Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the intellectual property associated with Harry Potter.
Hi all,
The second chapter for the day. Harry visits Parvati at St Mungo's and tries to come up with a method to save her.
Chapter 65
11th Sunday
Harry walked into the library with Daphne and Hermione. Only a few students were present this early in the morning, and Madam Pince stood behind the front desk as usual. He didn't remember ever seeing her leave the library. Did she ever take time off?
The three of them were looking for any signs of Galahad, who may have visited Hogwarts at some point to copy all of the books in the library. Because he designed the Sorting Hat to be a repository for magical knowledge, he needed a lot of literature. The Hogwarts library had one of the most extensive collections of books in Europe, and it was easily accessible. Only the restricted section had any kind of security, with some wards to alert Madam Pince to any intrusions, but they weren't difficult to get around.
"Where do we even start looking?" Hermione asked.
Harry already had a game plan. "I was going to ask Madam Pince if she remembered seeing someone suspicious who had spent a lot of time in the library before. But I'm kind of scared of Madam Pince."
Harry noticed Madam Pince staring at him, as if she could hear their conversation. Harry shuddered, and sent Daphne a pleading glance.
"You're a wuss," Daphne snorted. "She's not that scary."
"Then you ask for me," Harry suggested. "Or better yet, Hermione can ask the question. She is probably Madam Pince's favourite student."
Hermione didn't deny the allegation.
"The question is not specific enough," Daphne said. "There are people who spend way too much time in the library. If we were going to ask Madam Pince, she would probably point straight at Hermione as the likely suspect."
"Hey!" Hermione protested. "I'm not that bad!"
Harry and Daphne gave her an incredulous glance.
Hermione huffed. "Why am I helping you again? I could be doing something more productive with my time than going on a wild goose chase."
"Why would you chase a goose?" Daphne questioned, but was ignored.
"Because you are interested in the mystery," Harry replied. "You can't help yourself."
Hermione muttered something under her breath before screeching as Daphne poked her sharply in the side. Madam Pince glared at them, and Hermione gave her an apologetic look.
"Tell me about the goose," Daphne demanded.
"It's an idiom," Hermione explained, rubbing her side. "It means a futile search for something that is difficult to find or doesn't exist."
"Muggles are weird," Daphne sighed. "How do you even come up with such a weird comparison?"
Hermione opened her mouth to explain, but Harry pushed her towards the front desk so she could ask her question.
"What can we do for you?" Madam Pince asked, staring at them beadily.
"We believe that someone may have copied the books in the library at some point in the past," Hermione said. "Has there been anyone who has spent a lengthy amount of time in the library, or someone who you were suspicious of?"
"Copying the books?" Madam Pince frowned. "Why would they do such a thing?"
"Is there a spell that could easily copy a book?" Daphne asked.
"Yes, but I don't see the point. Anyone outside the school can access the library, as long as they have permission from the headmaster and make a small donation. But they can only access it during the summer holidays, when the students aren't around."
"Back to the question," Hermione said. "Have you noticed anybody? If they were casting spells, they would have had their wands out."
"What sort of time frame are we talking about?" Madam Pince asked.
"A few decades, maybe," Harry told her.
Madam Pince's nostrils flared. "I have only been working here since 1974. How old do you think I am?"
Harry grimaced. "Sorry. I sometimes have difficulty determining someone's age because witches and wizards age more slowly."
Madam Pince was only partially mollified. "As far as I remember, there was no one who met that criteria. I don't allow anyone to use their wands in the library because they can cause accidents that damage the books. If it was an adult, they probably came during the summer holidays, when I am not here."
They thanked her and sat at one of the tables, disappointed that they hadn't found any clues. It was to be expected, as it was a long shot, but now they had nothing to go on.
"Maybe you should give me the runic puzzle to solve," Harry suggested.
Hermione shook her head. "I'm having fun trying to solve it. Besides, didn't the Sorting Hat tell you that you would be able to find a clue without it?"
"But how are we supposed to find anything when we don't know where to start?" Harry grumbled.
"We have to start somewhere. Perhaps we should try and retrace Galahad's steps," Daphne said. "Imagine if he came here, not knowing how to cast a charm to copy the books. Where would he look to find the spell?"
"It would be in the charms section," Hermione said, looking pleased that they had a direction. "Should we ask Madam Pince for the specific spell?"
"Let's leave her be for the moment," Harry replied. "Maybe we will discover something if we search on our own."
The trio started searching through the charms section of the library. They grabbed books that looked promising, and soon, the table became laden with a load of books that should keep them occupied for a while.
"That's enough for now," Harry said, eyeing the stack. "We will be here all day if we continue adding books."
"Should we ask the others to help out?" Daphne asked.
"Let me ask them," Harry replied, pulling out his two-way mirror. After speaking with them, he managed to rope in the help of Padma, Terry, Susan, and Hannah. The others were busy with other things.
Harry was browsing through one of the books when Sirius contacted him over the mirror.
"Harry," Sirius greeted him. "I managed to get permission from Ramesh for you to visit Parvati."
"You want to visit Parvati?" Padma asked, overhearing Sirius.
"I wanted to see if I could help in some way," Harry told her, before speaking to Sirius. "Do I have permission to leave the castle?"
Sirius nodded. "I asked the headmaster. Your grandmother will be waiting for you in her office, so she can escort you to St Mungo's. Padma, you also have permission to visit your sister."
Padma closed the book and rose from her seat. She wasn't going to miss out on seeing her sister, as she hadn't been getting much sleep, worrying about her. There were dark circles under her eyes, and she had lost some weight.
"Sorry guys," Harry said. "I roped you into this project, and now I am abandoning you."
Daphne waved a hand dismissively. "You didn't force me. I'm interested in finding out more about Galahad. Go and visit Parvati. She is more important."
"Thanks, Daphne. Now I'm almost ready to forgive you for the stunt you pulled with Colin and the fan club."
"I was helping you," Daphne protested, although she looked guilty.
"She was playing a prank on you," Terry said. "But I think she took it a bit too far. She should have asked about it first, considering how you feel about your privacy."
Daphne lowered her head. "I apologise, Harry."
"It is fine," Harry replied, kissing her on the cheek. "It was bound to happen anyway, with that stalkāI mean, the enthusiastic Colin Creevey hanging around. Just let me know next time."
Hannah giggled. "Who would have thought she had it in her to prank someone?"
"It is probably your influence," Susan chided her jokingly.
"It is more than likely her sister," Harry said. "She's terrifying."
"She is a menace," Daphne concurred.
"So, who is going to buy a badge from Colin?" Hannah asked, looking around.
Everyone except Harry raised their hand.
"Bunch of idiots," Harry grumbled. "Let's get going, Padma. Guys, I will return to help you when I get back to Hogwarts."
He and Padma left the library. As they made their way up to his grandmother's office, Harry had an idea and told Padma he would meet her there. He dashed to the Gryffindor Tower to retrieve Nagini, who was sleeping in his bed.
"Why are you disturbing my rest?" Nagini hissed.
"I need your help. You can detect magical abilities in people if you are familiar with them, correct? What about curses or other maladies?"
"I can detect them as well, as long as I have seen them before or have references to them."
"Great! Can you come with me? You may be able to help Parvati."
Nagini closed her eyes, looking as if she was going back to sleep. "What's in it for me?"
"I will give you a nice, juicy rat."
"I'm feeling peckish."
"Fine. I will give you two."
Nagini opened her eyes. "And a belly rub."
"Deal."
After their negotiations were complete, Nagini shrunk down and wrapped herself around Harry's wrist, and he exited the tower.
"Sorry, I'm late," Harry gasped as he rushed into his grandmother's office.
Minerva raised an eyebrow. "I'm a busy woman. I would appreciate it if you were on time."
Harry held up his wrist. "I had to grab Nagini. She may be able to help."
"How can she help?" Padma asked. "I know you're a Parselmouth, but my father has already hired one to consult on my sister's case. There are a lot of curses in India that originate from Parsel magic."
"What are you talking about?" Harry asked.
"Parselmouths are prevalent in India, unlike here in England," Padma said. "My father thought that whatever Parvati is afflicted with, it may be related to Parsel magic. A lot of magical temples in India were once shrines that worshipped Parselmouths as deities."
Harry winced. That was an unfortunate word to bring up in his presence. Hopefully, it had a different connotation than his previous interactions with deities.
"I didn't know that Parselmouths were so popular in India. It's a refreshing change from their reputation here in Britain. But the reason I'm bringing Nagini is not because I'm a Parselmouth. She has a magical ability that can detect certain anomalies in people, like magical abilities. I thought maybe she could recognise what is wrong with Parvati."
"What?" Padma gasped. "Since when could she do that?"
Harry blinked. "Didn't I mention she could do that?"
"No!"
"I don't think you told anyone, Harry," Minerva sighed. "Just how many other secrets are you hiding?"
Harry looked away. "Absolutely none."
"If only I could believe you," Minerva said, ruffling his hair. "Come on, let's get going."
Harry exited the floo into St Mungo's reception. He looked around, and his first thought was that he had stepped back in time. In terms of aesthetics, it appeared that he had been transported back to the nineteenth century. It didn't look like the typical sterile environment found in modern hospitals. The floors were wooden, and the walls were painted an awful green that matched the colour of the healers' uniforms.
There was a seating area for patients, and some of them had unusual ailments. Harry was taken aback when he saw a wizard reading a newspaper, completely ignoring the fact that steam was coming out of his ears.
A woman was sitting behind the front desk, looking like she wanted to be anywhere else. She didn't even bother to look up when they arrived.
"Come on," Padma instructed, leading the way. "I know where Parvati's room is located."
Parvati's room was located on the same floor, in the Artefacts Accidents Ward. When they entered her room, two Indian men were standing by her bedside, talking quietly to one another. Parvati lay on the bed, soundly asleep. She looked noticeably different from her usual vibrant self, with a gaunt face that made her look much older than fourteen.
"This is my father, Ramesh," Padma said, introducing them.
"Hello," Ramesh said, smiling softly. "My daughter has told me a lot about you, Mr Potter. It's nice to finally meet you."
Ramesh was tall, with a slight build, and a round face that looked open and honest. He was dressed in a business suit, in stark contrast to the man next to him, who wore a turban and a long-sleeved outer coat that fell below the knees and was buttoned up in the front. The tan-coloured fabric was embroidered with an elaborate design.
"Call me Harry," he replied, shaking his hand.
"Then you may call me Ramesh," the man replied. He gestured to the man standing beside him. "This is Pravin. He is a consultant who is helping me with my daughter's case."
"Greetings, Speaker."
"Who said that?" Harry asked, looking around.
"You are a Parselmouth?" Pravin asked, taken aback. He reached up and pulled open his collar, and a brown snake peeked out to observe Harry. "This is Vetal, an Indian cobra. He has been my companion since I discovered I was a Parselmouth as a boy."
Vetal's tongue flicked out. "Hello. Is your companion going to show herself or is she too shy?"
Nagini poked her head out of Harry's sleeve. "Who says I'm shy? Maybe I just don't want to bother greeting a nonentity like yourself."
Vetal released a long, drawn-out hissing sound, which sounded like it was laughing. "You have a sharp tongue, my lady. May I have your name?"
"No, you may not."
"Her name is Nagini," Harry hissed. "Please forgive her manners. She is a little spoilt princess."
"Did you name her?" Pravin asked, amusement clear in his voice. "Nagin is the word for a female snake in Hindi."
Harry shook his head. "I adopted her. I don't know how she got the name."
"As if you are any better," Nagini hissed. "Vetal is translated to brownie in English."
Pravin looked down in embarrassment.
"Let me down," Nagini ordered, and Harry lowered her to the floor.
"What is she doing?" Ramesh asked.
"Just wait and see," Padma said, grinning.
Nagini expanded back to her usual size, which had the two men calling out in surprise.
"Extraordinary," Pravin said, examining her closely. "A king cobra about twelve feet long, with a diamond pattern. But she is obviously no ordinary snake."
"She could help your daughter," Harry said, addressing Ramesh. "She has a unique ability to be able to scent out magical anomalies in people. Maybe she can pick up something that the healers couldn't."
"What?" Ramesh's mouth dropped open in surprise. "Are you speaking the truth?"
The man appeared so hopeful that Harry regretted making such a hasty comment. He still didn't know if Nagini could help, and it would be devastating if it turned out not to be true.
"I'm not sure if she can help, but it's worth a try," Harry told him.
"That shouldn't be possible. I have never heard of such an ability," Pravin said. "I am an ophiologist, a snake researcher. I am primarily interested in magical snakes, so I have extensive knowledge of the subject. Where did you find her?"
"In the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts," Harry replied. "How do you know if a snake can have a particular ability? Aren't snakes the most diverse magical species around? Normal snakes are constantly evolving to become magical, so who knows what is possible?"
Pravin gave a bow. "You are correct, young sir. I should not be so sceptical simply because I have never encountered it before."
Nagini slithered over to the bed. Everyone watched with bated breath as Nagini scented the air, trying to pick up anything from Parvati.
"I am picking up on something familiar," Nagini hissed. "But I am having a hard time recalling where it's from."
Harry repeated what Nagini had said to everyone. "Keep trying to remember Nagini. With how old you are, I am sure it will take some time."
"Hilarious."
"Let me summon the healer," Ramesh said, suddenly looking energised. He strode to the door. "If Nagini discovers something, they should be here to offer their input."
He returned with Healer Thatcher, a middle-aged woman who didn't hide her scepticism at the strange method they were employing, but she quietened down when Nagini hissed at her. Harry didn't think it was worth repeating what Nagini said to her.
"I remember now," Nagini reported. "I saw a similar affliction when I was travelling through Indonesia in the early nineteen sixties. The locals had a different name for it, but it roughly translates to magical constriction."
Pravin cursed, and Ramesh shot him an anxious look.
Nagini paused to allow Harry to translate for the people in the room, before continuing.
"It's a curse that narrows an individual's magical conduit. It narrows over time, until there is not enough magic passing through to support a wizard's or witch's bodily functions. They don't last much longer after that point."
"Is there a cure?" Ramesh asked after Harry repeated what Nagini had said. He glanced at Parvati with a pained expression.
"No. Not at the time, at least."
"She said there was no cure at the time," Harry explained, feeling sorry for Padma, who looked like she was about to cry. "Maybe a method to reverse the condition has been discovered since then."
"There isn't one," Pravin replied, looking solemn. "The curse has also spread to India, where it is known as jadui kasana. It is a curse made with Parsel magic. The last case occurred over ten years ago, and the circumstances were similar to Parvati's. The wizard was cursed after picking up an object in a temple. It is thought to be an ancient defence mechanism to keep thieves from stealing from the temples."
"Did the wizard survive?" Ramesh asked.
Pravin shook his head.
"How long does she have?"
"A few weeks, perhaps," Pravin said grimly. "You have my condolences."
Padma sat down beside her sister, tears streaming down her cheeks. Harry wanted to comfort her, but he didn't know what to do or say. Minerva placed an arm around the girl, and she leaned into the older woman's side.
"This is ridiculous," Healer Thatcher protested. "How can I rely on a diagnosis from a snake? What is the world coming to? Maybe I should quit my job and hand over my uniform to it."
They ignored the woman. She was too narrow-minded to think outside of the box and wouldn't be of any help in this situation.
"Curses that affect the magical conduit are tricky if you don't have the specific counter-curse," Pravin said. "Because it is primarily metaphysical in nature. It's a curse that attacks the mind, not the body."
Harry let out an exclamation when he remembered reading an excerpt from a book. "Did you say it was a curse made with Parsel magic?"
"That's correct," Pravin said. "Have you thought of something?"
"Maybe," Harry replied. "I need to return to Hogwarts to research something."
"Harry?" Minerva looked at him. "Does this have something to do with a certain chamber?"
Harry nodded. Padma gasped and raised her head, realising what Harry was talking about.
He didn't want to get her hopes up too much, as it might all turn out to be in vain. He remembered that Slytherin had a wealth of knowledge on Parsel healing magic, including counter-curses to some obscure curses. Because the laws governing the use of darker magic were less strictly enforced at the time, a lot of questionable magic was invented. As a result, some individuals had to invent counters to them, but a lot of that knowledge has been lost to time.
"What are you talking about?" Ramesh demanded.
"I found some books on Parsel healing magic," Harry explained carefully. He didn't want to mention the more dangerous spells found in Slytherin's library. He saw Pravin's eyes light up with interest in response to his words. "There could be a solution to Parvati's affliction in the books."
"If you find a way to save Parvati, I will give you anything you desire," Ramesh promised.
"Do not make that promise so lightly," Harry joked. "What if I asked for Padma's hand in marriage?"
"That can be arranged."
Padma looked outraged. "Father!"
Harry laughed. "I don't think she's interested in me. You may want to make that offer to Neville Longbottom, though. He would probably jump at the opportunity."
"Harry, you'd better shut up or else," Padma threatened.
"I will take Harry back to Hogwarts," Minerva said, releasing Padma and standing up. "There is no time to waste. Padma, you are welcome to stay here. I will notify the headmaster that you will be absent from school to spend time with your sister."
Padma nodded.
Pravin stepped forward. "May I be of assistance? It will be faster if two people search instead of one."
Harry took a moment to consider it. There was no reason to refuse because the issue was too important. Furthermore, he was willing to share knowledge about magic that could potentially save other lives. If Parselmouths weren't so rare, he probably would have shared the knowledge with the world long before now. It wasn't too late to start now, though.
"Okay, you can come with us to Hogwarts."
12th Monday
Harry rubbed his face tiredly and closed the book before placing it in the pile of books that had already been read.
"There are only a few books left," Pravin said, looking up from the book he was reading. "While I find the contents fascinating, I am starting to think that we aren't going to find a solution for Parvati."
"Let's not get discouraged," Harry said, yawning. "We have to find something."
They were seated in the Gryffindor Common Room. After returning to Hogwarts yesterday, Harry went down to Slytherin's chamber to get the books on healing Parsel magic and brought them up to the common room for him and Pravin to look through. They had spent the remainder of the day reading through them. Harry would have spent the entire night reading if his grandmother hadn't told him to go to bed. But he was exempted from classes today because the situation was so urgent.
Hermione entered the common room along with Daphne and they made a beeline for him. They had excited expressions on their faces.
"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed. "We found something in the library during our lunch break."
"Does it have something to do with you know who?"
"Do you mean Voldemort?" Hermione asked, confused.
"I think he means the guy we were researching, Hermione," Daphne gently chided.
"It's not my fault Voldemort has such a ridiculous moniker," Hermione grumbled.
"Are you going to answer my question?" Harry asked.
"No, but we found a spell that may help," Daphne said, looking pleased. "It was actually scrawled in one of the charm books. If Madam Pince finds out someone desecrated her precious books, she would be furious."
"It's an unforgivable sin," Hermione informed her.
"Yes, I'm sure it is," Daphne said sarcastically. "Anyway, this spell allows us to search for a specific phrase or word in a book. It's going to reduce our search significantly. More importantly, it may help you search for what you're looking for."
"Do you think it works with Parsel script?" Harry glanced at Pravin.
Pravin shrugged. "There is only one way to find out."
Daphne demonstrated the spell's method, and he and Pravin practised it until they were certain they had it down. You had to cast the spell on a book, and if it contained the phrase you desired, the pages would be highlighted in green.
Harry selected an unread book and cast the spell on it. "Librum quaerere sententia, magical constriction."
Nothing happened.
"Maybe start with something you know is in there," Hermione suggested with a smile. "Then we'll know for certain if it works."
Harry cringed, feeling embarrassed at his simple mistake.
Harry chose a random word from the book and then performed the spell again. This time, over a dozen pages were highlighted. When he opened the book to the first page, he found that the word itself was also highlighted.
"It works," Harry said, grinning. "You girls are amazing."
Daphne sniffed. "Yes, we are."
Harry and Pravin used the spell on the remaining books, but they were disheartened when they couldn't find anything relating to the curse.
"You are forgetting that these books are very old," Daphne pointed out. "If it's in there, then it likely goes by another name. In the end, the spell didn't help at all."
"Not necessarily," Pravin said. "We just need to find another word associated with the curse that will show up in the book. It may take longer, but it's still faster than reading through the entire book."
"We still may miss something," Harry pointed out. "But we should try it first before going back to reading through it all."
Even though he hadn't found what he was looking for so far, he was still picking up a lot of useful spells in the process and was taking some notes on them. If he ever decided to change careers and become a healer, he sure would make a good one.
Unfortunately, the spell didn't help them any, so they had to go back to the traditional method of reading through them. By the late afternoon, Harry was tired and frustrated. He slammed the book down and placed his head on the table.
"We should take a break," Pravin suggested. "We have been at this for too long. Let's come back in a couple of hours after we are refreshed."
Harry agreed, and he went upstairs to his dormitory to have a shower. Feeling marginally better, he lay down in his bed, trying to get some shut-eye before he returned to the grind. But sleep eluded him, as he was antsy. Looking at his trunk, he decided to occupy his time doing something else.
He entered the garage in his trunk shop and looked over the car parts scattered over the floor. It got him excited to see how the Hummer would all come together after he had finished building it. All of the worries and stress from Parvati's situation melted away. He grabbed the instruction manual and started browsing through it.
Although he wasn't that familiar with vehicles, he had plenty of experience with reading instruction manuals, so it wasn't too hard to understand.
Unlike a usual car kit, this one had several more steps because of the enchantments.
The enchantments had to be added while you were building the car because it was time-consuming to disassemble it every time you wanted to add them. Furthermore, each part had a limit on how much could be added or what types of enchantments were permitted. There was still a lot of wiggle room, and the more skilled you were at engineering and enchanting, the more freedom you had to build however you wanted.
Harry was going to remain within the recommended guidelines for the time being. There were still a lot of features he could add with the current guidelines, and the manual even offered an extensive list of enchantments that could be added for each part of the car.
He took out a notebook and started making notes. It was best to plan ahead, so there were no nasty surprises later. From his experience in his emergency flight in the Ford Anglia, he knew he wanted to add the capability of flight, invisibility, and some protection as well. But there were also a tonne of cool features that had him excited. There were enchantments that let the car dive underwater and move like a submarine. Just thinking about the adventures he could have with it made him smile.
While he was looking over the list of enchantments, a thought popped into his mind about Parvati. He hadn't even been focusing on it, but it suddenly clicked, showing him that sometimes all it takes to reach a breakthrough is a little time away from the problem.
He had recalled something from a journal he had read from Slytherin's library. Harry jumped to his feet and exited his trunk workshop. He rushed down to Slytherin's chamber and searched for the book. When he found it, he opened it and began browsing through it.
The journal detailed Slytherin's research into the appearances of other deities from other countries. After Merlin's betrayal, he had become interested in the subject of deities, and their influence on the magical communities on Earth. Harry had read the journal once before, but he had forgotten about a particular entry until now.
When Harry discovered what he was looking for, he gripped the journal with excitement. He couldn't believe he remembered this entry.
Asuri Nag
This deity is believed to have appeared in India somewhere between the third and fifth centuries. His name roughly translates to devilish serpent, which is a name given to him after he disappeared. Before then, he was worshipped as a god in the southern territories of India.
He was described as a man with golden eyes who could transform into a snake and spoke the noble tongue. Hearing the atrocities he committed makes me angry that I have the same ability as the man.
Many temples were constructed in his honour until it was revealed that he was stealing magic from the witches who honoured him.. No one knows how exactly it was done, but it was believed to have cursed them, which constricted their magic conduit. They would slowly wither away as their magic dwindled until they died. Not only this, but he was extremely greedy, and to prevent others from stealing from his temples, he placed the curse on objects as well.
Because deities primarily exist in the fae realm, I believe they may have a way of manipulating our magic in this world to a certain extent. However, I don't believe it is omnipotent. To have any effect, there must be an exchange or interaction with us of some sort. For example, the families who received family magic were required to make a sacrifice to Modor in exchange for their magical abilities.
But I digress. I travelled to India to research Asuri Nag and was fortunate to find a witch who had developed a counter for this particular curse. The method is described below.
Harry quickly glanced at the counter-curse listed beneath the entry and smiled. He had found the solution, something that might have been overlooked if he hadn't read this book.
He needed to go find Pravin. They had a girl to save.
So, what do you think? Harry cannot help but be awesome, but there are threats inside the castle, waiting to strike, and they are not all coming from Lockhart.
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Thanks for reading.
