Chapter Forty-Five:
Underground
From the misty grey clouds, after hours of awkward silence, the top of the buildings became visible amongst the foggy city. London, lovely and huge and grey as they ever remembered it, the glimmering streets and wide sidewalks still held that erudite atmosphere despite the utter devastation… Jack, Hiccup and Toothless reached the city before the sun peaked at noon. Once they were close enough to the imposing buildings in Westminster, the trio disappeared into a hidden alley behind some rather shabby looking offices. Much to Toothless's displeasure, they cast him the concealing charm and began changing into their muggle clothes; Jack fetched a nice pair of jeans and a dark jacket, while Hiccup slipped into his dark combat pants and brown leather vest. Sneaking Toothless into his chest pocket, the boys strolled off the alley conspicuously.
The sidewalk and pavement were taken over by untamable weed, a decadent look splashed from the dusty window displays to the cracked concrete. Still, Hiccup noted that more people dared to sneak out to the streets — far less than the massive crowd he remembered roaming around London regularly, yet more than he had gotten used to in his many months of hiding with Astrid.
"I don't assume we can use the old visitor's way in, can we?" Hiccup whispered, yet Jack didn't look his way.
"Wouldn't be the brightest idea, no…" He replied as they stepped towards some spiked black railings flanking two flights of steps, one leading to an old door labelled Gentlemen, the other, Ladies. They sped off down the steps to the Gentlemen' until they entered what appeared to be an ordinary underground public toilet — the grimy black and white tiles were now taken by graffiti and vines. "There are always some knackers around here…" Jack mumbled, and then his face contorted into a nasty grimace. "Gods, this stinks…"
The putrid smell of urine had both boys closing their nostrils. Inside the bathrooms, a group of teenage punks startled up with the sudden invasion. "Oi! What ye doin' down here?" One rather unpleasant adolescent voice harshed their ears. "This is—"
There was a swoosh and a flash, and like someone had flicked a switch, every other boy in that place froze, as if struck by a sudden blizzard. Hiccup turned to Jack next to him, dumbstruck, while the other boy merely shrugged.
"Hell, did I miss doing that…" Jack said, finally letting out a smirk.
Hiccup rolled his eyes, shaking his head before stepping towards the toilet cubicle. "Wouldn't it be easier just disapparating here?" He asked as Jack locked the door to their cubicle, shutting them in.
"That's something I've always wanted to try," Jack had a new, vivid expression, looking around himself in wonder as though he were seeing something Hiccup could not. His hand found the chain string dangling from the flush, and he let out a winning grin. "Here, we'll go together."
And much to Hiccup's dismay, the boy stepped up to the toilet seat, sinking his feet squarely in the water. "Ugh…" Hiccup grimaced in disgust…
"Come on, Azel and Merida are waiting!" Jack snapped, waking Hiccup out of his stupor and yanking the boy by the collar of his jacket to the top of the toilet bowl with him. "Astrid once told me how these can get us to the Ministry; I kinda hoped she was kidding, though."
Hiccup supported himself strangely in the cubicle, both his and Jack's feet bundled together into the toilet bowl — yet he did not feel an inch of his skin wet. Looking up at the boy's face, he noticed a glint he did not remember being there, that youthful Jack seemed to resurface on his adventurous features…
"Ready?" Jack asked, but not giving him any chance to reply as he reached for the rusted metal chain, his other hand reaching for Hiccup's, before flushing the toilet. Hiccup barely had time to acknowledge the unwelcome electricity of Jack's hand in his, for the next thing he knew, they were zooming out of the dark, tiled toilet cubicle and spinning aimlessly towards a blacker, darker path, emerging out of a fireplace into the Ministry of Magic.
Jack and Hiccup got up clumsily; Toothless gave out tiny draconian puffs from inside Hiccup's pocket. The boy, however, was gazing in wonder at the place they had entered. It must have been a rather splendid hall while active — the once polished wooden floor was now black and dusty, rocks and sand seemed to scatter around the corridors. Looking up, the peacock blue ceiling was inlaid with gleaming golden symbols that kept moving and changing, like some enormous heavenly noticeboard, but their pathways were all broken, and the pictograms apparently did not know where to go, bumping against each other repeatedly.
Further down the atrium, there was a circular pool where whatever remained of golden wizard statues, far bigger than human size, were now collapsed into a pile of rocks. The windows on the many offices surrounding the atrium had been blown off, chunks of the walls missing as though raided by cannons and bombs — which was more likely the truth… What scared Hiccup the most, however, were the several marks of blood around the floor…
"The few followers of the Dark Order raided the Ministry only weeks after the Raptum… Muggles couldn't really find this place, even though Drago Bloodvist tried giving them their location…" Said Jack, eyeing the broken statues. "I was still on the run from the Order, back then…" He looked down to his shoes. "Had I known what would happen…"
"It wasn't your fault." Hiccup said stoic, but it offered little solace. Jack nodded silently, the heaviness of the moment began to feel suffocating… Hiccup distracted himself by pulling Toothless from his chest pocket, resting the tiny dragon on his palm. "I know you're scared, pal…" Hiccup said soothingly, Toothless big green eyes were wide open at the scenery.
"Keep him small," Jack added. "If anyone comes, they won't be expecting Toothless — he's our element of surprise."
Toothless gave an indignant puff from his rider's freckled hand, but Hiccup only petted the dragon cautiously. "He's right bud, I can't risk getting you exposed now…"
"Let's get the portkey," said Jack, frowning heavily in concentration. He picked the silver spoon, setting it on the ground as Hiccup retrieved his wand.
They cast the spell silently, and the spoon shook and flashed once with a thin, whistle-like sound. Then it began floating, spinning and before them, three figures materialised, two of them women, and one half-man, half-horse.
"We're never doin' this again," Stated Merida in her thick accent as she pulled herself off the floor. "I did not like 'dis ther first time already!"
Angus, the centaur, shook his head a few times to gather his senses again. "Indeed a rather terrible form of transportation… I'd much rather gallop…"
"There's no time for galloping," Jack said as he helped the centaur to return to a less compromising positing, tossing until he was no longer sprawled on the floor.
He then turned to help the brown mop of hair he thought to be Azel…
Hermione Granger had already wandered towards the middle of the atrium, contemplating the circular pool before her. Jack stared in shock, watching as the Minister gazed at the ruins of the old Ministry.
"The gate we're looking for is at the bottom of the last department," She said. "In the Department of Mysteries… a place I'd sworn I'd never go back to…"
"Where's Azel?"
The witch then turned back to face Jack. "How was it that you arrived here without any Aurors tracking you down?" Jack was ready to retort, but she resumed before he could answer, "What did you tell Dean to make him release you from the tracking-spell? You didn't hurt him, did you—"
"I'm asking you, where is Azel." It was not a question, but a command.
"She could not come. Not to where we're going, and I can't tell you why just yet. Dean, Jack, on the other hand; only the caster can revoke the tracking spell," Said Granger. "But you already knew it, didn't you?"
Merida's face grew scarlet in rage: "There's no need ter go after Jack like tha', woman—ugh!" Merida was stopped by Jack, who gently pulled her to his side.
"I didn't torture Dean. He's had his reasons to trust me and so do you; I brought you to Hiccup. I fought the Order last night." said Jack, holding a fuming Merida by her elbow. "So before you make any more assumptions whether I've tortured people or betrayed our deal, I suggest you keep in mind that I am, for all effects, dying here, Granger, and I've got no time for your scepticism."
She nodded at last, convinced. "Your friend is fine. I guess we'll both only have each other's words to go for…"
"You know Gothel will be waiting for us, she's had an advantage."
Granger nodded, determined. "Let's go. The Department of Mysteries is this way."
The group ventured towards the corridors, and all the time, Granger's strong face seemed to give off, as if she was keeping herself from having a breakdown. It was rather unnerving, as Angus and Merida exchanged conspiratory glances to each other.
Hiccup sped up to Jack's pace: "So you had a deal with Granger…" He whispered, and Jack could not tell whether he expressed disappointment or indifference.
"It was the only way to get to you," Jack replied simply.
"Get a room yer two, wont'ya?" Boomed Merida behind them.
They reached a smaller hall with at least twenty lifts behind wrought golden grilles, still waiting to be used after all this time, lit dimly by small torches whose fire danced weakly.
"Choose me!" Said one of the lifts, shaking lightly with a heavy metallic sound, like an engine long deprived of usage.
"No, not him, choose me, I'm faster." Said another one, with a more feminine — although far from pleasing — voice.
"How dare she, you were the last one used not two years ago…"
"And for a very good reason, I dare say." The lift kept on arguing until, done waiting, they all sort of packed themselves inside the more welcoming, feminine one, Angus trying to make himself as small as possible into the cubicle — it was a rather claustrophobic arrangement.
"Department of Mysteries, please," ordered Hermione Granger, and the grills slid shut with a rattle.
Except perhaps for Granger, all the others were taken aback when the lift began moving, juddering sideways first instead of down. "It's been such a long time, it feels nice to stretch my chains…" Said a pleasant feminine voice, so present with them it was like an invisible woman stood in the lift with them. Granger's expression showed no changes whatsoever. "Level Seven, Department of Magical Games and Sports, deactivated."
"This still hurts to hear," Muttered Granger grievingly.
"Level Six, Department of Magical Transportation, Deactivated… Level Five, Department of International Magical C0-operation, deactivated… Level Four, Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, deactivated…" As they descended, squashed into that tiny lift, short gaps of light were visible, corridors of former functioning sectors… It was hard to imagine them all bustling with life once. "Level Three, Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, deactivated… Level Two, Department Magical Law Enforcement, Deactivated… Level One, Department of Mysteries."
The lift stopped with a sudden, unwarned halt.
Next to them, the other lift came rattling down after its companion. "I couldn't help myself, I'm too emotional… it's been too long with no use, I had to at least follow you up close..." Cried the machine.
"Wands ready," warned Granger, although it was unnecessary: everyone gripped their wands tightly in preparation. "If the Department of Mysteries is not deactivated, then that means someone else is here."
Then she walked out of the lift, into the dark corridors. The walls were bare, mostly resembling the ones in the dungeons back at Hogwarts. Jack stepped out after the Minister, followed by Hiccup. Merida was at the rear with Angus, who still wobbled on his horse-legs, unadjusted to the strange sort of travelling. They descended the cavernous place until they found a grim looking black door.
They were in a large circular room, so sinisterly dark, yet blue torches faintly illuminated the place. As soon as Angus finished wobbling through, lowering his torso to the maximum of his ability not to hit the top of the door frame, all the doors began spinning in a blur. Like a sinister carousel all doors circled the room until they stopped with a halt again, for the lack of a more smooth break. Hiccup counted at least twelve doors.
"Great," muttered Jack. "Now how do we know which one?"
"Assertively," Replied Granger simply. "We'll have to try each and every single one of them."
To each of the twelve doors they tried, they marked the wrong ones with a spell, drawing a red X on the wood, and the doors would spin again. The doors led to rooms filled with the most absurd sceneries — a dark chamber with glass tanks holding several brains; an endless pitch-black corridor with shelves of blue crystal balls… At last, Hermione gave an 'ah-ha' at one at what must have been the seventh door.
This was a courtroom of fairly large size, dimly lit and rectangular, and its centre was sunken, forming a great stone pit some twenty feet deep. They were standing on the highest tier of what seemed to be stone benches running all around the room and descending in teep steps like an amphitheatre. There was a raised stone dais in the centre of the pit, on which stood a stone archway that looked so ancient, cracked and crumbling that they were amazed the thing was still standing. Unsupported by any surrounding wall, the archway was hung with a tattered black curtain or veil which, despite the complete stillness of the cold surrounding air, was fluttering very slightly as though it had just been touched… the group exchanged a glance, checking whether they were all there, breathing, safe…
And they found they weren't alone.
"Very well, Jackson…" Gothel's seductive velvet voice made itself heard, like a sly cat purring to its prey.
All eyes turned to the centre of the pit where, as if emerging from the shadows, two figures surfaced — the woman's wild black curls framing her slender and curvy body. On the other side, the monstrous figure of the Obscurial Jack recognised, the one he feared worst than all others: Drago Bloodvist, sporting his heavy leather cloak, his face horribly covered in scars and cuts, as if he had won dozens of violently bloody battles, which was probably the truth…
Hermione had her wand trained at Gothel. "How did you—?"
"Escape Gringotts?" Gothel laughed. "I apologise, your honour, but you've failed to see I've been right where I needed to be this whole time…"
"Oh, Merlin's sake, here we go again…" Jack mumbled, dropping his head as he massaged his forehead. "You're gonna call it fate, I'll call it a dragon, or a teaspoon… We're here now, just where we're meant to be, and I just can't stress how unpleasant it is to see you two."
The casualty in which he spoke to the other Obscurials did little to help calming down Hiccup's nerves.
"Ye've brought the Dragon Rider…" Bloodvist sounded much darker, infinitely more sinister, and his voice alone brought shivers of fear onto Merida and Hiccup. He stepped forward into the light, revealing his horribly scarred face. "It ends to-night."
"Jay-zus!" Exclaimed Jack, rolling his eyes. "Not that I don't admire the theatre, but could we skip the part y'all explain why fate is driving us here and how my attempts are futile and all—"
"You dare frolick with fate, boy?" Barked Bloodvist;
To which Jack snorted. "When you say frolick you make it sound much more weird."
"You understand it now, Jackson…" Began Gothel, drawing out the words with malicious pleasure. "You can avoid fate, deny it all you want… It'll always bring you here, back to where you need to be…"
Jack saw it then, resting above her collar bones was something he'd never seen before: a silver locket with a beautiful, intricate pattern, something he was sure only a Goblin's craft could design — he'd found the stolen loot at last.
"Fancy necklace you've found," he started. "Stolen straight from the Goblins' tent, what do you need that for?"
Gothel smiled. "Stalling won't prevent us from crossing through to the Underworld."
"We're not lettin' yer go alone." Merida had her wand aimed at Dagur. "If we have ter fight yer through, we will."
"You've destroyed the Black Army's camp for it," Jack pointed to the locket on Gothel's neck. "You've stormed into Gringotts; y'all nearly killed Seamus. I don't know what it holds but it means something."
Gothel studied his face for a moment, and even in darkness, he noticed she held cruel yet beautiful features…
"What this holds allows me to pierce the veil." She said at last. "This dais is built upon the weakest point between our world and the world of the dead. It used to be that God's favourites were enabled to cross back and forth between worlds, but I'm not so lucky… This charm will attach me to life when I step through it…"
"Just you?" Said Jack. "Not a very smart plan, what will you do in Hell all by yourself?"
"Me and those I desire." She added simply. "And currently, none of you have a place on my list."
"You know what'll happen if you try to enter the veil," said Hermione now in wonder. The other three Obscurials looked at her questioningly. "It'll kill you if you cross it…"
"To enter the domains of death with a living body, of course it'll kill you, silly girl..." Replied Gothel viciously. "To enter a place of death, you must cease to live first."
From the corner of her eye, Gothel caught Merida raising her wand ever so higher. She smiled even broader, a mocking tone completely breaking Merida's resolution. "Cast your best to curse, girl, hurt either of us."
"Don't do it," Hiccup's hand lowered Merida's. "You'll hurt Jack."
As Merida eyed from the boy to the Obscurials before her, puzzled, the lady Obscurial gave an even more satisfied laughter. "You've figured it out then. We can't hurt each other. Unless you don't care about hurting poor Jackson here."
"I'd let them," Hissed Jack, but he grew silent when he felt calloused fingers wrapping around his wrist, and his heart beat warmly as he realised they were Hiccup's. "Honour our deal then." Jack said then. "They won't hesitate to curse either of us to hell, I've made sure of that. They're not letting you enter hell alone. We're looking for one person only, so let us all in."
Gothel seemed to ponder on his terms. "And what guarantees do I have that you won't turn on us as we all dive into hell?" She held no sense of fear whatsoever. For Gothel, it was like one hugely entertaining game. It was Granger who answered, however, her voice shaking:
"Because we still have something you don't; we know the price that must be paid to cross through the portal."
Gothel's eyes lingered on Granger's. "If it is a price of blood, then you have brought blood to spare."
One of the Obscurials exploded then — and it wasn't Gothel's.
Jack realised he had never fought Drago before, and he thanked his luck: his Obscurial was so sinisterly dark and dense, a storm of fury and chaos. There was no spell that could hold back the unsurmountable blackness of his curse: when it was done, Merida, Angus and Hiccup were pinned down to the ground, held under what looked like burning black strings of charring magic. Granger and Jack were thrown to the floor, right before the stone archway. As they scattered for their wands, gasping for air, Gothel walked to them in heavy steps.
"Do you really believe your numbers can overpower us? That you and your plans and this little magic you're unworthy of casting… do you really think it will save you?" She began, grabbing Hermione's wand and throwing it over her shoulder. "You're so desperate to control, to lead… yet, you're reminded of how powerless you are; what makes you think you can control us? What makes you think you can control them?" She gestured to Hiccup, Merida and Angus, who still struggled to escape the burning ropes cast by Drago's obscurial.
Jack's mind rushed for an exit… there was no use fighting Gothel, much less fighting Drago… he looked all around him, half of him listening to the woman and half of him waiting for a window of opportunity to get them all out of there alive…
"You still need the Guardian of Shadows." Jack said, trying to hold Gothel's gaze. She eyed him half amused, half suspicious.
"You've brought him to us already," questioned Gothel, intrigued – every second Jack managed to stall her was precious… His mind was sharply clear. "What is your play?"
"You've said he didn't know it yet. You said he didn't know he was the Guardian of Shadows. That's where you're wrong."
Hiccup eyed Jack sceptical then. "What are you…?"
"His arm," Jack didn't let Hiccup interrupt him, his plan nearly perfectly formulated, if only with a tiny bit of luck… "Check his arm and you'll see."
With a menacing look, Gothel walked towards the Dragon Rider, her eyes squinted into slits as she yanked the boy's wrists, sliding his sleeves upwards — the thick mark of the cut Hiccup had inflicted in himself was still red and infected, and in a moment Gothel understood.
"He's been to Sheol..." She whispered, eyes widened now in wonder.
"And he came out of it. Unlike Erebos, who never did. So if you plan on getting in and out of there alive, you take us all, or no deal." Jack said finally.
He had finally caught her attention. Bloodvist remained impassive. "You bow down to the boy's demands, foolish woman…"
Gothel raised her hand to Bloodvist, silencing him. Too quickly then, she stormed towards Hiccup, her long fingers holding his face:
"What was the offering? When you entered Hell for the first time, what did you have to leave behind?"
Hiccup stared at her confused at first, and then enlightenment filled his features. "Abandon all hope." He answered.
Gothel's eyes trained back to the dais, the archway still waiting for them.
"Release them." Said Gothel then, letting Go of Hiccup's face. She walked up towards Jack with murder in her eyes, "Should you step out of line, we'll start killing each of your little friends here."
At once, Hiccup, Merida and Angus were released from their charring strings, their arms stinging from the burning ties. Gothel pointed her wand to Hiccup, there was a sharp flash and a hiss: A deep cut had formed in the inner side of his elbow.
"You, to the portal, now!" She hissed, her wand ready at Hiccup as the wizard held his own arm, walking to the stone archway with a determined face. Hiccup's blood dripped on the stone floor, and when he finally made it to the veil, his face lit up in a hazed expression.
"I can hear them…" He barely whispered, suddenly entranced by the veil. What it was that he heard, nobody could tell.
"What do they say?" Inquired Gothel when Hiccup's expression did not change; if anything he gave an even more mesmerised look to the wall…
"This one wants a trade…" He whispered dreamingly. "A life for a life…"
"What is this?" Gothel questioned, increasingly more annoyed. Seeing her focus had shifted, Jack silently bent to yank Hermione's wand from the ground, nudging it back to its owner. His own wand wasn't much further away…
A small weight pressed on Jack's shoulder, and it took him two seconds to see him there: Toothless, miniature sized, innocently waiting next to his face, his big green eyes staring at him in wonder. Merida and Angus grouped together, watching the scene before them as it unfolded... "Hurry," Jack whispered.
"Legilimens!" Said Hermione.
And then Bloodvist screamed.
It was a horrible roar, filled with pain and agony, and everyone jumped where they stood. The Obscurial had his hands on his head, crushing his eardrums so tightly that it looked like he wanted to crush his own skull.
"Hiccup, get down!" Hermione roared next to Jack, and all heads turned to her as she aimed a hex at Gothel, missing only by the witch's expertise. Gothel dodged the spell, ready to cast another counter curse at Hermione when Jack finally saw his window off opportunity: Now!
Jack lept forwards, snatching his wand from the ground — Gothel had seen him too late, for he already had it pointed at Toothless:
"Essentio!" Jack roared, and before anyone could prepare for what came next, Toothless emerged from the shadows, magnificent and vicious, the guttural sound that preceded the fire echoing in the amphitheatre. Gothel had only enough time to throw herself out of harm's way, before Bloodvist was engulfed in the flames.
The agony filled Jack the same way it had before, that burning pain stunning him completely like he was catching fire instead of Bloodvist — there was only this fire, flaring his mind into madness…
Something warm took hold of Jack's hand: Hiccup's calloused fingers returned to Jack's, and that was the only thing that could yank the boy back to reality — a touch from Hiccup's skin, pulling him out of his agony and back into the mayhem in the amphitheatre. Hiccup dragged him towards the archway.
Drago screamed again — the putrid smell of burnt flesh and death filling his nostrils. Another strike of pain flared his skin, engulfing him — he did see Bloodvist erupting into the Obscurial once more, Gothel cowering away from danger, screaming in pain as both her and Jack felt Drago's skin burning off its flesh... A deafening rumble shook the place, and through his flaring pain, Jack knew it was Drago's blinded monster hitting the walls and the ceiling. Huge chunks of rock and earth collapsed all around them, hitting the dais and missing them by mere inches. He knew he had to move, but how when there was so much pain…
Hiccup lifted Jack by his torso, half carrying, half dragging them through the veil — it was like watching the world ending in slow motion, for Jack had time to see Gothel disappearing into the archway before the ceiling collapsed, hurling over the dais: Drago's last roar echoed in his ears as they crossed to the afterlife.