Disclaimer: see chapter 1
"Where or rather when are we now?" asked Harry trying to stay calm. The truth of the matter was that he wasn't entirely happy with being dragged along against his will on a journey he had sort of planned when he was a child. He knew however, that being angry wouldn't help anyone. Besides, Galatea obviously knew what she was doing.
"A building." Said Galatea quietly
"Obviously but where and when?" asked Portia taking in the brick walls. It looked almost like Hogwarts but the magic of this place was different. It didn't hum as magic usually did when noticed. This magic seemed to sing, to entrance with some of other worldly power.
"Here! Just shut up. We need to be very quiet." Said Galatea thrusting a piece of paper at Portia before quietly disillusioning herself and the others. Persephone knew that magic like this was above the capabilities of any fifteen year old but said nothing. She wondered if this really was Galatea, or the Galatea she knew. She decided not to rock the boat until she knew what was going on. She was only twelve and therefore scared but her fear had brought a sort of clarity to her thoughts. She has one focus; going home.
"How did you do that?" asked Portia lacking the planning that Persephone seemed to possess even at twelve.
"With magic." Said Galatea as she led them down the darkened hallway. Portia was so absorbed into the paper that she almost got separated from them. This was some sort of list but a list of what she didn't know. These were times, dates, places, items, and seemingly random facts but she knew that they were important somehow. She also knew that Galatea must have had a copy of the list. They walked down a darkened corridor not knowing that they had set off a silent alarm.
"Now what exactly do you think you're doing?" asked the boring voice of Owen Burnett, otherwise known as Puck, as he flicked the light on. He had felt the very twinges of magic a moment ago but now it seemed to bombard him. These people were magical but still young, he could take them.
"Leave us be." Said Galatea forming a barrier between him and her family. She reached into her satchel, the other assumed this was for her wand and took theirs out even though they assumed this was a muggle, but instead she pulled out an iron bell.
"A bell?" said Owen Burnett is his calm, dull voice. Puck on the other hand felt some panic. He now knew who this was but he hadn't seen her in years. She must have just now gotten the gate.
"I know who and what you are." Said Galatea cooly. The others just exchanged confused looks and shoulder shrugs.
"Do you now. I know who you are Lady Black." Said Owen with just the hint of smugness. He missed this about her; the arrogance she seemed to radiate. It was barely present now but she was young.
"You claim to know me but you address me by a title you know I can never possess." Said Galatea
"Yet, you aren't a Lady yet." Said Owen looking at the traces of the woman he knew, knows, will know? This was giving him a headache. Harry moved to act but Portia gave him a look as if to say that Galatea had everything under control and they should enjoy the show. Or maybe she just didn't want to break the statute of secrecy.
"Just let us be. I know for a fact that your…employer…is out of the castle flying around in a mechanical gargoyle. Said Galatea hoping that the information she had was correct. It sounded absolutely absurd even for her but it had been written down and left in the Grimorum.
"What the hell is going on!" said Portia breaking what she communicated to Harry. She had felt that Galatea had it all under control but that was just absurd. She had never been known for her patience anyway and she wanted, needed to know where she was, when she was, and why she was there. Persephone squeezed her hand tightly. Portia took this as reissuance; if Persephone wanted to shut her up she would have squeezed harder.
"The sister?" asked Owen. The last he saw her was in the sixties. She was older and had only Galatea with her. He didn't remember her being outspoken then. Calmer, colder, scary even but not brazen. She must have grown out of it.
"Cousin. The younger one is my sister." Said Galatea sizing him up. She knew what he was and she also knew what she had to do. For her title, her future, and her offspring everything rode on this. It was a bit of a burden knowing the future but she had given herself this cross to bear for a reason.
"If I tell you she'll get pissed. Trust me, go with it." Said Owen still eyeing the bell still grasped in Galatea's hand.
"Give it to me I'm on a schedule." Said Galatea. Harry opened his mouth to once again tell her that she had all the time in the world but thought against it.
"Bring it back before the night is out." Said Owen. He disappeared and then reappeared with something in an ornate box.
"Tell me what the bloody hell is going on!" said Portia hexing the box out of his hands. She pointed her and at him but Owen just gave a flick of his wrist and disarmed her. This seemed to wake Harry and Persephone out of their stupor and they let out the most powerful hexes they could. Owen deflected them easily. That is until Galatea began to ring the bell.
"Don't you three know I can handle things? Myself. When I want your help I'll ask for it." Said Galatea still ringing the bell with an odd look of enjoyment on her face.
"The ring of an iron bell can kill a fey." Said Persephone quietly. The wheels in her head were turning as she took in everything. Avalon. Their childhood plans. The pieces were coming together. Harry understood what was happening now but it didn't reassure him of anything. He wanted to go home, back to safety. The thirst for adventure he had before seemed to dry out the instant it actually happened. Maybe he was a coward. Maybe he was never the Gryffindor he was for those few months when he was eleven. He was right, thirteen was a terrible age.
"Took you long enough to figure it out." Said Owen as the ringing stopped. He got up and turned into Puck with much overkill.
"The boy I saw…"said Portia quietly thinking about the previous night. It felt like a hundred years ago. For all she knew it very well could have been.
"Never you mind that." Said Galatea cutting her off with a flick of her hand. She picked up the box and tucked it into her shoulder bag along with the Grimorum and Phoenix Gate.
"So we came to…here… to attack a fey posing as a mortal to steal a fancy box?" asked Portia cocking her eyebrow in questioning.
"It probably what's in the box that we're after." Said Harry finding his cracking voice. He felt some sort of power coming from it. He seemed to feel it in his scar like when he was young only this wasn't pain. It was more of a pull.
"Right you are Harry. Right you are." Said Galatea getting the Phoenix Gate
"Harry? Harry P-" started Puck. Before he could say anything Galatea gave the bell a good hard ring.
"Keep it to yourself." Whispered Galatea quietly. Before her family both present and future could question her she activated the Phoenix Gate and disappeared.