Chapter 33
Edited: 24 Dec 2024
-oOo-
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
-oOo-
February 10, 1994
Washington, D.C., USA
Cardinal Richelieu looked at the large wall of pictures, notes, strings and maps. The desk below it was an ordered mess of folders. Each one was labelled with a city. Each city had a pin mark on the board. Washington, D.C., a spot off the coast of Costa Rica, a half dozen locations in Britain and a few around Bethmale, France were the ones with the most pins. Each pin had a number on it.
Opening the folder for Washington, D.C, he found a series of reports and photos, each with a number that corresponded with the pins.
He knew that Father Reginald was one of their top Inquisitors, but this was at a different level.
Brother Roberts and Father Breno were patiently waiting by the door.
"This is all his notes?" he questioned in Italian. He may not know English, but all in the Order were supposed to know Italian and Latin.
"Yes, cardinal."
He shut the folder and opened the one for Bethmale, France. "This folder seems to be missing key information that his last report had."
"I wouldn't know, Cardinal Richelieu. We have only added the new reports to the in box," Brother Roberts said.
Turning to the tray labelled 'In Box', he was surprised to see almost three inches of paper and pictures. "How many resources did he dedicate to this hunt?"
"Most of the diocese," Father Breno replied.
Given the magnitude of the devil they were facing, he didn't blame him. "And there has been no word of the expedition?"
"No, cardinal. He was supposed to have checked in by February fifth. He's five days late. That isn't like him," Father Breno answered.
Cardinal Richelieu looked to the map. Twenty-one of their order had gone into the wilds known as Beauxbatons. If he knew his history, it took nearly thirty-five thousand troops to take the old town and devil school there.
He did not have that type of firepower anymore if that is what it would take to eliminate it.
What he didn't understand was why Father Reginald would go there when all the strings ended in Costa Rica. Why would he go to France instead of Costa Rica?
"Father, do you know why Father Reginald when to France instead of Costa Rica?" he asked.
"I don't know, but he was weary of InGen. They are a rather large corporation and recently have been advertising they have made a park with living dinosaurs," Father Breno replied.
Yes, he knew of that.
"I want all this packed up. It is to be sent to my offices in Rome. I also want you to call in every Inquisitor and brother we have. I will return within the next two weeks," he informed them. Spinning, his frock trailed behind him as he marched down the hallway.
He had to bring this to the Pope. He would need all the support and troops he could muster.
The church did not fear any single corporation or government. Not when the will of God was involved.
-oOo-
The same day…
Ferpecle, Switzerland
Stepping off the bus, Sirius shivered a little as the chilly air hit his face. He was not looking forward to this hike. Not in the middle of winter in the Alps.
The area was covered in snow. It was far thicker than when they had been in France or anything he could remember from Scotland. The breeze coming down the mountains was bone chilling cold. Looking up, they were tall and imposing and covered in snow.
"We can't wait until spring?" Sirius asked Alain as he stepped up to him. They were the only ones getting off today. A woman with two children was getting on. She looked at them a little oddly, but the small sleepy town of a dozen older houses and a single hotel was otherwise quiet.
"We could. But we have negotiated in good faith with the goblins, and I would not like to upset them. They have agreed to wait to sign the treaty for us to contact the Karlsburg Preserve," Alain reminded him.
Sirius knew this. He just wished he didn't have to be here. He also found himself wishing Harry was with them, but Lynne had been right. One of them needed to help those back on the island and Harry really loved the dinosaurs.
He just wished he could get rid of the itch between his shoulder blades saying this wasn't the time. "I just feel like we should have stayed a bit longer," Sirius told him.
"I would have enjoyed more time with Dorothy and my girls as well," Alain replied. The man had rarely spent this amount of time away from his family.
That was not what Sirius meant, but he couldn't explain the feeling either. Harry was much better as this danger sense thing.
Alain took out a map, looked at it for a moment before looking up the road. "There should be a trailhead a few hundred meters up the road. We can put on our snowshoes and take out our weapons there before we head up into the mountains.
Sirius looked up at the foreboding winter wonderland. "Can't wait," he muttered.
-oOo-
February 11, 1994
Isla Matanceros, Costa Rica
As they stepped onto the beach, Harry had an eerie feeling he was looking at an abandoned construction site.
Mister Hammond had organized a three-day break for the crew. So far, only the magicals and the top staff of Jurassic Park knew about the goblins. Rrunlung and a dozen other goblins had come through the vanishing cabinet to look at the island and what was being built. Harry had asked her to come along because he wanted to know what the limit was on making something like the vanishing cabinets.
He turned to help Lex as she splashed into the water. Up the bay the large cargo ship that InGen owned was moored to a new floating dock. A rough road had been made from the dock to the construction site. Most of the site was still in the rough stage of clearing the rainforest and moving dirt and rocks around to prepare everything.
Four skiffs landed on the beach.
"Why didn't we just walk?" Hermione was asking. Everyone was coming to see the place today.
"This was faster, and the crew is unloading building materials, so I didn't want anyone in the way," Simmons replied.
Yvonne was helping the Greengrasses out of another skiff while Owen had turned to Charlotte. Susan jumped out like Lex and Hermione had, not concerned that her shorts got wet. Mrs Murphy yelled out, "Timmy, don't go running off!"
The rambunctious twelve-year-old stopped. "Come on, mom. There isn't anything here for me to get in trouble with."
Lex held Harry's hand. "This was all trees when I was here just a few weeks ago."
The goblins all jumped out and helped drag the skiffs up the beach. Sea travel suited them much better than flight. Rrunlung stepped up to his side. She sniffed. "This is good land." Looking towards the mountains she asked, "Is this where you want the new preserve?"
Harry looked around. He hadn't really had a chance to be here yet. "Yeah."
One of the other more aged goblins came up. He was shielding his eyes and squinting. Not all of them were used to being above the ground, but he had been introduced as a master builder. Agrot was looking around the site, then towards the mountains.
After a moment, he knelt to feel the ground. He closed his eyes. The other goblins were looking around as the kids dispersed and the adults wandered closer to them.
"What is he doing?" Mrs Bones asked as she stepped up to them.
Harry shrugged. "Probably feeling the ground," he suggested.
The goblin snorted. "Feeling the ground," Agrot gruffly said. "You don't feel the ground, nafling."
"Then what are you doing?" Lex questioned.
Agrot opened his eyes before standing up and brushing the sand off his hand. "You commune with the earth. If you listen and feel, it can tell you many things. Like this is a good site, but I would not put a building over there," he said, pointing to a place with a bunch of logging equipment.
Mr Hammond questioned, "Why?"
"The ground is unstable about thirty meters down. If there is ever an earthquake from the sleeping fire giant, then it would be damaged. It would be better to place a building a few dozen meters back," Agrot told them.
Lynne looked towards the volcanoes. "The volcanoes aren't going to erupt any time soon, are they?"
Agrot shook his head. "That one is almost dead. The fire in it has solidified and the earth does not speak of future wakening. That one," he pointed to one to the right of the first cone on the north of the island. "That one is still alive, but slumbers. It is unsure if it will wake again, but it still has some life to it. It is why I would not recommend a building in that location. That chain of hills and mountains is dead," he said pointing towards ones in the centre of the island.
"Those would be best for our purposes," Agrot said.
Harry looked to the older goblin with a raised brow. Mr Hammond beat him to the question. "Your purposes? What do you mean?"
The goblin looked up to the older man. Like all goblins he had beady black eyes. He was shielding them again. "You ask the nations to make this place into a proper preserve. This will become Eresthgarl of the Rothgurls. Above ground you are free to do as you wish. The nations will build your town and ward the lands. If you wish to bring dragons here, we will hunt and blood our blades again."
The glint to the goblins eyes was one of bloodlust.
Most of the others looked uncomfortable at this. Harry was truthfully expecting something like that. He stepped forward to Agrot as others were starting to protest. He looked down at the now grinning goblin.
"Hunting dinosaurs or creatures is not part of the treaty. Neither is it for you to move in," he said.
Agrot turned his eyes to Harry and the rest grew silent. "Swordblighter, you invite into these lands. The other preserves are failing because there is no goblin to maintain the wards. We will establish new cities and mines to maintain them. Would you wish this place to fail as well?"
Harry hand twitch for his wand. He knew if he reached for his blade that would signal a challenge.
Agrot's hand reached for his own knife.
"We need to talk about this before you do anything," he informed the goblin.
"Negotiations should be swift," Agrot said with confidence.
Bloody hell! He had expected something, but not this.
Mr Hammond stepped up to them. "I'm sure we can work something out. What I am interested in now is that you say you can complete this job quickly?"
Harry stared down Agrot for a long moment before the goblin turned his attention to Mr Hammond. "I would need to look at the layout again, but this is not a large job. Two or three hundred goblins could build the building you showed us in two months. Three if you want the full warding scheme, but they would be built to our standards. Not the slag I saw at your other island."
Mr Hammond sputtered. "Slag? I paid top dollar for all that!"
"You were taken then. You will be lucky if those buildings last a decade before they start to decay," Agrot told him.
"I was guaranteed thirty years," Mr Hammond protested.
Agrot wasn't impressed. "That concrete may last, but the other materials are cheap. You could already smell the rust in some areas."
Lynne stepped in. "And how long would your construction last?"
Harry had stepped back. This was not a discussion he cared for.
Agrot said with pride, "There are still structures made by goblin hand that are over a thousand years old and will stand for another thousand. The only ones that do not are those torn down by man or beast."
Harry turned to Rrunlung. She was drawing runes in the sand as the others talked. Hermione had wandered back to watch. "What is she doing?"
Lex looked to the old matron.
Harry could feel the magic being trickled into the runes.
"Testing the rocks," Rrunlung said.
"For what?" Lex questioned.
"How best to design and craft the wards. Each location is unique. How big is the island?" Rrunlung enquired.
"About fifteen miles long and ten miles wide," Sir Benjamin replied.
Rrunlung drew another rune. Harry recognized it as grungtrel. It was a rune representing the deep earth. Like the roots of a tree. After a moment, she said, "The roots are good. The waters are deep. The wards will only extend about a kilometre out at best."
"And what about a larger vanishing cabinet? Will that work? Will we be able to link more than one?" Harry asked. He really wanted a way to bring Rexy hear, not to mention to visit or move things between the other preserves and Jurassic Park.
She closed her eyes and put her hand onto the sand like Agrot did. Harry knelt, followed by Lex and Hermione. Astoria had wandered over to see what was going on.
Rrunlung said, "Put your hand on the earth." When they did, she went on. "You are using your magic to reach out. You are only feeling. Feeling for the natural movement in the rocks. Feeling for the way they generate magic. Feeling for the way water moves through the cracks and pours. It pulls magic in various directions. Deep down. Deeper than you probably would think, you can feel the movement inside the earth."
Harry closed his eyes. He had learned how to feel magic and let his magic just wander like she said.
"There are rivers and flows far below the surface. The energy of the earth is living and liquid. As the living above make the magic that most surface dwellers use, the deeps of the earth make the magic that gives life to all and what goblins use most," she explained.
Harry continued to let his magic flow and just be. He thought he could feel something. There were things moving. It made his skin crawl. It wasn't uncomfortable, but it was something powerful, primal, untameable.
"I don't feel anything," Hermione said.
Lex shook her head. "I don't either."
Astoria sounded far away. "There is something. It moves." She picked her hand up and shook it. "I don't like it."
Rrunlung opened her black eyes to look at Harry. He didn't notice as he was still feeling. "You feel it, Swordblighter?"
He shivered. "It is almost overwhelming," he said.
"It is magic. It is rising. I have never felt it so strong. The roots are good. The wards will take and hold for a thousand years. The vanishing cabinets work on two premises. The first is the connection of magic in the air," she said, swiping her hand around them.
"Magic moves in the wind, the clouds, the rains and snow. It is weak compared to the true source," she instructed them. "Not everyone has the sense for it. You and this nafling do. The cabinets you have connect to each other through the ebbs and flows around us. They are limited to the amount of magic that the air can channel. You have the largest ones that can be made that way."
He put her hand back on the ground. Harry opened his eyes to look at her. "Below, what wizards used to call leylines, is the primal power of our creator. Larger vanishing cabinets are possible, but they can only be built when the currents below come closer to the surface and have strong connections. She pointed towards the volcano. "That fire giant is a connection. You could make one here that was many meters long and high. We would have to see where the connection is equally as strong, but the old preserves were often built in such places. It is the strongest roots that can be used to tie the heart rune to the wards."
It was a roundabout way of getting his answer, but Harry would take it. That meant they could potentially make rooms capable of transporting the dinosaurs and other creatures easily.
"Thank you, Master Rrunlung," he said.
Astoria shivered. "I still don't like that feel."
"That is because you are not of the earth. You are more of the clouds in your personality," Rrunlung said.
"I want to feel it," Hermione said with a bit of jealousy. She put her hand on the ground to try again.
-oOo-
February 13, 1994
Rome, Italy
"Cardinal Richelieu?" a young man in the traditional brown robes of a monk said as he walked down the corridor towards his . The council had just met, and it was frustrating at the reticence of the other members.
Most still wanted to wait to hear from Father Reginald. The man had gone into the mountains near a month ago. No word of their return was eminent, and the family of the guide had called out a search party for him.
He knew that this threat was larger than they had all thought.
Turning to the young man, he snapped in French, "Yes?"
The man averted his eyes. The man replied in Italian, "I'm sorry to interrupt you, your eminence, but I have a message that was forwarded to me from the diocese in Washington, D.C."
He grabbed the envelope out of the man's hand. Ripping the envelope open, he quickly read it. As his eyes scanned the paper, he finally had the last piece that he might need to convince the council to move when they reconvene in two days.
"When did this come in?" he demanded.
"Just an hour ago."
"And this was verified?"
"I do not know, your eminence. It was wired to us. I can contact the diocese," the brother offered.
"I will contact them myself. Get me a contact in Costa Rica. I want to talk with Father Mora as soon as possible."
"Yes, Cardinal Richelieu. Right away," the man said. He walked away as fast as he dared.
Heading towards his office, he needed to know how many of the Order were available. If the council did not move, he would. He knew the American members would move with him. They had been much more active and would seek to carry out the Lord's will after losing Father Reginald and the others.
He was wondering how much influence the Devil had on him for not believing Father Reginald last August. He hoped that allowing the evil to fester for this long had not closed an essential window for them.
When he sat at his desk, he didn't bother to think of the time difference. It was nearly eleven. As the phone rang, he was growing impatient when it took ten rings for someone to answer.
"Good morning. This is Brother Aaron. Who may I direct your call too?" The man had answered in very accented Italian. The line he had called on should only be known by the Order in Rome, so he wasn't surprised.
"This is Cardinal Richelieu. Get me Father O'Malley," he told the man on the other end.
"Yes, your eminence. I will wake him at once," the man replied.
"Why isn't he awake yet?"
"I'm sorry, your eminence, but it's just five in the morning on the east coast. Father O'Malley doesn't usually come out of his quarters until quarter of six to attend the morning prayers," the man replied.
"Fine, get him on the line," he demanded.
When the man finally answered, he was very impatient now. "Father O'Malley, have all the Inquisitors and brothers returned?"
"Yes, your eminence."
"How many?"
"Twenty-four Inquisitors, fifteen priests and forty-seven brothers. May I ask what is going on?" the father enquired.
"You must make sure they are ready to leave at any time. Did you see the report that was forwarded to me this morning?" the cardinal asked.
The man sounded like he was stifling a yawn. "I'm sorry, your eminence, but I just woke. I usually see any new reports after our prayers."
"It comes out of Costa Rica. There was an incident with a witch who cursed a piece of equipment that almost killed a few men. It's a report from some of the locals in a confession. Contact Father Mora in Puntarenas. I want to know where those workers came from," Cardinal Richelieu ordered. This was too near the points that Father Reginald had been concerned with.
"Right away. Am I to get the others ready to fly down as well? Sending all of us at once may raise suspicions," Father O'Malley enquired.
"Start to move all but the basic staff you need to keep up monitoring. We can deal with any reports after. I want to be able to root out the infidels within two weeks," he told the man.
"I will begin to make the arrangements. I expect fifteen will need to be left here," Father O'Malley told him.
"Why so many?" Cardinal Richelieu questioned.
"We handle most all reports from North America and South America. Unless the Order's council wishes us to cut down more," the man replied.
There was silence for a moment as he thought.
"No. It is important that we keep up the Inquisition. I will see how many others I can arrange for," he replied.
"Yes, your eminence."
Hanging up the phone, he got up to look at the board that he had recreated in the last few days. Everything led back to Costa Rica, especially this mysterious Jurassic Park.
If this latest report didn't get the Council to move, then he would resolve this himself. He was convinced this one den of devils had cost thirty-four of their Order. He would not allow any more innocent lives to be taken.
-oOo-
The same day…
Within sight of the Matterhorn…
Sirius was looking down at a giant field of snow. It had snowed heavily yesterday afternoon and last night. The tent was buried under three feet of new snow that they had to clear away before being able to move.
Alain was looking at a map and down to the valley below. "We cannot go straight across."
"Why not?" Sirius asked. His nose felt half frozen, even with the mask and warming charms.
Alain repositioned his rifle. "That is a glacier," he simply said.
Sirius looked down again. He had never seen a glacier in real life and had had no way to visualize the half mile wide flow of ice until now. "It just looks like a snow field. Why can't we cross it?"
"It is too dangerous. Crags and valleys could easily be hidden under the snow. I don't know of any magic that would keep us from falling if we cross over one," Alain said. He looked up the valley. "The map says the old entrance is on that side of the Matterhorn."
He pointed towards the slope of a mountain that rose out of the other and stuck up like a pointy thumb.
"And it didn't say anything about the glacier?" Sirius asked, wondering why they hadn't approached from the other side.
Alain got his unasked question. "It would have been an extra four- or five-day's journey on foot to approach from the other direction."
"What if we used feather light charms on our boots?" Sirius suggested.
Alain regarded him. "What does the charm do?"
"Like it's name suggests. Reduces the weight of things. Where we came from, it made anything as light as a feather. Harry says it reduces the weight, but to nine-tenths of what it was," Sirius replied.
Alain looked back out over the glacier. "I do not know if that would work and I would rather not find out."
"What if we apparated?" Sirius asked.
Alain pointed to a ravine a few miles away. There was a cloud of snow billowing out of it. "The snow is unsteady and prone to avalanche after the storm." He then pointed back to the giant pointy mountain. "Do you see all those snow shelves? If we apparate and the sound disturbs them, do you think you could get us out of there before it was upon us?"
"Of course I can. It takes no time at all to apparate," Sirius said.
"And if that covers the entrance we are looking for and can't find it until spring?" Alain put to him.
Sirius frowned. "Then what do you suggest? I want to get out of the cold."
Alain looked up the valley. "I would prefer to go around, but that might add on nearly a week at the pace we have set in the last day, and it looks like another storm will be upon us tomorrow."
Sirius followed the man's eyes back the way they came. There were only high-level clouds. "You can tell that?"
Alain folded the map. "I have spent my life outside. I know when to be cautious."
"Right," Sirius replied.
Alain looked across the valley. "We will have to attempt the apparition. You are not ready for a hike up higher, and I will not risk the glacier."
Sirius looked across. "I thought you said it might cause more avalanches."
"I am certain of it, but I think we need to risk it. Besides, we are also being followed."
Sirius looked behind him. "Where?"
"The ridgeline just to the northwest. I saw something big moving up there," he said.
"Like what?" He was reaching for his sword. Alain hadn't shifted.
"I would guess a troll, but I don't think so. It was the right size, but I swore it had white fur. It's only been watching us so far," the man replied.
"How many?"
"I think only the one, but it has been good in shadowing us. I only noticed it a few times out the corner of my eye, but by the time I turned my head, it was gone. If it meant us harm, it would have probably attacked last night in the storm or while we were breaking camp this morning."
Sirius looked at the ridgeline worriedly. "How long has it been following us?"
"Yesterday morning."
"Why didn't you say anything?" Sirius demanded.
"I wasn't sure and if it didn't mean us harm, then I have learned to not invite trouble," Alain replied.
Sirius huffed.
"Fine. Where are we apparating too?"
Alain pointed towards a ridge not far above the glacier. It was probably two miles from where they stood. "It looks the least likely to get hit by avalanche, and the entrance is supposed to be about a half mile up the ridge. Towards the top of the glacier."
Looking at it all, Sirius frowned. "Are you saying the Hapsburg Preserve is under the glacier?"
Alain looked over the mountains again. "Perhaps. I'm not sure we haven't entered it already."
"But there were no ward markers or anything," Sirius said.
"I know," Alain simply replied.
Sirius wasn't pleased at that. Alain hadn't much to tell them about the preserve. He just knew it was here. "Just remember, if you hear anything unnatural or feel the ground shaking, come back here. This should be a safe location."
"Aye, aye, captain," Sirius snarked.
Alain didn't look impressed. Sirius missed Harry on this expedition. Even being half frozen, he would have made a snappy come back.
Alain went first. Sirius joined him as soon as he could see the man across the valley. When he came back into existence, he stumbled. The wind was heavier on this side. It bit at his face, and he turned to shield himself.
Alain was looking around. He was staring up the mountain, stoically taking the wind. After a moment, he said, "I think we are safe. If we are where we should be, there is a path nearby. You will find the markings of a snow goose on some rocks."
Sirius turned back. He was hunched over, his arms folded and his hands in his armpits. The warming charms were not cutting it. "Just get us out of this bloody cold," he said back.
It took Alain nearly twenty minutes to find the first carving. It was the outline of a bird in flight. The path was a perilous rock shelf on the edge of a cliff that was about four feet wide. The wind was enough to make Sirius hug the cliff. Alain was surer footed. It was obvious the man was experience in winter travel and in this type of environment. If Sirius had to do this on his own, he doubted he would have left the village hotel.
Once they knew where they were going, then they could hopefully apparate there in the future, and potentially get a cabinet installed as well.
It was slow going along the shelf until it opened into a small ravine. The ravine was full of snow. Alain held out a hand. Sirius huddled into himself. "The path goes around the edge here, but I don't like the overhang, and the path disappears into the snow. That is an avalanche field."
Sirius turned to look. He could see the ledge on the other side of the ravine. "Apparate?"
Alain frowned. There was a narrow ledge on the other side before it disappeared around a bend.
Sirius shivered and moved against the wall as a strong gust buffeted them. Far above their head the sharp peak of the Matterhorn could barely be seen over another shelf of snow. Alain ventured around the corner into the ravine. He motioned for Sirius to stay. He was warmer when moving but could sense the danger.
Alain went almost to the snow field before turning back.
When he got back to Sirius, Alain nodded across the ravine. "We will have to apparate. I don't like it. The sound will most probably cause that snow shelf to let go and it looks like it will spill over the cliff on the other side. We will need to move quickly if that happens," Alain told him.
Sirius wished he had a broom. He briefly thought about floating up rocks like at Hogwarts, but with the strength of the wind, he thought that might be a little more than reckless. "Just tell me when," Sirius replied.
Alain turned, made sure his gun was secure on his shoulder, held up a mittened hand, then let it down. Alain apparated. Sirius went as soon he saw where Alain landed. Alain grabbed Sirius's jacket to keep him from going over the ledge. He got a brief look at the two- or three-hundred-foot fall to the field below, then another cliff before you would hit the glacier.
He was just steadied when there was a low rumbling that was more than felt than heard over the wind. Alain whipped his head up. He said something in Norwegian, but Sirius got the gist as he was shoved forward. He spared a look to see what looked like half the mountain side crumbling.
He took a stumbling step around the corner. High drifts of snow blocked the path in a few areas. The avalanche path was going to be right in their way. He was going to keep going until Alain grabbed him and pulled him close to the wall. "Hold tight," Alain yelled over the growing cacophony.
Sirius understood the danger. Fumbling, he got his wand out and put a sticking charm onto their clothes and the cliff face. He just got it back into his pocket when a cascade of snow fell not far down the path, followed by more, then the thunderous sound of tons of snow and rock diving over the cliff above their heads.
The world disappeared into a darkened chaos.
He wasn't sure how long it lasted, but when it stopped, the wind took up again. He was covered in a thick layer of powdery snow. His shoulder hurt from being hit by something. There was snow up to their knees on the ledge. Alain lifted his head. His beard was frosted white. There was a certain fear in his eyes.
Sirius was surprised he hadn't pissed himself. "I'd rather face a dragon than do that again," he commented.
Alain let out a nervous chuckle. "Fire sounds better than snow right now."
The air was still thick with snow, but was clearing as the wind tore the cloud away from the mountain.
"Now what?" Sirius asked.
Alain looked around. The ledge was covered in snow. "Can we clear this? We need to go on. We need shelter before night fall."
Sirius nodded. He took his wand out again. Alain did the same. "James found this our sixth year. Just point towards the snow and think you want to move it, like a shovel. Movnivis."
The snow cleared off the ledge for about five feet.
"Why not use this before?" Alain questioned.
"Because after a while you feel like you have been shovelling the snow. We could transfigure it into water or something else, but that might make us just as tired after a little bit," Sirius told him. "Banishing would also work, but we found you could use the shovel spell for longer before you get too tired."
Alain nodded.
After removing the sticking charm, it was a slow trek for the afternoon to clear the ledge. As they moved farther along, they came closer and closer to the fields where the glacier began. The sun was getting low on the horizon and both of them were feeling rather weary with heavy feet when the path ended at a roughly twenty-foot wide circular crag with forty-foot-tall cliffs around them.
They both looked around.
"Now what?" Sirius asked. He was shivering some. Between the wind, cold and the magic they had to use to get clear of the avalanche, he was feeling exhausted.
Alain looked back at the wall. "I don't know. There is supposed to be a gate."
Sirius wrapped his arms tightly around himself as they looked at the wall. The area was mostly guarded from the wind, so there was that much. "Do we knock on the wall?"
Alain looked unsure.
Sirius wasn't sure if he trusted himself to apparate back to where they camped last night, or the village, without splinching himself.
Alain started to rub at spots on the cliff to clear snow off possible spots where the goose carving might be.
While he was busy doing that, a trickle of snow cascaded down the wall. Scared that there was another avalanche, he looked up. What he saw made him take a step back. Even in his fatigue, he knew there was danger, and his mitten covered hand reached for his sword.
"Alain?"
Sirius didn't pull his sword as three tall, white, shaggy haired figures looked down at them. A single man in a more modern heavy jacket and snow pants had a gun slung over his shoulder and a rod, like the ones the Greengrasses had used, in his hand. Like them, he wore mittens with a single finger so that a trigger could be pulled.
Alain stepped back. He didn't make any move that could be construed as meaning violence. He held up his hand and spoke in what Sirius thought was German. He didn't know the language, so he would have to rely on Alain casting the translation spell on him after.
The two men shouted at each other over the distance.
Sirius kept his eyes on the large figures. They looked like yeti, but they weren't ripping the guy apart. Yeti were known to be very violent and liked to eat human flesh, like trolls. The three white, giantlike creatures watched as Alain and the man talked.
Sirius moved a little closer to Alain, his hand not leaving the hilt of is sword. When the man above them nodded, he turned. The yeti turned with him. By now, the sun was setting over the mountains behind them. It was getting much colder.
"What's happening?" Sirius asked. His teeth were chattering.
"They are letting us in," Alain casually told him.
"Oh," Sirius replied. "Can you cast the translation spell on me?"
They waited for a few minutes before a part of the rock face opened. It blended in so well that he hadn't even seen any cracks. It was better disguised than the goblin's back door they had used in France. Unlike in France, this door was twenty feet high and wide enough to allow two of the massive yeti in.
As the door silently swung open, a rough-hewn vaulted passage opened to them. A yeti, a man and a woman were inside the door. The man and woman had rifles over their shoulders. This yeti was carrying a club. A series of electric lights ran down the length of the passage.
Sirius looked dubiously at the large creature who stood a good fourteen feet tall.
"Hail," the man said in German. "I am Jaehn Elmendorf of the Karlsburg Preserve. This is Rebekah Weismann. Who are you?"
"Alain Greengrass of the Durmstrang Preserves and Voldnord. I come with Sirius Black of Isla Nublar. We seek shelter for the night and to talk with your council," Alain said.
Sirius's teeth were chattering again. He wanted to get inside and find a warm bed to crawl into.
"You are welcome as long as you do not cause any harm or strife," the man said.
Sirius followed Alain in. The yeti pushed the door closed. Sirius eyed it as the yard thick stone door silently moved on rock hinges. Even in his shivering state, he noticed the craftsmanship. It struck something in the back of his mind, but his mind was a little too clouded at the moment.
The yeti fell in behind him as Jaehm turned and let the down the passage. It sloped at a good angle. About a hundred meters down, a tunnel joined from their left. The man that had met them outside was leaning against the wall. His hood was thrown back, his jacket open and a cigarette in his mouth. The man took out a lighter and cupped his hand over the end as they walked by.
"This is Ricard Ulmanson. He is one of our gate guards," Jaehm introduced them. Sirius and Alain introduced themselves before they all started down the hall again. Ricard fell in next to the yeti and made some strange growling and chuffing sounds. The huge yeti responded then the man laughed.
"We had feared the Durmstrang Preserve had fallen. We haven't heard from you in decades," Jaehm said.
Alain looked dissatisfied. "It is about to fall. My family and the last protectors have left for now to seek out training and allies."
Jaehm frowned. The woman gave him a look. "Osram will need to know. "
"I know, Rebekah. It is as the Parisates say," Jaehm replied.
"Wh…who is the Parasites?" Sirius asked. It was warmer in the tunnel, but he was still chilled.
"Parisates. They are the last of the free covens in France. They are the only other ones we know of," Jaehm replied.
Alain gave him a look. They had not tried to reach out to the ones they had met in France yet. The last few weeks had been busy finalizing the treaty with the goblins. "I think we may have met them when we met the goblins," Sirius said back.
There was a worried look. They stopped for a moment and Jaehm and Rebekah turned to look at them. "We know they deal with the goblins. That is a touchy subject here." He indicated the tunnel. By now it had lost its rough-hewn feel to be tiled in an elaborate geometric design of white, black and blue. "We have survived by working with the Dwarves, the Eireich," he indicated the yeti, "veela, and the brownies. The dwarves and brownies do not get along with the goblins. It would be better if you do not mention them."
OF course there would be dwarves! Sirius screamed in his head. The old tales and histories of dwarves and goblins not getting along was as bloody a history as wizards and goblins used to be. Alain gave him a sidelong glance. Sirius could see the same thought going through his mind.
They were too far along now with the goblins to not go ahead with the treaty. It would have to be modified though. He had a feeling that they would only be able to speak for northern Europe and Britain. He doubted that the dwarves and goblins would ever get along.
"We do have business with the goblins and will need to talk to your council about it," Alain told him. "I will not bring it up otherwise."
Rebekah didn't look pleased. The massive thing behind him made a disgruntled sound. "Ulchin doesn't like it," the man behind him said.
Sirius wasn't sure if he should like it either.
For a few minutes the tunnel had started to level out and go in a long curve. Coming around, the tunnel suddenly opened into an enormous cavern. Sirius's eyes had gone wide.
He had thought the underground city of the goblins was impressive. This was even more so.
Huge rock arches sprung up from around the periphery of a huge circular dome. Farms, lawns, tree copse and buildings spread under a dome that must have been a mile in diameter. Above them, the underside of the glacier was seen as a dark mass of deep blue ice, black streaks of rock and dirty snow and huge scrapes in the glass or whatever it was where a boulder or something had been dragged across it.
All along the walls were three- or four-story high structures built directly into the rock. Hundreds of people, dwarves, house elves and yetis could be seen walking the wide boulevard around the edge of the dome, working in the fields or playing in the parks. It was warm enough he had stopped shivering.
His mouth was open when Rebekah proudly said, "Welcome to the Karlsburg Preserve. This is the upper dome. We call it Nurmengard."
"Bloody fuck," Sirius muttered.
-oOo-
February 14, 1994
Isla Nublar, Costa Rica
Lynne was sitting in her office. They were calling the converted lab the 'Library' as it held the knowledge that had been saved from Hogwarts and the goblins.
She finally had a catalogue of the titles of many of the one-thousand, two-hundred and sixty-three books. There were about a quarter of them without titles. There were two-thousand, four-hundred and twenty-one scrolls. At the rate they were going, it would take them the next twelve years to complete the scanning.
Sighing, she knew that was an exaggeration, but so far, they had only been able to scan in thirty-four scrolls, mostly because some were very fragile, and forty-seven books.
Today they were taking a break from scanning. There were two computer stations and a large table. Hermione and Daphne were sitting at the table, each reading a book. Lex was at one of the computer stations. She was probably trying to work on the recognition program, but instead had her shoulder protecting her neck as Harry harassed her by placing kisses on her neck.
Her daughter looked to giggle before giving Harry a glare.
The frizzy hair girl gave them a look saying she wasn't impressed while the blonde, straight hair girl had an envious look on her face before turning back to the book she was reading.
Watching her own blonde-haired daughter and the messy black-haired boy, she could tell they were in love.
She also knew they were now sleeping with each other. That was an unfortunate thing she had come across last night when she found them in a position with Harry's head where it should not have been. After sending Harry back to the Compound, Lex and her had had an exceptionally long talk.
A talk that involved what would happen if she wasn't careful. Lex being her evidence, and one of her pride and joys.
As she watched them and thought about the conversation, she was pondering if she should tell Lex about who her father really was? The Sirius Black of this world was a man she had only slept with once while on a drunken night. They had known each other maybe a total of twelve hours before they went their own ways.
The Sirius she knew now was a good man, a good father and good role model for the two teens that just shared a peck before Lex tried to shoo him away.
Lynne couldn't keep the small smile off her face to watch them.
She knew Harry's story. He had been through more than anyone should. She had never met anyone as strong of character or will as him. He was a force unto himself that was at the centre of most things that seemed to happen. The fact he could act like a normal teen was comforting. He looked closer to eighteen or nineteen with how hard he was, but there was still that innocence to him that life had not beaten down yet.
Harry shot back when the door opened to the hallway. Susan and Wendy walked in. Harry was a little shy and Lex's neck brightened at something Susan said, who laughed at both of them. Wendy came into the room chuckling.
"I remember being that young and in love," the redhead woman said.
Lynne nodded. "I do to. I just hope it lasts. I know how much heartache it is to go through a divorce or raise a young child as a single mother."
Wendy nodded. "It hasn't been easy at times since Edward died." She looked wistfully as the teens looked to be teasing each other and laughing. "I wish he could see the young woman Susie is growing into."
"I wish Richard wasn't such an ass and actually was interested in seeing Lex and Tim. Tim keeps asking about him at times, but now that he has that new twenty-something plaything, he hasn't talked to Tim or Lex in almost two years," she bitterly said.
Wendy gave her a pitying look. "I'm sorry, Lynne. I'm sure it is hard at times."
"It is. It's just harder on Tim. Richard is his father. Lex just ignores him now. I don't blame her, but he always treated her like she was his own daughter until the divorce," Lynne replied.
Wendy looked out the window. Lex was throwing a few crumpled up balls of paper at Susan with an angry look on her face while Susan was attempting to block them while laughing. Hermione was looking between amused and annoyed at them while she tried to read her book. Daphne had her nose up and was saying something.
"At least they are having fun."
Wendy looked out the window. "Susie is missing her friends, but I'm glad she has so many people her age here."
"Tim is too, but Owen and the Creevey boys are all doing well together."
They watched the teens for a few until they calmed down. Harry kissed Lex's forehead before going to a spot on the table he had a notebook and a few old leather tomes at. Susan took a seat. As it was clear the teens were getting to work, Lynne focused on Wendy. "What did you stop by for?"
Wendy sat a little taller. "I was wondering if you have finished the new calculations on magic growth?"
"I have the rough draft of the report. Why?"
"Most of the children are seeing another high growth period. I thought they were levelling out, but when Harry returned from France, he has gained another five percent on his output. All the children are showing the same rapid increase. I don't know to be concerned or not. We are still plateauing at about thirty-eight percent of Sirius's baseline," Wendy replied.
Lynne pulled up the report and the statistical program on her computer before pulling her notebook out of a draw. "That is worrying. You are sure it was a five percent increase in just the last three weeks?"
"It had started to uptick some before then. It's between four-point-seven-three and five-point-two-seven. If they keep going at this rate, they will all be more powerful than Sirius by the time they are all seventeen. Sirius says most witches and wizards keep growing in magical power through their twenties. I don't know how to rate Harry. Lynne, he is already twice the power output of Sirius, and Sirius tells us he is not a weak wizard," Wendy said.
She looked out at the green-eyed young man that was now engrossed in the book. The playful manner of the teens had now become serious. She knew that Harry had asked to do something privately for Lex tonight for Valentine's Day and they were doing a small party for the other children after dinner.
"Is this important? I've gotten to know him. I don't see Harry doing anything to make me worry, except how close he is to Lex," she said.
Wendy let out a long breath. "I don't know what it means. It's just something that seems odd, but this may be natural. I just don't know. We don't really know anything. We did finally finish a gene sequencing on most of us now."
"And?" Lynne questioned when Wendy didn't say anything.
Wendy frowned. "It's like the dinosaurs. It's like there was something different inserted into out DNA. The thing is, there are variations. Variations that are not natural to humans."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't fully know. We are still in the infancy of understanding how genetics, cloning and all this works. From what I have seen, trying to clone a magical being will be difficult, if not impossible right now," she replied.
"Are you saying that we are not human?"
"That's the thing. If we were truly another species, then crossbreeding shouldn't be possible. Magical and normal people should be two separate species. DNA shouldn't be able to cross-pollinate. Henry and his team have found a way to force it. From the initial studies, magic does it on its own," Wendy replied.
Lynne was trying to take it in. "Wendy, please just break it down for me. You are talking too generally, and I can't follow your thoughts."
The redhead looked out towards her daughter. "From what we have studied so far, the DNA from person to person is only about point-one percent different. The dinosaurs that Henry has brought back to life are only made from DNA sequences that are more than ninety-eight percent complete. They have hundreds of broken strands of various species."
"Lynne, our DNA is only ninety-eight-point-four percent the same. We all have the same markers on the twelfth and twentieth chromosome, but after that, all bets are off. We each vary from each other in more than half-a-percentage point and have a third chromatid on either out fourth or twentieth chromosome. We have not found anything in nature like it before. Do you understand what that means?"
Lynne was a mathematician. She had studied biology in high school, but that was more than twenty years ago and what her father and Jurassic Park had done was beyond what she knew to be cutting edge. Shaking her head, she replied, "I really don't."
"It is like each one of us is a unique animal. There should be no way that any of us should be able to breed," Wendy told her. "Mutations like this are usually bred out of a species or make a new species that is not compatible with others."
Lynne looked to Lex. She had two children that she adored that proved she could breed. Wendy had Susan. Hermione, Daphne and all the others had come from people that all had the same type of mutation.
She knew that Henry and Benjamin were still trying to figure out how some of the dinosaurs had changed sexes and were breeding.
"Wendy, do the dinosaurs that are breeding have the same mutation?"
Wendy turned her head back to her. Her brown eyes widened, and Lynne could see the gears turning in her head. After a moment, she got up. "I have to go check."
Wendy quickly bustled out. Susan had lifted her head, looked to have said something, then looked perplexed when her mother just walked out of the Library. Lynne was feeling just as shocked at her own thoughts.
So far, they had been looking for magical signatures. If this could be tracked by DNA and mutations to it, what would that mean? Lynne didn't know if she liked the idea of it or not.
She also worried about a name that hadn't come up for a bit. What if Wu and her team found this out? She knew others were trying to replicate the gene sequencing technology that InGen had developed, but most thought it would be ten years or more before anyone else was able to replicate it.
Would they be in a strong enough position by then to protect everyone they could?
Her brow was scrunched in concern as she started to write in her notebook. She missed Susan flicking a balled up paper ball at Lex, and the subsequent paper ball war that followed.
-oOo-
Next time on The Magic of Amber: Nurmengard.