan started, interrupted by the crack of the arrival of the girls. Kelly and Alison both stood frozen in place and Teddy felt a jolt of alarm that one or both of them had been injured and he wished he'd thought to pilfer some of the Dittany he knew Ginny kept in the house.
"Oh my God, that was so hard!" Alison exclaimed, letting go of Kelly and stepping back from her. She patted herself down in much the same way Teddy had, exclaiming at her hair. "Aw, I splinched off some of my hair on one side!"
Kelly squinted her eyes at her and nodded. "Just a bit, though. We'll even it out and no one will know."
"You all right?" Teddy asked, taking Kelly's hand, looking her over closely.
"Yes, you?"
"All in one piece."
"For now," Duncan said helpfully. "Who knows what condition you'll be in when Coyote gets done with you!"
"Aren't you just a ray of sunshine?" Teddy said, flipping his best friend the bird and making the girls giggle. "Come on, let's get going."
They headed off toward the school grounds, hoping that they wouldn't run into anyone else who might have gotten an idea to have a fly or something on a Sunday afternoon. As they walked, Teddy noticed that Duncan was holding Alison's hand and he shared a smile with Kelly. "So when are you going to call … Niyol, is it?" she asked as they entered the school grounds.
"Let's get the brooms first and then we'll go to the field and I'll call him there. Sound good?" Duncan returned Teddy's nod and they turned in the direction of the equipment room. A loud boom shook the roof of the covered walkway and Niyol himself sailed under it a moment later, coming to a neat landing right in front of Teddy.
"Teddy Lupin! I have been waiting for your arrival," he said, folding his enormous wings tight against his body. "I am ready to help you find Coyote's den."
"Fantastic," Teddy grunted, a hot rush of anticipation in his gut. "We're going to fly with you."
The thunderbird cocked his head at him, a very human-like expression of puzzlement on his face. "But you do not have any wings or feathers."
"No, we're going to follow you on brooms. Come on." Teddy led the way to the equipment room and they gathered in front of it. Duncan cast a Detect Magic and the door glowed blue. "What do you think?"
Duncan stood with his hand on his chin, tracing the web of blue lines with his eyes. "Looks a lot like the one Harry has on your door. We've beaten that tons of times." He held out his wand, following one line to a junction. "There."
"Wait a minute," Kelly said, stepping forward. "I think that's a decoy." She narrowed her eyes and Teddy could see her tracing and rejecting lines and junction points for the alarm spell. "This one," she said confidently, pointing with her wand to a gently pulsing blue nexus.
"By all means," Duncan said, gesturing to the shed as he went to stand next to Alison.
Kelly took a deep breath and raised her wand, focusing intently on the spot she'd identified as the nexus point for the alarm spell. Teddy heard her whisper, "Finite Incantatem," as she moved her wand precisely, the blue glow winking out of existence.
"Well done!" Teddy clapped along with Alison and Duncan as she bowed and unlocked the shed, tossing a broom to each one of them. Both Alison and Kelly tucked their long hair underneath the scarves wrapped around their necks and they all zipped up their jackets, Teddy wishing he'd thought to bring gloves.
Niyol watched the proceedings with a keen eye as he preened his bronze-feathered breast, spreading his wings when they all straddled the brooms. Teddy took a deep breath and looked at his friends. "You guys don't have to come. I have no idea what's going to happen and you guys don't need to get hurt on my account." He looked up at the sky, the gray clouds hanging low. "It might get a little wet."
"Pssh, whatever, Lupin," Duncan said with a wave of his hand. "There's no fucking way I'm going to let you do all of the cool stuff and leave me behind. If you're in, then I'm in."
Kelly and Alison nodded. "I've never met anything like an actual god, so there's no way I'd miss this opportunity," Kelly said, twisting her hands around the broom handle, impatient to be up in the air. Teddy noticed she was prepared with gloves.
Alison glanced over at Duncan and smiled. "I'm just here for the adventure."
"And you shall have it," Duncan said grandly, bowing over her hand.
Teddy shook his head. "You are all batshit crazy. Mount up!" he cried, kicking off up into the overcast sky, Niyol following with a sharp crack. Duncan helped Alison with her wobbly start and soon the four of them were hovering in a circle, the thunderbird flying in circles above them. "Disillusionment?"
"Aye, captain." Duncan saluted and tapped himself on the head, virtually disappearing from view. Teddy followed suit, shivering at the sensation of a chilly goop sliding down from the top of his head.
"Teddy Lupin, are you still here?" Niyol called, a tinge of panic in his voice.
"Yes, we're just disguised so Muggles don't see us flying around. We'll follow you, just don't fly too fast." He saw the blurred outline of Kelly come up next to him and he reached out to her, touching her shoulder. "Alison, all right?" he called.
"Yeah! Let's go!" she shouted, sounding completely excited.
"Okay, Niyol, we're ready. Take us to Castle Rock!"
What the fuck could those kids possibly be doing out at goddamn Mt Diablo? Having a picnic? Harry thought as he stood in the garage potions lab, preparing to Apparate. He wasn't overly familiar with the place having only visited a couple of times and he fixed the place in his mind, visualizing the visitor's center as he remembered it. He patted his pockets, making sure the vials Ginny had given him were secure in the inner pocket of his dragonhide jacket.
I'll try him one more time. Harry dialed Teddy's number and once again listened to the message, his godson's cheery voice causing him to frown instead of smile as it usually did. Teddy, coming to meet you, he texted before Apparating out of the potions lab, reappearing a moment later behind the Mt Diablo visitor's center.
It was very cold, the clouds threatening rain and Harry crouched down, wand out as he checked his surroundings. Deserted. Excellent, he thought as he made a quick circuit of the building. There were a few cars in the parking lot, but no one around the immediate area. He noticed the absence of his car. Well, they didn't drive here at any rate. Moving back behind the building, he unwound the strands of Teddy's hair from around his index finger and laid them on his flattened palm.
Taking one more quick look around, he cast the tracking spell and the strands went up in a flash, Harry wrinkling his nose against the smell of burnt hair. A brilliant ribbon of green light sprang up, arching over the low bungalow and away up the mountain. Following it, he walked quickly around to the front of the building, squinting at where the light appeared to disappear into a wooded area.
There was a large map of the park nearby and Harry studied it, tracing the path of Teddy's light from the visitor's center to Castle Rock? What … that feather! Harry flashed back to the day Teddy and Duncan had waltzed in late to his class and he'd had them demonstrate the Poltergeist Containment spell against Oliver and he groaned out loud. "I knew they were up to something! Shit."
Pushing down the instinct to immediately Apparate to that spot and grab Teddy by the ear, Harry took several deep breaths. They're teenagers, they get up to things. It's probably just post-midterms high spirits. They just came up here for a lark or to … make out or something. Why couldn't they have just snogged in the movie theater like every other teenager?
Focusing on the where Teddy's green light seemed to terminate, Harry Apparated, reappearing in a small copse of trees. The tracking spell had expired, but he didn't need it anymore because in a small clearing about thirty feet away were Teddy, Duncan, Kelly and Alison, each holding a broom. Harry felt a wave of relief at the sight of all four of them whole and unhurt. That explains one thing. Thank God they didn't try to Apparate out here.
He was about to stride forward when he caught sight of a huge bird alighting onto a tree branch, bending it nearly to the ground. Hehewuti? No, a different one, he thought, immediately recognizing the creature as a thunderbird. Feeling a prickling on his scalp, he watched as Teddy and his friends huddled together, Alison casting a Warming Charm.
Casting a minor Amplification Charm, Harry listened to their chatter. They're looking for something … some place? he thought, wracking his brain for who they could possibly be looking for out here and why they'd felt the need to do so with subterfuge.
The frigid air rushing past made Teddy's blood sing as he leaned low over the broom handle, keeping Niyol in sight. He had to stop himself from performing a loop-the-loop when Mt Diablo came into sight, the summit covered by gray clouds. His phone in his pocket vibrated and he hoped that it wasn't Harry trying to call him. He'll think we're in the movie and just leave a message.
He looked over to his right, wishing that they weren't Disillusioned and he could fully see Kelly flying next to him instead of a blurry outline. He knew Duncan was to his left and that Alison was behind them. I hope she's doing all right, he thought, not sure how experienced of a flyer she was.
Up ahead, he saw Niyol angle his body down and followed suit. "Descending!" he shouted, hoping the others heard him over the sound of the wind. It looked like they were heading to a wooded area on a section of the mountain. Enhancing his sight, Teddy didn't see any other people around. Not too many people interested in hiking on a day like this. Good. We'll need to fly out as well.
Niyol flew a wide circle over the copse of trees and Teddy saw a clearing in the middle of it. He dispelled the Disillusionment, glad for the warmth that suffused him and gestured down to the clearing. One by one, Duncan, Kelly and finally Alison reappeared and they followed him down into the clearing, lightly touching down on solid ground once more.
"I'm freezing," Alison said, quickly casting a Warming Charm around them as they huddled close together.
"Everyone okay?" Teddy asked, rubbing his hands briskly together to get the feeling back into them. His phone had buzzed a couple more times on the way and he'd ignored it. Get a clue, Harry. In a movie!
"Yeah, I'm fine. That was the farthest I've ever flown!" Kelly said, looking around the clearing with keen interest. An almost perfect circle, short grass covered the ground and Teddy stood very still, enhancing his hearing.
"What're you—" Duncan started, Teddy cutting him off with a sharp shake of his head.
"I was listening before you opened your giant gob," Teddy hissed, returning his hearing to normal.
"You were just standing there," Kelly said with a frown. "I didn't hear anything."
"Well, I can use my ability to enhance my hearing by making the bones and stuff in there more sensitive," Teddy explained, self-consciousness sweeping over him."
"You can do that?" she said, stark amazement in her voice. "What about your vision?"
"Yeah, I can do that, too. S'why they won't let me be a Seeker. They say I have an unfair advantage and I could pick the Snitch out a mile away and no one could tell I was doing it." Teddy grinned at her, pride stealing over him at her awed expression. "Coach figures to keep me too busy at Chaser to go looking for the Snitch."
"Ugh, yes, you're wonderful, we all know," Duncan said as he rolled his eyes. "Can we pay attention to something besides you, now? There's a den we have to find."
Teddy tore his eyes away from Kelly and looked around the clearing. "Are we close to the den entrance?" he asked Niyol.
"I do not know, Teddy Lupin. I have flown over Tuyshtak many times but I have never found the entrance to Coyote's den," he said mournfully. "This place is not too far from where the falcons nest, so I have brought you here."
Teddy shrugged and looked at his friends. "Well, let's look around here and see if we see anything, I guess." They nodded and spread out around the clearing, examining the trees and ground minutely. He put the fretting thunderbird out of his mind, focusing on his surroundings as he sharpened his sight and sense of smell in addition to his hearing. Anything could be a clue, anything … he thought, sharp eyes picking out a bird hidden in a high branch. Anything at all … do I smell apples? He turned his head and saw Kelly about ten feet away, digging in the dirt with a stick.
"Did you find something?" he asked, coming closer, dialing back his sense of smell as her apple-scented shampoo started to clog his nose.
"I thought so, but I think it's just the root of this tree. What about you?"
"I saw a bird in that tree over there, but it was just a little finch."
"I guess we'll have to keep looking. I mean, this place has to mean something, doesn't it?" She stood up and spread her arms. "It's just about a perfect circle."
Teddy turned around, seeing that Duncan and Alison had their heads together, Alison pointing to something on the ground. "Teddy, come here," she said, turning to look at him.
"You find something?" He dropped down on his haunches next to Duncan, the ground in front of them was cast in shadow when Niyol landed on the branch above them. "You're in the light," he said, waving his hand at the thunderbird irritably.
Duncan sighed and lit the tip of his wand, angling it down to the ground. "Look. What do you think? Kind of out of place, huh?"
Teddy reached out and nudged a finger against the lump of metal. It was very cold to the touch and he picked it up, finding it surprisingly heavy for the size. "Gold?"
"Fool's gold," Alison said. "It's all over the place up here, but sort of out of place here."
Teddy stood and handed the lump to Kelly. "What do you think?"
She turned it over in her hands, looking at it from several different angles. "I guess it could be a clue. There aren't any other rocks in this little clearing." She handed it back to him and he noticed that it was warm from her handling.
He held the chunk of metal up to Niyol. "What do you reckon?"
The thunderbird spread his wings and shuffled toward him on the tree branch, giving the iron pyrite a couple of pecks with his beak and Teddy was almost sure he saw sparks. "I do not know, Teddy Lupin. I have seen this rock before, but not here. I am not certain it has anything to do with Coyote, but I am also not certain it does not."
"Well, let's see. We have a drawing of a castle and a peregrine feather …" Teddy said slowly. "Niyol already knew the entrance was somewhere around here. And we have this. A castle, a feather and a lump of fake gold. Brilliant." He looked up at the sky, frowning at the clouds darkening the sky. "I guess we head back up?"
"And look for what?" Duncan asked, handing a broom to Alison.
"Um, well, I guess we could look for something that looks like a castle made out of gold covered in birds?" Teddy said, straddling his broom.
"Oh yeah. I see shit like that all the time," Duncan said, voice dripping sarcasm as he kicked off into the sky.
Harry watched as the foursome took off, wheels turning in his head. Coyote? What does a thunderbird want with Coyote? Is this some sort of revenge plot Niyol's roped Teddy into? Did Hehewuti put him up to this? Noting the direction the kids flew in, Harry Disillusioned himself and Apparated in the same general direction, hoping he'd get some answers soon.
Teddy ducked down close to his broom handle as something buzzed past his head. "What was that?" he shouted, trying to get a look at whatever it was.
"A falcon, Teddy Lupin. They are very territorial and we are close to their nesting grounds," Niyol said, his voice carrying over the rush of the wind.
"Well, I'm not interested in getting knocked out of the sky by one of those!" He waved his finger in a circle above his head and headed downward, aiming for an outcropping of rock. Duncan and Kelly landed neatly, Duncan shooting out a hand to keep Alison from falling over backwards as she pulled up too hard on landing and overbalanced with a loud whoop.
Teddy looked up at the sky, watching as Niyol menaced several of the peregrine falcons flying overhead, diving and swooping until they finally scattered. He landed in the center of the rock they were standing on, looking very proud of himself. "They will leave you alone, Teddy Lupin. I have warned them what will happen if they try to harm you or your friends."
"Thanks. That'll come in handy, I'm sure." Teddy looked around and sighed, his heart sinking. "I guess we'll look around here? Give a shout if you see anything."
"What are we looking for?" Alison asked, holding tightly to her broom.
"Um, well ideally we're looking for a coyote, but I guess anything unusual or something that looks like it's out of place?"
"All righty, then!" Duncan hopped down to the ground, holding out his hand to help Alison down. I hope they're not just going to snog somewhere, Teddy thought as he watched them head off.
"Think they're going somewhere to make out?" Kelly asked, making him give a short bark of laughter.
"I was thinking the exact same thing," he said. He jumped off the rock to the ground, landing with a somersault.
"Coach was right. You are a showboat," Kelly said as she climbed down to stand next to him. She held out her hand and his heart skipped a beat as he took it. "Shall we?"
Teddy had a fleeting thought of asking if she was up for finding a secluded spot to kiss, but then Niyol flapped down next to them and shuffled along the ground in his awkward way, looking at Teddy expectantly. "Yeah, let's head over here and see what's across the way."
They walked along a trail toward a ridge, both of them drawing in a breath at the sight of the valley in front of them. Crowning the opposite ridge was a grouping of sharp-peaked rocks sticking up out of the surrounding greenery. "Wow," Kelly breathed, "that looks cool."
"Yeah it does," Teddy said absently. He squinted and turned his head to the side. "I've seen this …" he murmured, trying to remember why this scene seemed so familiar to him. Wanting the feeling of something in his hand, he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the lump of iron pyrite Duncan and Alison had found earlier, turning it over in his fingers.
"Teddy! Look!" Kelly gasped and grabbed the chunk of metal out of his hand, holding it up in front of him. "Do you see?"
"What? Wait … oh my God." Teddy's eyes widened as he looked at the lump of iron pyrite Kelly held and the vista in front of him, the contours of the metal matching the spires of rock almost exactly. "That must be it!" He looked at her, captivated by her wide grin and before he fully realized what he was doing, he leaned in and kissed her soundly, catching her squeak of surprise.
A moment later, he sprang back from her, mortified at his presumption. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean—"
"It's okay!" she said, surprise still evident in her eyes as she covered her mouth with her hand. "I just wasn't expecting it, I guess."
"Um, well, next time I'll warn you, okay?" Teddy said, giving her what he hoped was a debonair smile, gratified to see the color rise to her cheeks as she wrinkled her nose and grinned back at him.
"We need to get Alison and Duncan over here quick," she said, sticking two fingers into her mouth and letting loose the loudest whistle Teddy had ever heard, making Niyol flap his wings in alarm.
"Teddy Lupin! You have found Coyote's den? We will have the whisker soon?" he asked anxiously as Duncan and Alison came zipping over on their brooms.
"Well, I think we know where to look," Teddy said, holding up the iron pyrite and comparing its shape to the rocks.
"Was that you?" Duncan asked as he landed.
"No, that was Kelly. Come here and look at this." Teddy saw his friend nod appreciatively at Kelly and a surge of pride went through him.
"What am I looking at?" Duncan asked when he stood next to him.
"Look at the pyrite you found and then over there." Teddy gestured to the spires of rock, watching as Duncan looked between the two, eyes going round as realization dawned.
"Holy shit, they're the same! Alison, check this out!"
"Aww, it's like the rock is a miniature! That's awesome!" she said, clapping her hands in delight.
"You think that's where the entrance to the den is?" Duncan asked, squinting at the rock formation on the opposite ridge.
"I think so. Come on, let's get over there!"
Still Disillusioned, Harry stood on the ridge recently vacated by the foursome, hands in the pockets of his coat. The four figures along with Niyol were silhouetted against the steel-gray clouds as they flew toward the rock formation on the other side of the valley. "A whisker. What does a thunderbird want with one of Coyote's whiskers?" he mused out loud.
His phone buzzed and he fished it out of his pocket, smiling at the picture of Ginny and James that was displayed on the screen. "Yes, love?"
"Have you found them?" Ginny asked, her worry coming through loud and clear.
"I have—"
"Why aren't you back yet? Did you take Kelly home to her mum and dad? Is her dad very angry with Teddy?"
"Gin, they're fine," Harry said calmly as he tried to ease her worries.
"Are you at at Mt Diablo? What are they doing there?"
"Well, I'm not entirely sure. Niyol is here with them and—"
"Niyol? Hehewuti's son?"
"Yes. And it—"
"What's he doing there? What's he got Teddy mixed up in?"
"I'd love to tell you what I know, but you keep interrupting me," Harry said, smiling at her sigh. "For some reason they're looking for Coyote and they need to get a whisker from Him."
"What? The Coyote?" Ginny said after a moment of silence. "I'm coming over there."
"No no no, you don't need to come. Stay there with Katie and James, all right?"
"But Harry! Coyote! He's dangerous and unpredictable!" Ginny said, fear for Teddy evident in her voice.
Harry looked toward the four figures silhouetted against the gray clouds, eyes narrowed. "I know He's unpredictable, but He's not usually malicious. They seem to have a pretty good handle on things, to be honest and I'm inclined to see where this goes," he said, wincing at Ginny's gasp.
"You can't be serious. Harry James Potter, you are out of your tree if you think—"
"Gin, love, if he makes full Auror, he'll be facing danger every day," Harry said gently, a tremor running through him at the thought.
Ginny sighed and Harry could all too easily visualize her exasperated expression. "I know, but that's years away. Maybe he'll change his mind."
"I know, love. I know." Harry took a deep breath and looked back up at the sky, noticing that it was starting to get dark. "Listen, I'm here and you know I'd never let anything happen to him, all right?"
"All right. Just … be safe. Keep them all safe."
"It's what I do."
As they approached the towering spires of rock, blessedly unmolested by the peregrine falcons, Teddy looked down and saw that the rock was riddled with little caves and holes. He flew close to Duncan and pointed down, shrugging at his friend's questioning look. "I guess we head down," Teddy said, angling down in a shallow dive.
The four of them landed neatly, including Alison and Teddy gave her a nod before turning to look at the myriad of caverns burrowed into the living rock. "So. Let's review," he said, holding out his right hand with his fingers extended, folding in one for each clue. "Niyol said he's sure Coyote's den is here at Mt Diablo, or Tuyshtak as the Ohlone call it. We found a drawing of a castle and a peregrine feather, so the Castle Rock section of the park seems obvious, right?"
"Right," Duncan echoed, leaning back on his heels to look up, eyes darting from cave to cave.
Teddy folded in a third finger. "And then we get here and you guys found that piece of iron pyrite and the shape of it uncannily matches this place." Another finger down, leaving only one finger up.
Kelly looked up, narrowing her eyes at the caves. "It sure does seem like we've been led here, doesn't it?"
"I don't see a red carpet, though, do you?" Teddy said, exasperation creeping into his voice.
"Teddy Lupin, what is—" Niyol began and Teddy cut him off with a shake of his head.
"Never mind. What I'm saying is that we've obviously been led to this spot, but which one is His den? Do we just sit out here and wait for Him to show up?"
"Maybe we have to call Him?" Alison said, turning around in a circle as she looked up at the sky.
"Do you have His phone number?" Alison stuck her tongue out at Kelly who stuck hers out in return.
"No, duh. I meant like if we have to do like a ritual or something, you know?"
Teddy frowned and looked to Niyol, perched on a nearby tree branch. "Any rituals you know? Is there a password or something? Open Sesame?"
"I do not know 'open sesame', Teddy Lupin. I know that if you find Coyote's den, He will appear and grant the finder a boon." His head and shoulders drooped down, making him look the very image of dejection. "Perhaps He has deemed my quest unworthy and will not allow Himself to be found."
Teddy patted Niyol gently on one massive wing, his heart going out to the young thunderbird. "Don't give up yet. We'll take a look in these caves and see if we see anything, all right?" He looked up at the sky once more, noticing that it was getting darker. "We'll have to be fast, though; we're losing daylight."
"Okay, we'll split it into quadrants," Duncan said, sketching glowing lines in the air with his wand. "Teddy, you take that group over there." He pointed to the caves that were furthest from the ground. "Kelly, those are yours, I'll do these and Alison gets the ones down here." He pointed at Niyol. "You keep the peregrines off our backs."
The other three were about to take off when Teddy held up his hand. "Just take a quick look inside the caves. Don't go in or go in too far, all right? Coyote's den isn't exactly on the same, um, plane as us and I don't want any of you to get lost." He grinned at Kelly. "I don't feel like explaining to your mum and dad that you somehow ended up in Flagstaff!"
The others murmured agreement and flew up to their designated areas. Teddy did a quick assessment of his area. Awfully high up off the ground. I don't know how Coyote would even get in and out of these, he thought as he flew closer to a likely-looking cave. He peered in, enhancing his vision and using the lit tip of his wand, disappointed to see that it only went back about ten feet. It was full of pine needles and droppings, though, so he was pretty sure something used it, but he wasn't sure what.
Teddy continued his searching, keeping an eye on Kelly as she searched her caves. Nothing. None of these go anywhere. Unless there's a spell or something? He waved his wand for a Detect Magic just in case there was something hidden in the far back of the one he hovered in front of, desperately hoping for a blue glow. Disappointment crashed over him and he went to check his last one when he heard Alison give a shout.
"What? What is it? Do you see something?" he yelled as he flew down to her, nearly crashing into Niyol.
"Look! It's a little raccoon family! Awwww!" she said, pointing her lit wand at the agitated mother and chittering babies.
Teddy bit back a groan and scowled. "Any of you find anything?" The other three shook their heads as they backed away from the raccoon family. Teddy landed and sat down in the dirt with a thump, casting his broom aside as he lay back, staring up at the cloudy sky.
"Um, what do you want to do, man?" Duncan asked hesitantly.
"I want to find that den and get that whisker, but … I don't … see …" he said, trailing off as the waning afternoon sun broke through the clouds, sending down eerie crepuscular rays. His eyes roamed over the rock face towering over them and he gasped, sitting straight up. "Gold!"
"What?" Duncan asked sharply, looking up.
"Gold! See it? Hurry, before the sun goes away again!" Quick as a flash, Teddy grabbed his broom and was airborne, arrowing straight for a narrow crack in the granite. Surrounding the crack was the glittering shine of gold, something all of the other caves lacked.
"Oh my God, it is!" Kelly exclaimed, hovering next to him.
"Son of a bitch," Duncan breathed in amazement. "Is this it?"
"It has to be, doesn't it? Castle, falcons, gold, right?" Teddy felt like he was a teakettle about to boil over and he worked to keep from hyperventilating.
"But it's so small!" Alison said, "how could a coyote or anything else get in there?"
Teddy looked at the crack in the rock. It was roughly triangle-shaped, wider at the bottom than it was at the top and the bottom looked like it was maybe big enough for James to crawl into. They hadn't even counted it as a cave to be checked and he flew closer, poking the lit tip of his wand into the hole.
"Be careful!" Kelly warned, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Do you see anything?" Duncan asked eagerly, almost pushing him out of the way.
"It looks like it goes way back," Teddy said, excitement surging through him. He sat up straight on his broom. "I'm going in."
"What? You can't fit in there!" Alison exclaimed.
"Teddy Lupin, if you go in, I will not be able to follow you," Niyol said, distress clear in his voice.
"What if you get lost?"
"I won't go in too far. Hold on." He flew down to the ground and went behind a tree, hiding himself from view. Being a Metamorphmagus is great, he thought as he concentrated on making himself smaller, but too bad I can't do my clothes at the same time! When he figured he was small enough to fit in the tiny cave entrance, he did a quick Shrinking Charm on his clothes and hopped back on his broom when he was decent again.
Kelly and Alison gasped in amazement when they saw his transformation and Teddy saw Duncan roll his eyes. "Tah-dah," he said, spreading his arms wide. Niyol swooped in for a closer look, eyeing him dubiously.
"Teddy Lupin, I knew you were a Changer, but I did not expect this," he said in his serious voice.
"Just keeping you on your toes." He saw Niyol look down at his impressive talons and open his beak, but Teddy went on. "Okay, so I'm going to go in there and I guess see what I see."
"Wait. What if you, um, end up on another plane or something?" Kelly asked. "What if you get stuck or something?"
"Oh, I know! Here." Duncan waved his wand and a rope appeared tied tightly around Teddy's diminished waist, the other end held firmly in Duncan's hand.
"Infinite Rope?" Teddy asked, hefting it in his own hand. It was sturdy and he knew impossible to break.
Duncan nodded and winked at him. That particular spell had come in handy on a few of their adventures. "Aw yeah."
Teddy turned back toward to opening in the rock, turning around at the touch of Kelly's hand on his shoulder. "Um, be careful, okay?"
The sun was still shining, lighting up her blonde hair like a halo and his throat constricted, making him swallow convulsively. He really wanted to kiss her, but he felt weird with her so much larger than he was at present, so he just nodded. "Yeah, I will."
Well I'll be, Harry thought wonderingly as he watched the kids cluster around the small opening in the rock. Looks like they might have found it after all. He saw Teddy fly down and land close to him and the stood very still. Disillusionment wasn't perfect, but Harry wasn't terribly worried about being seen given how distracted Teddy was at the moment.
With dawning realization, he watched as Teddy used his magic to make himself smaller. He's going in. He's going to go into that cave and end up God knows where! Do I let him? God, he'd never forgive me. Harry's instincts were on overdrive and he closed his eyes, focusing on remaining calm and resisting the impulse to summon Teddy's broom and give his godson a dressing down he'd never forget.
Like I told Gin, Coyote's generally not malicious and Kelly's right, they have pretty much been led here. Niyol wants a whisker for some damned reason and he's roped Teddy into getting it for him. Let's see how this plays out, no need to panic … yet.
Heart pounding, he watched as Teddy rejoined his friends and Duncan cast an Infinite Rope Charm around his godson's waist. Okay, so they're at least using some caution. High above him, his godson went into the small cave and Harry stood, wand at the ready.
Even though he was a lot smaller, Teddy still had to crouch down in the mouth of the cave, his wand casting a pale light against the rough rock walls. The floor was dry and covered with fine dirt and he turned around, giving the anxious faces clustered around the cave entrance a thumbs up.
"Don't go in too far, okay? You don't want to end up in Flagstaff or something," Kelly called out to him, making him smile.
"I'll be back before you know it!" I hope. He faced the tunnel and started forward, hoping that he'd be able to stand up straight soon. Enhancing his hearing and sight, he paid close attention to the walls, alert for any sounds or tunnel branches. The roof of the tunnel rose steadily until he could finally stand up straight, though it was much lower than his natural almost six-foot height.
The tunnel began to curve and he paused for a moment, making sure the rope was still secure around his waist. He looked back, the entrance of the tunnel a small smudge of light and he took a deep breath, moving forward once more. It's a lot darker here on the other side of the curve. I hope I'm not walking toward a cliff or something. He angled his wand light toward the ground, concentrating on it so hard that he nearly crashed into the solid stone wall that was suddenly in front of him.
"What? Oh, great," he groaned, seeing the two arches on either side of the stone wall he'd nearly whacked his head on. "Now what?" He stood contemplating the two arches. He dispelled his wand light, plunging himself into darkness so complete that he couldn't see his hand in front of his face even with his enhanced vision.
Disappointed that neither archway had any light coming from it, he relit his wand and stood in front of the arch on the left, straining to hear any faint sound and hearing nothing. Standing in front of the arch on the right, he had a faint sense of air blowing against his face. "I guess we'll go with this one," he said out loud, heading down the new tunnel. Am I in Flagstaff yet? Or at least Winslow? The oppressive silence was making him uneasy and thinking about Winslow made him think of that Eagles song, so he started whistling Take It Easy, feeling a little bit better.
Continuing on, Teddy thought about Coyote and Niyol, hoping that he'd be able to convince Coyote to give him the whisker. I know Niyol said that Coyote would grant the finder a boon, but He is the Trickster, so I can't take that for granted. What if He challenges me to a duel or something? Does He duel? I don't even know if I could beat Him …
Lost in his thoughts, Teddy gave a startled jump when he felt something brush up against his leg. "What—" he cried, looking down, mouth falling open in amazement at the coyote trotting next to him.