CHAPTER 7
09 July 1993 - Ward 4 - The Temple of Healing - Shamballa, 8:08AM
Holding back her tears, Molly Weasley resorted to sniffling into her handkerchief as she watched Healer Baskar and his team through the adjoining waiting room glass. It afforded a panoramic view, allowing concerned family and friends to look in on their loved ones whilst they underwent recovery.
In this case, Molly had insisted on being there to see the rather macabre procedure of having Ron's regrown skin magisurgically attached to his body, currently ensconced in a shimmering All-Healing Orb. The skin resided in a floating Medi-Orb teeming with Permasanitation and Sterilization Charms, keeping the organ fresh as Gupta and his co-surgeons meticulously reattached it to his skinless body. Branded in the interior of the flesh were a series of runic text that Baskar claimed would negate the effects of the lingering dark magic of the Verbis Diablo. A shiver ran through the witch at the thought of her son's suffering under the strain of such accursed magicks.
'I so wish Arthur were here.'
Her husband was currently back in England, working with the DMLE to overcome the Death Eater Menace. There was a very real fear that the escapees would resort to Muggle-baiting utilizing hidden caches of Erasmus Wilkes' dark toys, breeding even more chaos. If Abraxas Malfoy hadn't actively stymied his promising career in the Ministry, Molly was certain he'd be running the DMLE.
Still, the Weasley matriarch missed her rock, the one individual she could always rely upon to provide comfort in her darkest moments. Despite her reputation of being a formidable matriarch (who wouldn't be with seven children), she still greatly relied on Arthur's more quiet and steadfast strength.
Such thoughts of her husband inevitably brought up memories of their time in Hogwarts.
Arthur Weasley had been very popular and well-liked amongst his peers, a rather brilliant academic whose ability won the favor of many Professors. Horace Slughorn certainly never shied from gushing over Arthur's "exceptional" skills in Potions, earning an invitation to the man's exclusive Slug Club as a mere Third Year. Compounded with his natural charm and proclivity towards sincerity, he won the favor of many students as well, many of whom didn't hesitate to come to the boy for tutoring.
One of them was Second Year Molly Prewett, who'd shyly approached the Lion-favorite in the library for help with the ever-growing disaster that was her homework assignments.
A consequence of Mordenkainen's Disjunction, Molly had struggled with her assigned reading and homework assignments; words and letters reversing themselves or changing order, struggling to pronounce new spells and the instructions for their movements, and her persistent inability to comprehend the measurements and preparation times of potion recipes. She'd been diagnosed as a First Year when she'd run the risk of failing out, at the insistence of Hogwarts Matron Galena Lowe. Her parents had been deeply disappointed but not surprised, all too aware of the witchling's struggles with academia.
Thankfully, she'd been the daughter of a patrilineal house, and thereby only bearing the expectation to marry well and take good care of her husband and children.
And to her credit, Molly had fulfilled that duty quite well. House Weasley was by no means a wealthy and well-connected one, but Arthur had more than made up for any material lack with love and dedication to her and their children. He'd been afraid Molly would turn tail when he'd shared the secret of the Oath of Enmity and the accompanying Weasley Family Curse. Molly had assuaged his fear with a visit to a diviner priestess that serviced many of the old families. She'd foretold that the last-born Weasley would break the centuries-long curse upon the family, curing their bane.
The firstborn had been Bill, and though House Weasley hadn't been an active Noble House for years, she had still birthed her Lord a male Heir.
Then came Charlie, who reminded her so much of her Uncle Ignatius she oft wondered if he'd been weirdly reincarnated.
Then Percy, her brilliant boy whose sharp mind put even Arthur's to shame.
Then came her Twins, the two pranksters whose cheeky antics reminded her so much of Gideon and Fabian that it sometimes hurt to look at them.
Then came Ron, who was meant to be Ramona, their last-born daughter and last planned pregnancy. Molly and Arthur had been so certain Ron was a girl that they'd eschewed a gender reveal, wanting to be surprised.
And they had been, with a son.
A son Molly had believed she'd loved and cherished to the best of her ability, but recent events had revealed that she'd been…lacking.
Shifting uncomfortably, memories of That Howler flitted through her mind and made her cringe. In hindsight, she had overreacted with her emotionally charged letter, driven by her worry for her husband's reputation and career.
Their family couldn't afford to have Arthur lose his job.
Not only that, Molly had allowed her anxiety regarding Ginny's sorting to drive the emotions of her letter. She loved her daughter deeply, but, admittedly, she'd been a touch…anxious at discovering her daughter would be a Slytherin, especially given House Weasley's reputation as 'blood traitors' by the parents of the children who would become her only daughter's Housemates. Molly had always been exceptionally overprotective of Ginny, once believing that her youngest was a squib.
Little Ginerva hadn't manifested her magic until her seventh birthday, accidentally animating a three-tier cake depicting the Boy-Who-Lived and his fictional sidekick elf from the adventure novel Jim Potter and the Clue of the Screeching Owl. Prior to that the matriarch had fretted and worried herself to near sickness, believing her daughter's lack of magic to be some manifestation of her disability and Fate playing a cruel trick.
Because what greater irony could there be than to finally birth a daughter who's meant to break a magical curse, only for that child to not have any magic at all.
It'd been a nerve-wracking experience, and only pushed Molly and Arthur to pour that much more love into Ginny, overprotective of her to a fault. The witch could still remember her beloved cousin Steven being sent away for being a squib, and the heartbreak from that event had admittedly sent her into overdrive with her baby girl. With a wince, Molly recalled following Great Aunt Muriel's advice to "scare the magic out of her", which had only ended in a tearful disaster.
Shaking off that train of thought, Molly turned her eyes back to Ron. The hot sensation of shame once more bloomed in her chest , Molly had ignored his pain and suffering due to her stubbornness. Arthur had been furious, and even that hadn't completely driven the point home.
'Had to take the Dark Lord possessing your boy to get it through your thick head, eh old girl?' She snorted contemptuously whilst sniffling into her handkerchief, once more thankful that it was charmed to be self-cleaning.
Leaning against the glass panel, Molly maintained her focus on her son's breathing, choosing to keep the macabre sight of his skin being reattached to her periphery. In between bouts of whispered prayer to Circe, Hecate, the Fates, and any other magical deity she could think of, Molly also busied herself with a mental list of the sheer mountain of baked goods she intended to lavish on Tom Riddle as thanks for his Liaison Program paying for her son's treatment.
Dining Hall - Parıldayan Güneş - Ahmedabad, 12:42PM
"FRED! That's enough!"
The Twin in question froze, turning to stare in shock at the little sister who'd just chastised him.
Ginny looked livid, expression fixed in stone with brown eyes flashing in a fury as she glared at her older brother.
To her right sat Percy, the recipient of Fred's admittedly spirited vitriol throughout the decadent multi-course lunch hosted at the Kumar Pasha's sprawling multi-acre estate. Nestled near the banks of the Sabarmati River behind a slew of impenetrable centuries-old wards, the estate had been commissioned by the 7th Kumar Pasha to be modeled after Beylerbeyi Palace, the summer home of Sultan Abdülaziz. The Weasleys (and Jim) - as guests of the Patil Twins and their father - had been invited to the palatial estate to meet and dine with Sanjeev Kumar, the Pashazeda and Pavarti's betrothed fiancé since the age of six.
By a stroke of luck, the elder men had decided to conduct business whilst the children enjoyed lunch. Ginny had never been more grateful.
The mood had been tense between the Twins and Percy for weeks now, and not even Ron's situation had been enough to allay the rift between the brothers. Fred had been relentlessly sniping at his older brother, each barb sharper and crueler than the last. George had been able to redirect his brother's attention with Ginny and Jim taking turns running interference, but it'd done little to help.
Like all tenuous things, this was the final breaking point.
"Ginny," sighed Percy tiredly. "It's alright, really." Fred sneered and made to respond, but froze at the look the witchling sent his way. Padma and Sanjeev exchanged a nervous glance as Jim winced uncomfortably. Not used to such intensity from the older Weasley brothers, Parvati could only gawk at the scene before her.
"No Percy, it is definitely not alright." She placed her fork down and turned to Sanjeev: "As the host, would you terribly mind excusing my brothers and I? We are long overdue for a chat."
Sanjeev quirked an elegant brow, already impressed by the engagingly dry wit of the youngest of the Weasley brood. Her brothers - save Percy - leaned a touch more on the boorish side for the Pashazeda's taste, but the young Heir Kumar was an admitted proponent of second chances.
A Boyar always erred on the side of diplomacy.
"Of course. Please feel free to use any of the adjoining parlors." Ginny nodded her thanks, before turning to level a Molly Weasley-style glare at each of her brothers, succeeding in hurriedly rousing them from their seats to follow her out of the dining hall.
Parvati leveled a subtle glare at the side of her fiancé's head, wondering why the hell he'd decided to ruin her chances at seeing a perfectly good drama.
12:53PM
"Now that we're all seated, we will take turns speaking our respective peace. Percy, how-"
"OI! Why the hell does he get to-"
"Zip. It." Ginny gave Fred that look again, effectively silencing the reddening boy. Internally, George and Percy mused at how effectively scary and mum-like their baby sister could be.
"Good, you are capable of listening to someone else." Fred clenched his jaw but was smart enough not to respond. "Percy, would you like to go first?"
The boy sighed tiredly. "I am not sure if my words will even hold any merit (Fred snorted contemptuously), but nonetheless, it still needs to be said." He turned to stare directly at his younger brothers. "I was not the cause for your expulsion from Hogwarts; I was incapacitated by Ron whilst he was possessed by the Dark Lord. He stole my hairs and used them in Polyjuice Potion, assuming my form to scheme to have you both expelled."
"As if I can bloody believe that!," interjected Fred angrily. "He pretty much repeated everything we'd heard you threaten us with back in September!"
"Threaten you?!" Percy responded in outrage. "I merely told you the truth in September regarding your history of multiple offenses against members of your own family! Merlin's beard! Your baby brother survives a harrowing and life-threatening ordeal and your first instinct isn't to comfort him, but to try to bully him for bullying Ginny's Sorting into Slytherin! Something he hadn't done and had no intention of even doing! Do you bloody hear yourself Fred?!"
His brother sputtered. "We hadn't done anything either, oh Perfect Prefect Percy! But that didn't stop you from presuming we would, did it?!"
"From the years' worth of hands-on experience from you lot attacking Ron and I when we'd done nothing to antagonize either of you is plenty enough presumption!"
"Oh bollocks! You've always thought the worst of George and me, of practically anyone in this family! All you've ever cared about was the Noble House of Weasley; trying to 'restore' the family's name so we can get back on the Wizengamot with the rest of those smarmy swotty pureblood wankers! It's why you obsess over books and classes and school and make yourself a pest to the rest of us to do the same! Because we've only ever been poor and pathetic obstacles to your noble goal, oh Perfect Prefect Percy!"
The elder Weasley looked momentarily stricken, causing Fred to sneer in vindication at being correct.
Ginny was surprised; she'd always assumed that Percy's obsession with academic rigor and social formality was a means to raise himself from the bonds of their family's poverty and admittedly 'lower' reputation despite them being members of the Sacred 28. The witchling never imagined Percy's true inspiration was to uplift the entirety of their family to their so-called rightful social eminence, sacrificing his own reputation with his siblings for the Weasleys' greater good and glory.
It was admittedly quite Slytherin. Almost…Princely.
"All I have ever done has been for the good of this family, which is more than I can say for a selfish prat like you Frederick AlaineWeasley!"
The Twin sputtered. "Did you just full name me?! Who the hell do you think you are?!"
Ginny rolled her eyes at the two boys as they properly tore into each other, gripping her wand and readying herself to pop fireworks to interrupt the arguing pair.
Luckily, George spared her the effort.
"ENOUGH!"
The room's occupants all jumped, staring in amazement at George. He glared at Fred with a gimlet eye, finally causing the boy to deflate in defeat. Sagging, George turned to Percy with a contrite expression.
"We know that you were not the cause of our expulsion. Angelina told us about how you were incapacitated by Ron when he was…you know. You had nothing to do with that, and…in regards to our discussion in September…you're right." Fred made to angrily interrupt but went silent as George raised an angry hand in silence. "We have been bullies, horrible bullies to you and Ron, the two people we should have treated with a lot more regard and respect than we ever did. And for that, I am truly sorry." Percy blinked in amazement, shocked that his stubborn younger brother had apologized. Fred was too, gaping at his elder Twin.
George rubbed his face tiredly, looking far older than a boy of 15 years. "These past few months have really put everything into perspective, you know? Almost losing Ron, getting expelled…then reinstated, it's been madness. But…a good sort of madness." He rubbed his face again. "Lockhart turned out to be a Death Eater and all, but…he was the first person to see any kind of potential in me beyond being a prankster who picks on people. And I know he did the same thing for you Fred." He turned to his Twin, who winced but otherwise didn't agree.
A few tense moments passed before Fred quietly spoke:
"I've never said this before…but…the Hat considered me for Slytherin." Percy choked before coughing wildly, having to summon a glass of water lest he coughed out a lung. Ginny gaped at the suddenly shy boy who refused to make eye contact with anyone. George, surprisingly, looked thoughtful.
"Yeah," continued Fred. "Told me I was clever and cunning but also likable in a way that Slytherin needed among its House-members. But it also said that ... that ruthlessness was a Slytherin trait and that I had that too. And that Slytherin House would help me to harness that and use it constructively, whereas Gryffindor would just ... let it run wild." He rubbed at his eyes, suddenly looking very miserable. "Quite frankly…I think it has."
George sighed. "Same for me as well." His Twin gawked in amazement. "Yeah…though not those exact words; told me I was cunning and clever too, but quite charming in a way that would make others flock to me and want to support me. And that Slytherin House would help me use those qualities to create a more unified, more accepting House." His expression turned unreadable. "Kinda funny that all of us had potential for Slytherin, but only Ginny was truly brave enough to pursue it."
His sister looked momentarily startled, before sniffing in faux superiority. "Naturally."
Her brothers all chuckled, the tension physically melting away. Fred suddenly turned to Percy with an uncommonly serious expression.
"For what it's worth Percy, I…I'm also sorry for everything. I know it might be too late, but I am sorry. For everything."
Percy blinked in amazement for a few seconds. "I…I accept your apologies, thank you. To both of you." George nodded firmly, allowing a small and genuine smile to grace his face.
The three brothers chatted pleasantly for a few moments as Ginny sagged in relief. She honestly hadn't expected this conversation to go as well as it did, but she would never look a gift Abraxan in the mouth. 'And to think, I had a whole weepy baby sister routine planned!'
"So…does me and Fred turning over a new leaf mean we give up pranking? Forever?" Fred looked almost pained at the mere suggestion as Ginny rolled her eyes.
"No," chucked Percy. "It just means you prank the right people for the right reasons." His brothers looked momentarily nonplussed, before exchanging matching devious grins.
The Naga Cultural Center and Ski Resort - Surre Alley, 3:11PM
"Here we are ladies and gentlemen!"
Sanjeev gestured to the grand and sprawling lobby of the hotel, quite pleased at the amazed expression on his guests' faces.
The room constituted a gilded cornucopia featuring animated ice sculptures, gold-flecked snow falling from the ceiling, intricate paintings depicting some humanoid snake beings called Naga, and an ornate fountain featuring an enchanted sculpture of the goddess Saraswati - seated on a swan - skillfully plucking a veena as a chorus of kinnara sung an enthralling tune of…something that sounded like the trilling of multiple songbirds. The floor was made entirely of gleaming mosaic tile that cycled through depictions of several mystical creatures. The sweet smell of fresh jasmine permeated the air, further emphasizing the feel of Paradise.
"Wow," said Jim in astonishment at the varying marvels before him. While the Boy-Who-Lived had seen many incredible (albeit terrible) things in his life, the lobby of the Naga Cultural Center and Ski Resort definitely took the good side of the cake.
"Indeed," replied Sanjeev amiably. "Thank Merlin my grandfather saw the potential for this place, coupled with this obsession for muggle skiing." He smiled charmingly, and Ginny was once more reminded of Blaise Zabini's boyish suavity.
"We have the entire weekend to ourselves with plenty on the itinerary, though to be clear, none of us are obligated to follow it if we don't want to. The slopes are about a mile away if any of you are interested, with an instructor on reserve to provide basic training. Be advised that I have a full class scheduled for us tomorrow morning, along with a full tour of all Surre Alley has to offer. The private spa and sauna is just down the Grand Hallway on the Subterranean Level, along with a full muggle-magical gymnasium should you want something more…stimulating. There is a round-the-clock band for your entertainment in the Rosefinch Tea Room located on this floor, along with smaller, private rooms to take actual tea if you desire. The Reading Room is located on the Fourth Level with a VIP access-only entry - which you all have as my personal guests - equipped with private study halls should you require it."
Percy perked up significantly, eager to tackle the mountain of homework he'd allow to sit idle.
Sanjeev reached into his robes and retrieved seven golden ticket keys and distributed them to his assembled guests. "Here are the keys to your private suites, you each will have a personal house elf assigned to you along with complimentary room service. You will have limited Floo access to any entertainment sector in the hotel, with an emergency Portkey just-in-case." Everyone (save the Patil Twins) looked amazed, having never experienced such luxuries.
"I have a private tour of the Naga Caves scheduled at 4 o'clock sharp, so we will reconvene here after we've all had a chance to freshen up. Should you desire to do something else, that is fine as well. See you all then!"
Naga Caves, 4:18PM
"And here is the Grand Balcony," said Sanjeev, gesturing to a leveled outcropping of stone that stuck out over a deep chasm some fifty feet across and twice as deep. On the far side, illuminated by glow spheres suspended from the ceiling, was a sheer granite cliff face onto which had been carved a magnificent and enormous bas relief of a six-armed naga. Surrounding the great naga were hundreds of other snakes carved into the wall in an ornate interlocking design that glowed in a most odd bioluminescence. Ginny took several pictures with the camera she'd purchased in the gift shop. As a Slytherin, she was quite excited to be in an ancient cavern teeming with arcane symbology totemic to her house.
Jim was equally fascinated, though he wasn't as inclined to take any pictures. Healer Baskar had insisted during their private counseling and tutoring sessions that he ought to "immerse himself" in Parsel-aligned things. The Healer - a self-taught Parselmouth - had insisted that doing so would provide a much more positive perspective on his ability than he could hope to have in Wizarding England.
The group slowly moved to view the edge of the balcony had been roped off to prevent anyone from falling over the edge, and there were other signs of recent construction work, including the caution tape and a "Do Not Enter" sign which Sanjeev had simply pushed aside before leading the group into the chamber.
"One of my father's companies is doing some renovations to the Caves, intent on moving the statue to the lobby," Sanjeev explained. "Quite frankly, I believe the artifact ought to remain where it is considering it has existed for millennia before any of our births. But alas, Father believed otherwise."
Padma stared appreciatively at Sanjeev's words. He sounded rather…mature, considerably more than she would've ever thought him capable of. All her memories of the boy had been from her childhood when they were seven, when Sanjeev had been a swotty and self-centered little brat. But it seemed the years had mellowed out the worst aspects of his personality; the wizard before her was charming, intelligent, gracious, and quite erudite.
The exact opposite of Parvati.
Sanjeev continued on, featuring a few other unique relics that littered the subterranean crypt. Suddenly, one of his father's employees entered the chamber to speak with him, whispering rather urgently into his ear. The boy's expression turned serious, before quietly thanking the worker who stood to the side to wait for him.
"My sincerest apologies. My father requires my presence back at the hotel. I should be done fairly quickly, but feel free to continue to explore within the confines of this balcony and the hallway leading to it. I will also check in on Messrs. Fred, George, and Percy to see how they are enjoying the spa. If you'll excuse me." He bowed politely to the group, eyes turning noticeably warm when Padma smiled at him.
The very second Sanjeev and the worker left the chamber, Parvati whirled on Padma in anger.
"What the hell do you think you're playing at?!" she hissed angrily. Ginny and Jim exchanged a nervous glance.
Padma rolled her eyes. "What on earth are you nattering on about this time?"
Parvati's eyes flashed in anger. "I am talking about you flirting with my fiancé all damn day, that's what I'm talking about!"
"Flirting?!" Her twin looked scandalized. "Is that what you call having a mature and civilized conversation with an age-mate? He's supposed to be my future brother-in-law for Merlin's sake! Aren't we supposed to get along?!"
"Get along?! That's what you call 'getting along?!' As if! You've been monopolizing his attention for hours, blathering on and on about dragonfly thaw-asses and cow dung!" Jim hid his snicker behind a cough.
Her twin rolled her eyes before sneering. "That's dragonfly thoraxes and Cowbane, two ingredients utilized in Girding Potion and Shrinking Solution respectively. Something a Rising Third Year like yourself ought to know, considering it will be on our upcoming Potions curriculum. Which I am certain you didn't know, considering you never bother to learn about anything that's not in the pages of Witch Weekly."
Parvati sputtered. "Are you calling me stupid?!"
"Hmm, I don't know sister. Considering you've only ever ranked in the bottom third of your class and can rarely be bothered to complete your homework assignments in any feasible time frame, I would reckon that you're probably not too bright at all!" Parvati snarled in a rage. "Even more so that you've been pathetically hanging over the poor boy like some cheap and tawdry bauble he purchased at a village fair!"
Ginny and Jim winced at the vitriol in the Ravenclaw's statement, watching as weeks (or perhaps years) of suppressed anger between the Patil sisters finally erupted in front of them. Ginny gripped her wand and prepared to magically intervene if necessary.
"SO THAT'S IT!" Parvati shrieked. "I'm engaged to a billionaire's son and you're JEALOUS! YOU'VE ALWAYS BEEN JEALOUS OF ME!" As she spat out the accusation, Parvati gestured wildly towards her sister, causing her expensive but engagement oversized ring to fly off her finger and skitter across the cavern floor. She gasped in horror as it rolled to a halt right at the edge of the chasm before falling onto its side.
"I swear Padma, if that had gone over the edge, I'd have sent you right after it," she spat.
Padma snorted. "You?! You barely know which end of your wand is which. I'd like to see you try." She sneered once more. Parvati's face grew red, before she screamed in anger and launched herself at her sister. The two landed on the cavern floor and began scuffling with each other, pulling each other's hair as they kicked, slapped, and swiped in an attempt to inflict maximum damage.
Ginny and Jim watched in horror, the latter about to physically intervene when Padma succeeded in kicking her sister off, who attempted to scramble herself upwards. Unfortunately, her foot slid on some loose dirt and gravel at the landing's edge. The girl lost her balance and fell, barely grasping the edge of the balcony while letting out a shriek.
"PARVATI!" Padma screamed.
"Sssshit!" Jim, in his surprise, actually hissed out the expletive in Parseltongue. To his surprise, he noticed Ginny had her wand and prepared to cast a spell to save the frightened witch.
Naturally, Parvati lost her grip and fell at that exact moment.
"PARVATI!" Padma screamed again, tears streaming down her face as she raced to the ledge and attempted to jump downwards to rescue her sister.
"ACCIO PADMA!" The hysterical witch flew into Ginny's waiting arms, kicking and hissing like a furious cat. Jim used that opportunity to reach the ledge and look down below, casting a Lumos Maxima to illuminate the dark chasm.
He paled in horror. Parvati's body looked terribly broken, but to his amazement, she seemed to still be breathing - quick and shallow breaths.
Jim looked around for some way to get down to the injured girl. Seeing none, he looked up and spotted the secure metal posts from which the light globes were suspended.
"CARPE RETRACTUM!" With a flash, a sturdy rope shot out of the tip of Jim's wand and wrapped itself securely around one of the posts. Then, to Ginny and Padma's shock, the Boy-Who-Lived stepped off the balcony himself and swung out to the middle of the gap before willing the rope to slowly extend itself and lower him down to the ground below.
"JIM! Are you alright?" Ginny cradled Padma as the witch continued to cry and kick in her arms. She's applied a Sticking Charm to the emotional witch, lest she decided to tear herself out of her grasp and jump over the ledge herself.
"I'm alright, Parvati is too." Padma froze, reducing her tears to sniffles.
In the chasm, Jim recast the diagnostic spell he'd learned from Lockhart's class, categorizing the witch's injuries. Broken ribs, broken right leg, punctured spleen, a concussion, and a lot of internal bleeding.
"She's alive," he said. "But she's badly hurt, and I don't know if we know any spells that will save her." He looked back down at the unconscious girl and took a deep breath.
Ginny and Padma sagged in relief. "If I let you go, do you promise to just look and not jump down and hurt yourself?" Padma glared in anger for a few beats, before nodding. Ginny canceled the sticking charm and gripping Padma's hand tightly, quickly made their way to the ledge. Padma screamed in horror at the sight of her sister, pleading for the girl to wake up.
Down below, Jim did his best to heal the slowly dying girl. "EPISssSKEY!" he hissed, hoping that the only Parselmagic healing spell he knew might do some good. Parvati's body twitched slightly and some of her smaller superficial wounds closed, but she did not regain consciousness.
He swore and panicked for a few moments, raking his mind for a spell that would save the witch's dwindling life force.
It came to him in flash, in a memory of Parseltongue spells Healer Baskar had taught to him the week prior.
"SAMSARA!" Jim poured quite a bit into the Life Support Charm, trying very hard to ignore Healer Gupta's warning regarding use of a Parseltongue enhancement.
"Samsara functions by linking the life forces of the caster and an injured person, allowing life energy to flow directly from one to another. If we boost the spell's normal effects with Parselmagic, your very life force will be drained away from the spell."
Baskar's warning rattled around in his head, but the Boy-Who-Lived decided it didn't matter. A young girl, a friend, was dying in front of him, and he (maybe) had the power to save her.
It would have been easy to continue casting Episkeys in hope of healing her.
But Gryffindors did what was right.
Jim took a deep breath to center himself, pointing his wand at the pale witch. "SssSSAMSssSSARA!"
Instead of a soft blue glow from his wand tip, he was rewarded with a brilliant white light. Parvati's entire body went rigid and was enveloped in a halo so bright Jim had to close his eyes.
To Ginny and Padma's shock, the hundreds of snakes carved into the great wall above her, as well as the great naga they surrounded, all hissed in unison in response to the boy's actions.
Meanwhile, miles away in the hotel spa, the Weasley brothers startled at the deep and terrible hissing sound that seemed to bellow from the ground below. Sanjeev and his father dropped their teacups as one in their private suite, wondering where the hell the infernal hissing was coming from!
Down in the chasm, the light from Jim's wand grew brighter and brighter until Parvati's whole body shook violently as the worst of her wounds and broken bones healed instantly. Her eyes shot open and she sucked in air with a loud gasp. Padma cried out in relief as her sister regained complete consciousness. Ginny was also similarly relieved, though that immediately changed when she saw Jim's appearance. The kneeling boy was as white as a sheet, more pale than any person they'd ever seen. His head was bobbing, and his ash wand trembled in his hand.
He spasmed violently, before finally keeling over as his eyes rolled to the back of his head.
The last thing he heard and understood (in addition to Padma and Ginny screaming his name in terror) was the terrible hissing that rose up in response to the Samsara spell he'd used:
"Your sacrifice has been accepted."
The Great Elsewhere…
After an unknown time, Jim's eyes suddenly opened and he sat up and looked around. He saw nothing but darkness, but he could feel his wand still in his hand, so he held it aloft and cried out "LUMOSssS."
The boy was actually surprised that the spell came out as Parselmagic, for he had not intended to hiss. He was even more surprised when, instead of a soft light from the tip of his wand, there was a bright light coming from above that completely illuminated the area in which he found himself. He looked around again and was amazed (and somewhat alarmed) to realize he had been transported…somewhere else. Possibly to some other part of the Naga Caves, but for some reason he doubted it.
The chamber seemed impossibly large. Roughly twenty feet in every direction stood a massive stone column, five feet in diameter and adorned with a snake made of some precious metal that wrapped around each column before disappearing into a thick mist far above the floor. The mist was luminescent and was the source of the light that manifested in response to his Parselmagic Lumos. Not all of the mist though; the glowing part was limited to a rough circle centered on Jim. The columns themselves seemed endless and formed a regular grid, one every twenty feet at right angles, as far as the eye could see. 'As far as the eye could see', actually meant about a hundred feet in every direction, as the glow from the mist did not penetrate the darkness beyond that.
Jim stood up and yelled. "Hello?! Is anybody out there?!" There was no response, so the boy picked a direction and started walking. He soon noticed that the aura of light followed him. After an indeterminate time (truly indeterminate – the boy tried to cast Tempus, but the spell refused to function, even when he hissed it in Parseltongue), the Potter Heir suddenly developed the strong feeling that he was being watched, or at least observed somehow. Soon after, however, that nagging sensation was washed away by a much more pressing concern.
POOF!
Out of nowhere, a large brown armoire popped into existence. Jim gulped, holding his wand aloft to brace himself for what was to come. Its doors slowly creaked open, before a figure stepped out of its ominous darkness.
The Potter Heir paled in horror.
It was Ron, though not the best friend he knew. This was the Other Ron, the one who'd been possessed by the Dark Lord.
"Well, well, well, look who finally decided to show his face." He sneered cruelly, rat-like eyes gleaming with hateful malice. "Left me in the Dark Lord's clutches did you? Left me to DIE!"
"No! Never! I didn't know you'd been possessed Ron, I swear!"
"Didn't know?! I'M YOUR BEST FRIEND! But I've always just been your lackey, meant to just follow behind you while you Boy-Who-Lived your way through life! And this is the bloody thanks I get, nearly getting killed by You-Know-Who! LACccCERO TRIA!"
Jim swore and duck, using Averto to parry the redhead's furious spells. Internally, he wondered why this strange apparition of his best friend articulated the very fears he'd had about the boy since he'd been hospitalized.
'Jim you idiot, it's a Boggart! Of course…'
Bracing himself, Jim jumped up and cried "RIDDIKULUS!", the spell hitting his faux friend dead-center. The boy transformed into a massive Ron-sized balloon that furiously blew hot air, causing Jim to choke out a hysterical laugh. The balloon popped, before whizzing back into the armoire that disappeared in a dark cloud of smoke.
Keeling over, Jim tried to catch his breath and shake off that disturbing encounter.
POOF! POOF! POOF!
Three additional armoires appeared out of thin air, revealing the forms of his father, his mother, and his little brother. All three bore cruel expressions that secretly tore at his heart.
James sneered. "Look at you, a disappointment. A useless Heir who can't even kill a Dark Lord like's supposed to. If it weren't for your brother, your Slytherin brother, You-Know-Who would've destroyed you easily. How can you be the Boy-Who-Lived when it's so easy for you to die?"
Jim winced at the harsh words, the truth of them painful to bear. If it hadn't been for Harry, he would've died twice by now.
Lily snickered cruelly. "A complete waste. I cannot believe I spent my time trying to mold you into something useful. I was right to abandon you all those years ago, keep my distance from a lout like you. Good thing I can't even come near you know." She sneered, laughing shrilly at the heartbroken expression her eldest son wore.
"I always knew you were a pathetic lump Potter." Harry sneered in disgust. "It's no wonder Mum chose me. She gave up her marriage to your father for me. Gave up her parental rights to you for me. Gave up any chance of a…relationship with a useless, worthless, Merlin-forsaken lump like you for me. It was always me. It is always me. It will always be me. After all," Harry sneered. "Slytherins rule, Gryffindors drool."
'It's not real-it's not real-it's not real-it's not real!'
With a strength he didn't know he possessed, Jim brandished his wand and cried out "RIDDIKULUS TRIA!" All three transformed into puppets that did a weak little jig, before jerkingly hopping back into their containers that disappeared in clouds of dark smoke.
POOF!
An armoire revealed Albus Dumbledore, his expression as grave as it was disappointed. "You're wasting time Jim, you've wasted so much time! I cannot help you if you're not even trying to help yourself! We will all DIE from your uselessness!"
"RIDDIKULUS!"
POOF!-POOF!
Two more appeared, wearing the forms of Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.
"We are going to DIE Jim, because you're going to FAIL!"
"RIDDIKULUS!"
POOF!
Hermione Granger appeared, wearing the same cruel smile that day in the Lions Common Room when he'd hatefully called her a mudblood.
"You know, I just had the funniest notion! Wouldn't it be amusing if, for all this time, it had been Harry who destroyed You-Know-Who? And that was the real reason your parents separated and he lived with your mother was to keep him safe and hidden away, all the while you were put forward as the 'Boy-Who-Lived'? Can you imagine? All this time you've been made famous as a ruse, because your Little Brother is the true wizarding hero you could never hope to be." She laughed in cruel delight as her warm brown eyes glinted in malice.
"R-R-RIDDIKULUS!"
She disappeared in a cloud of smoke, but to his horror, more and more of the armoires appeared throughout the endless cavern, revealing Boggarts that wore the faces and forms of his his godfather, Housemates, his Professors, other Hogwarts students, even strangers he didn't recognize. All of them loudly proclaiming his uselessness, his inadequacy, his absolute failure in living up to his prophetic duty as the Savior of the Wizarding World.
Jim sagged to his knees in exhausted despair, clutching at his head as he tried to tune out their crescendoing accusations.
"They're right, I'm doomed!-They're right, I'm doomed!-They're right, I'm doomed!-They're right, I'm doomed!" He repeated the phrase like a mantra as he rocked back-and-forth like a madman, choking back tears.
This continued on for a few moments, before a voice that suspiciously sounded like his mother's - but not quite - sounded in his head, a single whispered phrase that was enough to give him pause.
'Not today.'
It kept repeating, in that same strong yet whispered tone that filled his mind and blocked out the voices of his fears, filling him with a strength he didn't know he possessed.
Now was not the time for fear.
Destiny could not be delayed.
Steeling his nerves and taking deep Occludic breaths like his mother had taught him during their brief camaraderie, Jim took a deep breath and bellowed:
"RIDDIKULUS TOTALUM!"
A brilliant white light erupted from his wand, illuminating the entire chamber in a blinding luminescence. He heard screams as the avatars of his fears disappeared in clouds of black dust, banished back to the dark ethers from whence they'd came. Jim poured more of his power into the spell, wanting, needing, for the apparitions of his insecurities to be rendered into Nothingness.
He poured every last drop of his power into the spell, allowing its brightness to fill every corner of his vision. He watched in satisfaction as every last armoire exploded, not stopping until he was certain they'd all been destroyed.
Finally allowing the spell to lapse, he sunk to his knees and panted in exhaustion, trying to catch his breath. Slowly shaking off his exhaustion, the boy pulled himself up to his feet and scanned the room with his wand.
For somewhere nearby, Jim could hear the sound of someone clapping, along with the oddly familiar sound of some large creature slithering towards him. He whirled around, lips contorted around a Lacero.
"Well done, Child of Man," came a deep sibilant voice from deeper within the maze.
"Who's there?!" Jim yelled out. "Who are you?! What is this place?!"
"Your fears were never here, Child of Man."
The voice drew nearer, and finally, Jim saw its source shimmer into existence out of thin air not thirty feet from where he stood. The form was certainly familiar, as the Potter Heir had seen its image all over the caves today. The creature – no, the being – was at least thirty feet long from the top of his bald head to the tip of his serpent's tail. Three-quarters of his body was given over to the form of a massive snake, while the rest was a scaly torso with six arms and a head that resembled a man's save for the brilliant green scales and other serpentine features.
"Those you fought were never truly here but were merely constructs drawn from your mind to test you within this place. And I must say, you passed Child of Man. As for your other question… I have known many names in my millennia of existence. You, however, may call me Sardeth."
Later That Evening…
With a great gasp Jim jerked wide awake. He faintly registered the sounds of high-pitched screaming from Ginny, Molly, and the Patil Twins as James Potter and Sanjeev Kumar let out matching loud expletives.
"SILENCE!" Baskar's voice thundered, causing everyone to freeze. "You will all get hold of yourselves this instant or I will clear you from the ward!"
With that, he cast a privacy bubble before sitting back down next to Jim and conducting another diagnostic and psychic examination. When he was done, he spoke to the boy reassuringly but with an undercurrent of concern. "Tell me, Mr. Potter. What's the last thing you remember?"
The boy seemed to spend a long moment in thought before finally looking up to the healer with a mild confusion. Truthfully, he had a very strong impression of listening to snakes hissing for a long time, but he couldn't give any context to that pseudo-memory. "Um, I remember Parvati falling and not being able to maintain the Samsara Charm on her, so I tried it with Parseltongue." Baskar frowned, and Jim blushed slightly. "I know you said not to, but she was dying and I couldn't think of anything else. How is she?"
"Parvati is fine, Mr. Potter. Quite better than you've been for the past few hours considering your condition." The healer spent a few more minutes gazing deeply into his patient's eyes.
"My condition?" asked Jim with some concern.
"Yes. My diagnostic charms revealed that your soul has been removed from your body!" Heir Potter's eyes widened in shock. "Quite strange, a phenomenon unlike anything I've ever seen. Your mind and body were perfectly intact, but there was no soul to be found." Jim gaped for a few moments, unable to comprehend that bit of news. He thought long and hard about where he'd been - or where he'd imagined himself to be - but he couldn't remember a thing, just the fading memory of hissing.
Baskar's eyes narrowed as he continued his Legilimency examination. "Better than before, in fact. Hmm…" He didn't elaborate on that vague statement, just instructed the boy to take some Sleeping Potion so he could conduct further tests.
Baskar and his team spent another hour checking Jim's vitals before finally declaring that he would be kept overnight for observation but otherwise appeared to be in excellent health and should be released in the morning.
Exiting the room, he made his way over to a tense and frowning Lord Potter. He'd been brooding in his personal study in Potter Manor when he'd received an emergency summons from Molly Weasley indicating that his son was in a coma. Horrified, he'd rushed over in a panic, thinking the absolute worst. Despite his terror, he'd been quite proud to hear that his son had heroically saved the life of the Patil girl, even though he'd risked his very life to do it.
Seeing Jim in a hospital bed was a sight he was becoming too accustomed to experiencing.
"Healer Baskar, what is it? Is Jim really alright?"
"He's in perfect health, Lord Potter, truly. I've prescribed some sleep potion so he can rest without interruption, but he will be absolutely fine. It's just…" The man's expression wrinkled curiously.
"What is it?" asked James impatiently.
Baskar sighed, before hissing a slew of privacy charms around the pair. of them If he registered the other wizard's shiver, he didn't mention it.
"Forgive me Lord Potter, but this topic is rather sensitive. My test revealed something rather…peculiar." James tensed, wondering where the hell this line of questioning was going.
"Peculiar in what way?" he asked woodenly.
"Tell me…has Jim ever demonstrated any natural capacity for Animagery?"
AN 1: Sardeth's conversation with Jim will be referenced, but not outright revealed. Sardeth will have another conversation with... two others that will be revealed in future chapters.
AN 2: Casting-wise, I'm thinking Rohan Chand for Sanjeev Kumar. Undecided on the Kumar Pasha, but I will have that sorted out when the Kumar makes another cameo in a future chapter. We will see Sanjeev again in Year 4, as part of the Durmstrang emissary for the TWT.
AN 3: Saraswati is the Hindi goddess of music, creativity, and education. Kinnara is a mythical creature from Hindu and Buddhist mythology. They are described as part human and part bird, with strong associations to music & love. They are believed to be from Himalayas, fitting given Shamballa's location.
AN 4: If Arthur in the AD-verse had been Sorted into Slytherin, he would have been a very strong contender for Prince and ultimately given Lucius Malfoy a run for his money. If he had become Prince, he would have made Lucius his Consilierii and more than likely ended the OoE between their two Houses. RE: Abraxas Malfoy stymying his career, that was a useful and believable excuse Arthur gave to provide cover for his recruitment & training under the DoM.