The Phoenix Prophecy

Chapter Seventeen: The Return

Monday – Late Afternoon - July 21^st

Hermione: 6:30 PM

Thankfully, there was little I could do to help Gretchen. In reality, there seemed little anyone could do but wait. I would have helped her if she had needed me to, especially after everything she had done for me when I injured my leg in the forest a couple of days ago. Ron knelt beside her, lending moral support as best as he could until Gretchen’s stomach stopped trying to turn itself inside out. I had a lot on my mind and I was grateful to have some time to think before we left the room, in search of the dark energy source and the agent for the aging spell.

The discovery that Luther and Eliza were in all likelihood the wizard and witch mentioned in ‘The Phoenix Prophecy’ had shaken me deeply. Up until a few moments ago, I had always felt in my heart that the wizard and witch in the prophecy had defeated the evil that was incarnated in Mortius. After getting past my initial shock that Mortius was responsible for the creation of the dragon cult; the imprisonment of Cetus, Gemini and Virgo on this island; and all of the troubles Ron and Gretchen now found themselves in, I fully expected to learn that Mortius had been destroyed by the ‘Seeker’ and the ‘Reader’ at some other time and place. It was almost a certainty that the prophecy, as far as the Realm was concerned, had come to a disastrous end here on this island. Knowing this really shook my deep-seated belief that given enough time, good will triumph over evil.

‘Wormie, with everything you have read and all the suffering you have witnessed personally, you really are naive if you believe that ‘good’ can always triumph over ‘evil,’’ said the little voice in the back of my mind that liked to call me by my dad’s favorite pet name for me.

I knew my inner voice was right, but my heart just didn’t want to admit it. If the ‘reader’ and ‘seeker’ had destroyed their evil foe, then Harry and I were off the hook. Harry having a lightning scar would just be a coincidence, nothing of importance as far as the prophecy was concerned. Luther and Eliza were living—make that dead, very dead—proof that the outcome did not always favor the good guys. No matter how hard I tried to hold on, I felt one more of my innocent childhood notions slipping through my fingers.

While I was busy feeling sorry for myself, I abruptly realized what life must have been like for Luther and Eliza. All of a sudden, my problems didn’t seem even worth mentioning. I tried to imagine what it would be like for Harry and me to be abducted shortly after getting married and then die some thirty years later, never once having seen our families or friends during that period. No matter how hard I tried, I could not even begin to imagine how they must have felt. They had lived on this island as prisoners for almost twice my age. I don’t know how they stood it; I would surely have cracked long before…

Abruptly my eyes started to water over and my throat felt as if I was unable to swallow my own saliva. Gretchen must have realized what I just did, namely that she and Ron would likely come to the same sticky end as Eliza and Luther. No wonder the poor girl was so distraught. Even though Mortius did not directly abduct Ron and Gretchen, his proxies, the rings, in effect abducted them. We had to break the spell binding them to this island. We just had to. Ron and Gretchen should not have to suffer the same fate as Luther and Eliza.

Analyzing any implications that applied to the prophecy because of Luther and Eliza being murdered would just have to wait until later. Right now, the single most important thing to concentrate on was deactivating the agent for the aging spell. If we could accomplish that one task, then Ron, Gretchen and the dragons would be free to leave the island. Sadly, deactivating the aging spell’s agent would not be enough to free the dragons from the island. Somehow, we also had to deactivate the spell that prevented apparation or transfiguration so that the dragons could escape the confines of the chamber in which they were being held.

I was not sure how I could face the dragons again, if we only managed to deactivate the aging spell. The only thing I could think of doing, would be to travel to their home in ‘The Mountain of Fire’ and let their fellow dragons know what had become of them. Maybe they could figure out some way to get Cetus, Gemini and Virgo out of the chamber. ‘Best not to dwell on these thoughts right now as they detract you from your immediate goals,’ said my inner voice consolingly, snapping me out of the depression I was slowly sinking into.

Taking several long, slow, deep breaths, I tried to clear my mind of the consequences of failure, concentrating instead on what would be the plan of action that would give us the best chance of successfully deactivating the agent. The skills and knowledge that I had received from the ancient cult wand were going to come in very handy. If fact, I had the distinct feeling that they would be indispensable to our success. For the first time in my life, I was able to think about attempting something as risky as deactivating an evil spell without tying myself up in knots. The ability to set aside the consequences of personal danger and deal exclusively with what needed to be done was very new to me. It gave me a welcome feeling of mastery over my environment. Now all I had to do is come up with an actual plan that would free Ron and Gretchen and not get us killed in the process.

“Harry, we need to get Luther and Eliza to start talking and keep them talking if we are going to have any chance at deactivating the aging spell,” I said as I slipped my hand in his hand. “I don’t know about you, but as for me, if we have to leave Ron and Gretchen on this island, a part of me is going to remain here with them. I know that such an event would haunt me for the rest of my life, so we must do everything we can to make sure that event does not come to pass.”

“I am not sure I could leave them here by themselves, even if that meant not returning to Earth,” Harry answered solemnly. Harry looked at me imploringly as he squeezed my hand. I was pretty sure he was looking for some sign from me that I would not leave our best friends behind.

“Harry, I am not as brave as you are. If it came down to the point where I had to choose between staying with our best friends or returning home to see my family, I do not know what I would choose to do,” I replied, dreading the thought of ever having to make such a decision. “The only way of avoiding such a decision that I can see is to find the agent that keeps the aging spell alive and deactivate it.”

“You are right, of course,” Harry said softly and wrapped his arms around me. I welcomed Harry’s embrace because it felt as if I were wrapped in a protective shield where nothing could hurt me. I knew that this feeling would do nothing to help us, but it allowed me to relax for a few precious seconds. Reluctantly, I pushed away from Harry, but not until after I had kissed him.

“Luther mentioned that the Hercon Crystal is enclosed in a globe that sits atop a pedestal in the chamber at the lowest level of this house,” I said in an attempt to recap what we knew and did not know. “Neither the dragons or Luther or Eliza seems to know anything about the agent for the aging spell. It is possible they may know something that may lead us to the agent and assist us in deactivating it, no matter how insignificant or unrelated it may be.”

“And you think that by getting Luther and Eliza to start talking, they may say something that will lead us to the agent?” Harry asked, glancing in the direction of the ghosts.

“Yes I do, Harry. Unless you have a better suggestion, that is the best I can come up with based on what we know at this moment in time,” I replied, looking at him, eye to eye.

“Well, let’s go with your plan for now or until something better comes along,” Harry answered with a smile and a quick kiss that left me wishing for more.

Gretchen had finally stopped retching and was standing on her feet. She looked almost as pale as the ghosts did. The only difference was that you could not see through her.

“I’m sorry to be such a bother,” Gretchen said weakly when she noticed Harry and me looking at her.

“Gretchen, don’t worry about it. You are never a bother, and besides it’s not your fault. If I were in your shoes I would probably be heaving my guts out too,” I replied, smiling warmly. Gretchen returned my smile, but she had a strange, almost satisfied look on her face for a fleeting second or two. I don’t think anyone else caught it as she was looking directly at me. I made a mental note to ask her what she was thinking about the next time we were alone.

“Luther, how do we get to the chamber where the Hercon Crystal is located?” Harry asked.

“You need to go through that door at the end of this room. On the other side of the door is the top of a spiral staircase that descends through all of the levels below this one,” Luther answered after he and Eliza floated back over to where the six of us were standing. “On the fifth level below this one you will find the Hercon Crystal.”

“Are we likely to encounter any obstacles along the way?” I asked, wondering if it would be as easy as descending five flights of stairs.

“None that I can think of…oh, maybe a rat or two, possibly some other small animals, but nothing large or life threatening,” Luther replied thoughtfully. “As long as you stay out of Paradise you will be just fine.”

“Paradise, what is Paradise?” Alec asked, suddenly alert to Luther’s words.

“Paradise is not what you might think,” Eliza answered with a scornful laugh. “It is a huge cavern that at one time may have resembled an untouched paradise, but now it is over-run with carnivores and other bizarre creatures that the cult bred over the years in their endless pursuit to breed a controllable dragon. Humans that wander into Paradise never return.”

“Okay, unless anyone has anything else to say, let’s get going,” I said and headed for the door.

Everyone followed Harry and me to the door, which was locked with a complex set of pins controlled by a single lever on our side of the door. I tried twisting the lever, but it would not budge. Harry and Ron, with their combined strength, managed to twist the lever and unlock the door. I was glad they were able to open the door manually as I did not want to use any unnecessary magic spells until I knew more about what we were up against.

The door protested only a little as Harry and Ron swung it open. The room on the other side of the door was in complete darkness. I could not see anything beyond the edge of the door. Reluctantly, I lit my wand and stepped through the door, not quite sure what to expect. I think Harry was a little surprised that I did not hang back and let him go first. As soon as I stepped into the room, which turned out to be circular, the torches on the walls sprang to life and bathed the room in flickering yellow light. I quickly extinguished my wand as I moved out to survey the room, the others following right behind me.

The room was close to thirty feet in diameter, with a solid central column that ran from floor to ceiling. Surrounding the three-foot wide column was a short retaining wall that looked to be waist high and fifteen feet in diameter. I walked over to the single opening in the retaining wall, which turned out to be the entrance to the spiral staircase that wound its way downward around the central column, and peered down into the silent darkness below. The stairs were wide and sloped downward at an angle that would make descending, or ascending, easy.

“Hey, guys, take a look at this,” Alec called out while I was wondering just how long it was going to take us to reach the bottom.

“What is it?” Ron replied as he and Gretchen headed over to where Alec and Nicole were staring into one of the other five rooms on this level.

“The door to this room has been knocked loose from its frame and is lying on the floor in front of the opening,” Alec replied peering into the room.

“Alec, wait,” Harry called out, but he was too late, as Alec had already stepped into the room.

I hurried to catch up with the others. By the time I reached the doorway, everyone else had entered the room. The room was well lit by the torches on the walls. We all just stood inside the doorway looking over the contents of the room, which bore no resemblance to the room we had just left.

“This room was used for making experimental potions and examining the bodies of failed breeding attempts,” Eliza said when she and Luther entered the room through the wall beside us. “I spent a lot of time in here trying to create a potion that would change small lizards into dragons. The only potion that succeeded, if you care to call it that, was the one the helped create the Dracks.”

“Talk about irony,” Gretchen replied. “First you come up with the only viable potion that succeeds in creating something like a dragon, and then it kills you.”

“Yes, we noticed that,” Luther said without a trace of amusement in his voice.

“Eliza, did you use a combination of transfiguration and potions when trying to create your new species of dragons?” I asked, as I was quite curious about how the cult went about attempting to create dragons that would be under their control. I also hoped that this might be a good opportunity to get the two of them talking about what they did here while they were still alive.

“Yes we did. If we tried one potion, we tried a thousand, all without success except the one that created the Dracks,” Eliza replied, seemingly still exasperated after all of these years. “Oh, we managed to create a few new species of smaller animals, but the Drack was the closest we ever got to creating a dragon. Even after we were killed, the cult never created a single viable dragon. I think that is what finally caused Mortius to abandon the cult, his frustration at not being able to create a dragon that would acknowledge him as its master.”

“Mortius does not sound like the type of person who tolerates failure,” Harry said casually.

“You can say that again,” Luther exclaimed. “Everyone wanted to be elsewhere when things were not going according to Mortius’ desires. Towards the end, that was just about all the time. More than one person killed himself or herself rather than face Mortius’ wrath. Dying quickly was much better than being fed to the Dracks or being sent to Paradise.”

“I’m glad I never met this Mortius person,” Nicole said, shuddering visibly.

“I wish we never had either,” Eliza replied sorrowfully.

“As interesting as this room is, I think we should head for the lowest chamber and try to locate the agent for the aging spell,” I said into the silence that followed. “Time is short and deactivating the agent is our top priority.”

No one disagreed, so Harry and I led the way to the top of the spiral staircase. Once I made sure the others were right behind us, I started down the spiral staircase.

“Wait!” Alec shouted. I was so startled by Alex’s outcry that I lost my footing and would have fallen if Harry had not grabbed me around the waist.

“What is it, Alec” I asked as soon as I regained my balance and turned around to look at him. Alec was staring at the central column, just a foot or so above his head. When I followed his gaze to see what had startled him, I was surprised to see that several dozen symbols were etched into the stone column.

“What do the symbols mean?” Gretchen asked once we were all staring at them.

“I’m not sure,” I replied. I really didn’t have any idea what the symbols stood for, as they didn’t look like anything I had seen before. Oh, there was a vague feeling of familiarity, but then again, most symbols look somewhat similar.

“I think it’s some kind of warning,” Alec said after a short pause in which no one offered anything further.

“A warning, what makes you think that?” Harry asked, looking back and forth between Alec and me.

“I’m not sure,” Alec began slowly, “but there is something familiar about several of those symbols. I am sure that I have seen one or two of them before.”

“Luther, do you or Eliza know what the symbols on the center column mean?” I asked when they swooped past. It would be nice if these two would just follow along with us. This business of zooming in and out of the walls, floor and ceiling was becoming a bit annoying.

“Sure we do. Essentially the symbols say ‘Proceed at your own risk, plus a lot more that we never did fully translate’” Luther replied and then he and Eliza disappeared through the steps beneath us before I had a chance to ask them anymore about the symbols or their origin.

“Harry, do you know any spells to immobilize ghosts?” I asked as I glared at the steps.

“Hun, you know a hell of a lot more spells than I do,” he replied quickly. “Besides you know that ghosts are impervious to almost all spells. Just think of Luther and Eliza as a couple of playful dolphins. They probably have not had anybody to show off for in a long, long while.”

“You’re right, Harry. I will try and not let their playful antics bother me,” I answered and continued down the staircase.

“Hermione, maybe this is not a good idea,” Alec said hesitantly. “We do not have the slightest idea what may lie in store for us if we continue on down this staircase.”

“Alec, I fail to see that a vague warning chiseled into the stone wall significantly changes the threats that we face in attempting to seek out the Hercon Crystal or the agent to the aging spell,” I answered, trying to keep any trace of sarcasm from my voice, as I knew that would only make Alec more stubborn. “Unless you can decipher the symbols and give us something in particular to be prepared for, I do not believe we are any worse off then when we started. However, if you feel that the risk of pursuing the crystal or agent is too great, then perhaps you and Nicole should turn back now and wait for us to return.”

“Don’t you mean, if your return?” Alec asked pointedly.

“Alec, the choice is entirely up to you, either come along with us or return to the main floor and wait for our return,” I replied forcefully. “Harry and I are going to do everything we can do to see that Ron and Gretchen are not trapped here by an ancient spell created by an evil madman that has likely been dead for hundreds of years. We plan to take every precaution possible, but not attempting to free Ron and Gretchen is out of the question.”

“I want to see Ron and Gretchen free of the spell as much as you do, Hermione,” Alec replied, gazing into my eyes. For a brief instant, something flashed in his eyes that sent a shiver down my spine. I had seen that look before, but could not quite remember where. “Answer me this, if you will. Would you be quite so anxious to head down this staircase if you hand not come in contact with the ancient wand?”

For several seconds Alec and I just stared at each other, our eyes locked together. Alec did have a point. I was unsure how to answer him, as I knew there was more than a little truth in what he had just said.

“I won’t deny that coming in contact with the ancient wand changed me,” I began. “I do feel surer of myself and in a better position to deal with what we may encounter. I think we are taking an acceptable risk. I do not believe we are gambling with our lives, as you seem to feel I am doing. There is a world of difference between a risk and a gamble. I hope you can understand the difference.”

“Yes, I understand the difference,” Alec said, his voice softer and friendlier. “I just wanted to be sure that you did.”

Alec’s last statement seemed to end the discussion. Harry glanced at me and started down the staircase, his wand in his hand. I turned and quickly caught up with Harry before he had descended another two stairs. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw that Alec and Nicole were two steps back with Ron and Gretchen two steps behind them.

Two complete turns around the central column, we arrived at the next level. The room was identical to the one above, including the six equally spaced doors around the outer wall. Luther and Eliza swooped past us a couple of times and headed down the staircase.

“Unless anyone feels there is anything to be gained by examining this level, I suggest that we continue descending,” I said, looking around the group.

“Looks just like the level we just left,” Ron replied. “Might as well keep on going.”

No one disagreed, so Harry and I kept on descending. By the time we had made two more complete turns around the central column, we reached the next level. This level was noticeably different from the previous two. First off, it was warmer, the air was laden with scents, and there were not six doors, but three passageways leading from the room. In addition, if I listened very hard, I was sure I could hear the sound of running water.

“Can anyone else hear the sound of water?” I asked, stepping away form the staircase and peering down one of the passageways.

“Yes, now that you mention it, I can hear it too,” Nicole replied when she walked up and stood beside me. “Where do you think it’s coming from?”

“I don’t know, but it appears to be coming from this passageway,” I answered and took a few steps in the direction of the water’s sound.

Almost immediately, I realized that the passageway dead-ended just a few yards in front of us. I nearly jumped out of my skin when Luther, who had snuck up behind us said, “if you go into Paradise, you will never return.”

“Luther, do not ever do that again,” I squealed after I re-swallowed my stomach.

“Do what? I just warned you not to go into Paradise, that’s all,” Luther replied, trying to sound hurt. Even though Luther didn’t crack a smile, I could tell by the look in his eyes that he had enjoyed frightening Nicole and me half to death.

“You know what I mean,” I answered, staring directly at him.

“Well, just don’t go in there, that’s all,” Luther said and then he and Eliza whooshed through one of the walls and disappeared.

“Nicole, maybe now would be a good time for you to go and see what Alec is up to,” I said, smiling fondly at her.

“I think I would rather stay with you. I really want to know what is so special about this Paradise that the ghosts do not want us to see,” she replied, returning my smile.

Nicole knew that I just had to get a look at Paradise. Something about the way that Luther kept insisting that we not go there made me suspicious of his motives. Evidently, Nicole felt the same way as well. I decided against asking Harry what he thought or if he wanted to come along. I knew that would only lead to an endless discussion and waste precious time. I didn’t plan to be away for more than a few minutes. Just a quick peek and then I would come straight back. Nicole was very eager and didn’t seem the least bit afraid so I decided to take her with me. Besides, if I made her stay she would probably tell the others where I had gone.

“Nicole, follow me and stay right behind me,” I said quietly and quickly glanced behind me to see if anyone was watching what I was doing.

“Okay, Hermione,” she whispered back. I was beginning to take a real liking to Nicole. She reminded me of myself at that age, quiet and intent. I had been more than a little surprised when Virgo announced that Nicole had magical abilities. I knew just how she felt when Virgo told her that she was going to be a witch. I will always remember the day when my parents told me that I was a witch and would be attending a special school. I think that was probably the most difficult task my parents were ever faced with. Even though they were happy for me, once they got over the shock, they were very sad that I would be attending school so far from home.

“Hermione, are we going or not?” Nicole asked, snapping me out of my reverie.

“Yes, yes we are,” I replied and continued walking down the passageway.

I was just beginning to wonder if the wall at the end of the passageway was a trick wall like the entrance to Platform 9¾ at Kings Cross Station, when I came abreast of a narrow opening in the side of the passageway. The opening was just big enough for us to pass through, although it was easier for me to sidestep rather than walk normally. The narrow passage way made two abrupt right angle turns before it ended in another normal sized passageway. While moving through the narrow opening, I could feel the air moving steadily in the direction we were moving.

I very cautiously peered out into the passageway, ready to jump back at the slightest movement. The passageway only led to the left. About ten feet from where I was standing, the passageway ended. I could not make out any details of what lie beyond the end of the passageway. There was only one way to find out. I cautiously stepped from the narrow opening into the passageway and slowly made my way towards the dull gray light.

As I inched closer and closer to the end of the passageway, the sound of running water grew louder and the air became thicker with strong scents that made me think of jungle rain forests. I noticed that as we got closer to the opening, the mold on the walls grew thicker. Surprisingly the floor had very little mold.

Nicole was close behind me, constantly trying to look past me to see where we were headed. The closer we got to the end of the passageway, the faster my heart beat. After what seemed an interminable journey, which in reality took less than a minute, we finally reached the end of the passageway and looked out onto the most unbelievable scene I had ever seen in my life.

At first, I thought that the passageway must be a portal that had taken us to another world. It took me a moment to realize that we were looking at an enormous underground cavern. The cavern was so large that it bred agoraphobia instead of claustrophobia. It was difficult to estimate just how big the cavern really was from the haze that hung in the air. At the very least, the distance to the far wall had to be a thousand feet. From what I could tell, in the dim light, we appeared to be completely surrounded by a small lake. Water was cascading down steep rock walls just off to our right, eventually making its way to the lake. A ledge, wide enough to walk on, led off to the left. A thick ivy-like vine covered most of the rock wall near the entrance to the passageway we were standing in.

“This is absolutely awesome,” Nicole exclaimed, clearly as impressed as I was by the sight we were witnessing. “I can sure see why this place is called Paradise.”

“Shush, not so loud,” I scolded, suddenly remembering Luther’s ominous warnings.

“Hermione, is that what I think it is?” Nicole asked, pointing to a small object in the air above the lake.

I looked in the direction to see what she was pointing at. At first, I didn’t spot what had attracted her attention. Then I saw it, the unmistakable shape of a dragon in flight. It was hard to tell just how big the dragon actually was, as I had nothing familiar to gage its size against. I was pretty sure the dragon was considerably smaller than Cetus, but it was definitely large enough to be trouble.

“Yes, Nicole, that is most definitely a dragon,” I answered when she started to ask me again. “We had better stay out of sight. No telling how good its eyesight is.”

“Do dragons really breathe fire?” she asked, he eyes open just about as far as they would go.

“Yes, they really do,” I answered without taking my eyes off the beast, which was just about to disappear around the side of the island. “Remember to ask Harry about the experience he had with a dragon two years ago.”

“Was Harry attacked by a dragon—did he have to slay a dragon to save you—tell me what happened?” Nicole asked in a rush without taking a single breath.

“No, nothing like that. He just had to steal one of the dragon’s eggs. The dragon was very protective of her egg, Harry was lucky he wasn’t flame broiled. Anyway, it was all part of a tournament that Harry was in,” I replied, smiling to myself both inwardly and outwardly at Nicole’s utter amazement that Harry had dealt with a dragon.

“Do you think that dragon might be friendly, like Cetus and his brother and sister?” Nicole asked when the dragon was out of sight.

“I don’t know, Nicole. I guess it’s possible,” I answered when I turned around to look at her. “Until we know for sure that it is friendly, we will assume it is hostile and very, very dangerous.”

All of a sudden, I felt as if something was wrong. The hair on the back of my neck was bristling and I felt cold, icy fingers wrap themselves around my heart. Nicole was about to say something, but I put two fingers to her lips so that she would not make a sound. I listened as intently as I could, feeling that something was happening. After a few seconds, I was convinced that I could hear a very faint noise that sounded like stone sliding on stone. Before I could pinpoint exactly where the sound was coming from, it stopped.

“Nicole, I think we should return and find the others. We have been gone longer that I planned and by now one or more of them will have noticed,” I said and gently steered Nicole towards the end of the short passageway. If the truth be known, I was more than a little un-nerved by the feeling that had just pasted over me. I was anxious to get back so that Harry and the others could back us up if something were truly about to happen.

We quickly reached the narrow opening in the side of the passageway and I told Nicole to go through ahead of me. I knew that something was going to happen or had already happened, but I couldn’t quite figure out what. As soon as I slid into the narrow opening behind Nicole, I felt my stomach flip-flop when Nicole gasped.

“Hermione, the path is blocked, we can’t get through,” Nicole said. At the same instant, I realized that the air was no longer flowing through the narrow connector between the passageways.

Sure enough, just past the first right angle turn, our path was blocked by a solid stone wall. We both tried pushing on the wall but it wouldn’t budge. Pounding our fists on it was a futile effort as well.

“Should we try yelling for help?” Nicole asked a bit nervously, but still in control of her emotions.

“No, that might not be such a good idea. We might attract the wrong kind of attention,” I replied, trying to think of what else we might do. “Anyway, I doubt that our voices would be heard on the other side of this wall, stone makes a good sound barrier.”

“Hermione, I am not afraid, a bit scared maybe. Just tell me what you want me to do,” Nicole said softly.

“Right now we should back out into the outer passageway so that we can think clearly,” I replied. “I feel as if the walls are beginning to close in on me.”

We quickly reversed our direction and exited the narrow connector. Once we were in the wider passageway, I felt as if I could breathe freely again. I had no idea what had caused the connector to seal shut. But shut it was and now we were really separated from everyone else.

“Nicole, I think the best thing for us to do is wait right here for Luther and Eliza to come popping out of one of the walls,” I said, trying to sound optimistic. “It should not be too long before we are missed and the ghosts come looking for us. Once they know where we are, they can tell the others and then we will figure a way out of here.”

“Okay,” was all she replied, as she moved closer to stand next to me.

For the next several minutes, we just stood there waiting for Luther and Eliza to show up.

“Hermione, my feet are starting to ache. Would it be alright if we sat down for a while?”

“I don’t see why not,” I replied looking around for the best place to sit. “My feet could use a rest too.”

I decided that the safest place to sit was directly across from the narrow connector. From there we could keep an eye on the connector and the opening at the end of the passageway. If anything showed up we could duck into the connector, which would offer us the only protection I could think of. Nothing of any appreciable size could squeeze into the narrow opening.

We sat with our backs against the wall. I had Nicole sit on my left so that I was between her and the opening at the end of the passageway. For several minutes, we just sat there without talking. I was expecting Nicole to blame me for us being trapped, but she never mentioned it. Not that she needed to remind me of my folly. I was pretty sure Harry and the others were frantic with worry by now. Harry was going to be angry with me for putting Nicole and myself in danger. I could not blame him for that, I deserved it. I just hoped that he would yell at me and not sulk without saying anything. I couldn’t stand the silent treatment, as it seemed to last forever. I was pretty sure that I wouldn’t be able to sweet talk myself out of trouble, no matter how much of myself I put into it. No, kisses and sweet talk would definitely not be the most advisable approach. I would have to come up with another way to distract Harry from his anger.

“Hermione, look,” Nicole said softly, pointing past me towards the opening in the passageway.

I turned to see some bizarre creature staring at us. At first, I thought it was a large rabbit or cat. When I saw its whiskers move I realized that it was neither, it was a rat, of some type. I was only mildly nervous until it rose up on three-foot long spider legs. Both Nicole and I were on our feet before the rat had advanced more than a couple of feet in our direction. I quickly shoved Nicole into the narrow connector opening and followed her while retrieving my wand.

There was just enough room for Nicole and me to cram ourselves into the middle leg of the connector without squashing each other. I cautiously peered around the corner and waited. A few seconds later, the rat, or whatever the bloody thing was, stopped in front of the opening and stared back at me with hideous, blood red eyes. Just as I was deciding on what spell might work best against this creature, another rat showed up.

“Hermione, are we in real trouble?” Nicole asked weakly when she heard me gasp at the sight of the second rat.

“Possibly, Nicole, but I still have quite a few tricks up my sleeve, so let’s not give up hope just yet,” I said in as positive a voice as I could muster. Right now, the last thing I needed to deal with was a terrified Nicole. ‘Oh, Harry, why aren’t you here when I really need you?’

Ron: 6:40 PM

Gretchen’s stomach seemed to have finally settled down. At the thought of being eaten alive by Dracks, I had to fight to keep from throwing up, myself. I hoped that Luther and Eliza would not bring up the subject again, once was more than enough. We had more that enough to worry about, without contemplating what might have happened had the Dracks actually caught us.

I felt better now that we were actually doing something to try to free us from the evil aging spell that bound us to the island. Just sitting around talking about it was starting to give me the jitters. Other than the sounds we were making ourselves, the central core was as quiet as a tomb. I would not have wanted to be in here alone, or even just the two of us. The core, along with its spiral staircase was extremely interesting. I’m sure we all would have liked to spend more time going over the details on each level, especially the strange symbols carved in the stone walls. Gazing at the symbols, I couldn’t help remembering the anxiety that I felt at Luther and Eliza’s announcement that the symbols were a warning. As if we weren’t nervous enough already, now we had an obscure warning to worry about.

When I stepped onto the floor of the third level, I knew something was different. For starters, it was noticeably warmer, and the air did not smell old and musty as it had on the upper two levels. The most obvious difference was that the six doors were replaced with three passageways leading off from the room surrounding the staircase. Gretchen and I were the last to arrive on this level, having descended the steps slower than the others. We arrived just as Hermione and Nicole disappeared down one of the passageways, while Harry and Alec were attempting to decipher some of the symbols along the outer wall of the room. As Gretchen did not seem interested in walking too far, I steered her in Harry’s direction. Mostly because there was a stone bench along the wall next to where Harry and Alec were standing.

“Ron, I feel so silly,” Gretchen said as she plopped down on the bench. “First I can’t stop throwing-up, now I feel too weak to walk. I don’t know what is wrong with me.”

“Don’t fret about it, dear,” I replied and sat down next to her so she could rest her head on my shoulder.

Instead, she surprised me by laying her head in my lap. I gently ran my fingers through her hair, trying to relax her as much as possible. Something was wrong with her and I was starting to worry. I knew it couldn’t have anything to do with the aging spell because I felt fine. It had to be something else, but what?

I laid my head back against the wall and closed my eyes while Harry and Alec continued discussing some of the symbols that seemed familiar to them. I only half listened as they discussed the possible meanings of one particular group of symbols, their voices droning on and on. Before long I felt my eyes getting heavy, I was having a terrible time keeping them open.

“Ron, Ron, wake up,” I heard Harry’s far away voice say as something shook my shoulder. I felt as if my eyes were glued shut. Opening them took all the effort I could manage. Finally, I managed to get them open, only to see Harry and Alec standing in front of us with very worried looks on their faces.

“What’s wrong?” I managed to say, even though my mouth felt unusually dry.

“It’s the girls, Hermione and Nicole, we can’t find them,” Harry replied anxiously. I could see from the look on his face that he was seriously worried.

“Don’t panic, they can’t be too far away,” I said sitting up straight, trying not to disturb Gretchen who had fallen asleep in my lap. “Have you checked all the passageways? That was where I saw them last.”

“Yes, yes, we have checked them, but we didn’t find any sign of the girls,” Alec replied. He too was looking very upset. His voice was higher pitched than normal and his eyes kept darting nervously around the room.

“Have Luther or Eliza seen them?” I asked, starting to feel anxious.

“Them, who?” Gretchen asked as she slowly sat up next to me and rubbed her eyes.

“Hermione and Nicole, they are nowhere to be found,” Harry replied.

“They were here a few minutes ago, just before Ron and I sat down,” Gretchen replied casually. It was obvious from her tone of voice that she had not absorbed the meaning of what Harry had said.

“Yes, we know, but now they are gone and we can’t find them,” Harry added, his voice cracking just a little.

“Where are Luther and Eliza?” I asked again. “Maybe they have seen the girls…hey; maybe the girls are with them.”

“We haven’t seen Luther or Eliza since we started studying these symbols,” Alec answered. “I wish the ghosts would return, then we could ask them to go and find the girls.”

“Luther and Eliza are always coming and going. I’m sure they will be along shortly, and then we can ask them to go and search for Hermione and Nicole,” Gretchen replied anxiously. Gretchen was alert and fully aware of the possible danger that Hermione and Nicole might have stumbled into.

“You searched all three passageways, right?” I asked.

“Yes we did. Besides, the passageways just dead-end,” Alec replied, some of his normal color was missing. “Each passageway has a narrow side tunnel, but those are also dead-ends. Then only way in or out of the room appears to be the spiral staircase.”

“Did you check to see if they went down to the next level or back up a level?” asked Gretchen, a note of worry in her voice.

“No, we didn’t,” Harry answered. “When I went to the spiral staircase to do just that, I noticed that the staircase was dark in both directions. I concluded that they must not have used the stairs and should be in this room. Besides, Hermione would not have gone off on her own without telling us.”

“Harry, she might have done just that,” Alec replied slowly. “Coming in contact with the cult member’s wand did change her. Surely you have noticed how much more aggressive and self-assured she has become since touching the wand.”

“You might be right, Alec. As much as I hate to admit it, you just might be right,” answered Harry, a look of resignation on his face.

“Well, if they didn’t go up or down the spiral staircase and the passageways are all dead-ends, then there must be a hidden door, like the one in the passageways on the main floor of the house, that leads to some other place,” Gretchen said, glancing at me. I could see the worry in her eyes. She too, was starting to panic.

Just as Harry was about to reply, Luther and Eliza whooshed down through the ceiling and came to rest in front on us.

“Why are you still here?” Luther asked. “We thought you would have descended another two levels by now.”

“Hermione and Nicole as missing,” Harry said to the ghosts. “Alec and I stooped to study this group of symbols, and the next thing we knew, the girls had vanished.”

“We think there must be a hidden door or passageway the leads to some other chamber and that is where Hermione and Nicole have gone,” Gretchen said. “Perhaps you know of such or could go and look for them.”

“There are no hidden or secret passageways from this chamber that we know of,” Eliza replied. I wasn’t sure, but she sounded quite nervous when she said this. Only having just met Luther and Eliza a short time ago, I was not sure if I was reading her right, or just over-reacting from the anxiety we were all feeling.

“What is the purpose of these passageways,” Harry asked, gesturing towards the passageways in the outer walls.

“The passageways used to lead to Paradise, but they were sealed off hundreds of years ago,” answered Luther casually.

“Would you please check the surrounding area for Hermione and Nicole?” Alec pleaded. “If you can’t locate them, then I’m not sure what we will do.”

“Okay, we will do as you wish, but I doubt very much if we will find any trace of them,” Luther replied. “Around here it is not unusual for people to simply vanish without a trace, never to be seen or heard from again.”

The ghosts quickly departed, disappearing through the outer wall of the room. For several seconds no one said anything. Luther’s last words hung in the air, like the executioner’s ax just waiting to fall.

“Harry, ghosts are always morbid and depressing,” I replied, trying to boost his spirits. “At Hogwarts, most of the ghosts are doom and gloom, just like these two. The girls will turn up; try not to worry, okay?”

“I’ll try, Ron, but it isn’t going to be easy,” Harry replied dejectedly. “Alec, we should never have let Hermione near that wand. Mind you, I’m not blaming you. I should have done something to prevent it from every happening.”

“You two guys try to have a little faith,” Gretchen replied as she stood up and gave them both hugs to try to lighten their moods.

“I do not know how I will be able to live with myself if anything happens to Hermione,” Harry said softly, a note of despair in his voice.

“The same goes for me,” Alec added. “I should have sent Nicole back upstairs before we started searching for the dark energy source.”

“Before you two decide to slit your throats, let’s just wait and see what Luther and Eliza come up with,” I said forcefully. Glancing at Gretchen it was obvious that we both felt that something terrible had happened. My stomach was starting to ache, and it had nothing to do with the desire for food.

Sirius: 6:45 PM

“Martha was sure that this is the passageway Harry and Hermione entered the last time she saw them?” I asked Walt, staring down the empty passageway.

“Yes, she was quite sure,” Walt replied.

“It would seem that Fawkes and Iseult are quite interested in the section of wall opposite from where they are perched,” Albus said as he made his way slowly towards them.

“What is it that interests you about this wall?” Albus asked the phoenixes when he reached them. “No doubt the kids have discovered an entrance to a secret chamber.”

“Albus, you may be right,” I replied. “As we told you earlier, there is a large circular chamber directly beneath the main floor of this house. The staircase we used to reach the main floor ended in the south passageway. It is possible that each of the passageways has a staircase that leads to the lower chamber.”

“If that’s true, then there must be an actuating control somewhere nearby,” Walt added as he started to examine the wall in the vicinity of the torch bracket. “Yes, here it is. In exactly the same place as it was on the inside.”

Walt touched the spot on the wall with his wand and a section of the stone wall slid silently back and then to the side revealing the top of a broad staircase. The phoenixes disappeared into the opening as soon as the opening was wide enough for them to fly through.

“It looks as if Fawkes and Iseult are in a bit of a rush,” Albus said as he quickly followed the birds through the opening, while Walt and I hurried to catch up with him. When Albus wanted to, he could move very quickly.

It only took us a minute to descend the full length of the staircase. When we reached the bottom, the birds were nowhere to be seen. However, that was not too surprising as the room was large and dimly lit. Albus gazed slowly around the room, peering over the top of his spectacles.

“Well, well, imagine that,” Albus said mostly to himself and started walking towards the stone statues in the middle of the room.

“Imagine what?” Walt and I both asked at the same time.

“This chamber appears to be the home to some very unlikely inhabitants,” Albus replied, gesturing at the statues, which I now recognized to be shaped like dragons.

Fawkes and Iseult were perched on a low stone wall that surrounded the statues and were staring up at them, continuously cocking their heads from side to side.

As we approached, I was amazed at the amount of detail that the sculptor had carved into the stone. “These statues could not be any more detailed without being the real thing,” I remarked to Albus as we reached the wall where the phoenixes were perched.

“Good evening. My name is Albus Dumbledore. To whom do I have the honor of addressing,” Albus said to the nearest statue.

For an instant I thought Albus was playing a practical joke on us, something he used to do quite often when I was a student at Hogwarts. I felt my jaw drop when the statue turned to look at us and answered his greeting.

“My name is Cetus,” said a distinguished sounding voice in my head. “This is my brother Gemini, and this is my sister Virgo,” the voice added as the other two statues came to life and stared down at us.

“It is a pleasure to make you acquaintances,” Albus replied aloud. “With me are two trusted friends, Sirius and Walter. And these two magnificent phoenixes are Fawkes and his sister Iseult.”

“Iseult we have met before,” Cetus replied. “We were very saddened to learn of Marcus’ death. He has a wise and honorable man; we will miss his company greatly.”

“How did you come to learn of Marcus’ death?” Albus asked politely.

“We were informed of his death just a short time ago by the newest members of the cult and their friends,” Cetus replied. “I assume that the youngsters are your charges and that you are attempting to ascertain their whereabouts.”

“Yes, that is entirely correct,” Albus replied. “Do you know where they were going when they left your presence? It is time for the evening meal and we would like to locate them.”

“Your youngsters left as short time ago, headed for the lower chambers in search of the agent that keeps the aging spell active and the Hercon Crystal that powers it,” Cetus answered.

“Oh, lord. What are they thinking?” I blurted out.

“They, like most young ones, are convinced that nothing will happen to them. So they are willing to undertake any endeavor, no matter how dangerous it may be,” Cetus said, looking directly at me. “My brother and sister and I are perfect examples of what can happen when youthful enthusiasm is not tempered with experience and wisdom. As the result of our youthful follies, we are now imprisoned in this chamber for the rest of eternity.”

“Would you care to elaborate on what you mean by your last statement?” Albus asked, glancing at me, an eyebrow raised in question.

“Close to a thousand years ago we were lured to the island by a wizard who had turned to evil,” Cetus began. “As soon as we arrived our bodies were dissolved and held captive in tiny replicas of our selves. While we were kept in a dissolved state, a powerful aging spell was cast upon us that prevented us from ever leaving this island. To attempt to do so would lead to certain death in a matter of hours.”

“I assume that the aging spell you speak of is the same spell that Ron and Gretchen have fallen under?” Albus asked as the phoenixes continued to study the dragons intently.

“Yes, Ron and Gretchen are now prisoners of Mortius’ ancient curse just as we are,” Cetus answered.

“The name of the wizard that cast the spell was Mortius?” I asked, wondering if there could possibly be a connection between this wizard and the wizard named in the Phoenix Prophecy.

“Yes, our Mortius is the wizard mentioned in the prophecy you spoke of,” Cetus replied, looking directly at me.

“Actually, I didn’t speak of it, I just though of the prophecy,” I answered, completely taken by surprise at the dragons ability to read my mind.

“You directed you thoughts at us, that is why I knew what you were thinking,” Cetus said. “If you do not wish to share your thoughts then do not project them for all to see and hear.”

“You will have to forgive us, we are completely unaccustomed to communicating by mental telepathy,” Albus replied. “Perhaps you could just ignore any thoughts that we do not verbalize until we are better able to deal with your way of communicating.”

“As you wish,” Cetus replied. “Getting back to our imprisonment, when Mortius resolved us we found ourselves in the very chamber. Since the island is protected by a spell that prevents apparating and transfiguring, we have been here every since.”

“A thousand years is a very long time to be confined to a single room,” Walt said, his voice showing is sympathy for the dragons plight. “How have you managed to retain your sanity after all these years?”

“If we did not possess the ability to hibernate, we would be quite mad by now,” Virgo answered, speaking for the first time.

“Virgo is quite right,” Gemini agreed. “For us the time has gone by relatively quickly, especially the past eight hundred and fifty years.”

“Why the eight hundred-fifty years?” I asked.

“The last member of the cult died eight hundred-fifty six years ago,” Cetus answered. “Having no one to talk to but ourselves we have spent most of the ensuing time in hibernation.”

“Would I be correct in assuming that even if the aging spell was broken, you would still be prisoners of the chamber?” Albus asked.

“Yes, you are correct, Albus Dumbledore. Unless you can deactivate the spell preventing apparation or transfiguration, or you possess the knowledge and skill to dissolve and resolve us, then we will remain in this chamber for the rest of eternity.”

“I am sorry to say that even though I have heard of the dissolution process, I do not know how to perform the process,” Albus answered. “The most fruitful course of action would be to create an opening in the ceiling large enough for you to fit through.”

“Unfortunately, the ceiling is made of solid rock, twenty feet thick,” Gemini answered bitterly.

“Albus, another possibility that might work would be to create a counter spell centered on the dragons that would nullify the spell preventing transfiguration,” Walt said, looking around the chamber as if he were determining the feasibility of his idea.

“We know of no such counter-spell,” Cetus said, gazing intently at Walt.

“I have created such a counter-spell many years ago, but it was on a much smaller scale, much smaller,” Walt replied. “I don’t know whether the spell can be scaled up to completely enclose your massive forms.”

“What we need is a little elf magic. Elves are second to none when it comes to moving things large or small,” I added, thinking that it would be a great time for Lemke to show up.

“Yes, we would also very much like to meet Lemke,” Cetus said, which reminded me that I was broadcasting my thoughts again.

“Do you have any idea where Lemke lives or how to contact him?” Walt asked me.

“No I don’t, Walt. Lemke always found us,” I replied.

“I feel that we should pursue this possibility after we have rescued our youngsters,” Albus said firmly, reminding me of the most pressing issue at hand.

“You are right, Albus. First we need to find the kids before the get themselves into some serious trouble and then we can discuss what options are open to us,” I replied. “Cetus, do you know which staircase they took when they left the room?”

“Yes, they descended the staircase directly behind you,” he replied.

“Thank you, Cetus. You and your brother and sister have been most helpful,” Albus said. “We will return just as soon as we retrieve our youngsters. At that time we can continue our discussions on how we might free you from this chamber.”

“We look forward to you safe and speedy return,” Cetus answered formally.

When we reached the doors to the staircase Cetus had indicated, Albus held them open and Fawkes and Iseult flew past us and into the darkness.

Hermione: 6:50 PM

Five minutes later, which seemed like an eternity, the rats were still sitting at the entrance to the connecting tunnel. I didn’t even have to look to know that they were there; I could hear their raspy breathing and smell their foul breath. I had the feeling that if they could have entered the tunnel, they would have. They did not appear to be afraid of me. I realized that even though we were safe for the moment, we could not stay cooped up in this tunnel forever. Sooner, rather than later, we were going to need to come out, if for no other reason than to answer nature’s call. All the adrenaline that had been flowing through my body was making my kidneys work overtime.

“Hermione, how much longer do you think it will be before the ghosts find us?” Nicole asked hesitantly.

“I don’t know, Nicole, soon I hope,” I replied, taking my eyes off the rats to look at her.

It was obvious from the look on her face that she was both frightened and very uncomfortable. I understood how sardines must feel when they are packed inside those tiny tins. This tunnel was so narrow that it was impossible to turn sideways. I was going to have to do something and soon or we would both go crazy from the tight confinement. I thought of several different spells to try on the rats. Not knowing anything about the rats, other than they were not a product of normal evolution, I was unsure of just how well any spell would work on them. In the end, I decided to use fire. After all, they appeared to be made of flesh and blood. Unless they were especially protected, either fire would destroy them outright, or at the very least, drive them back so that we could escape.

“Nicole, I am going to try and incinerate the rats so that we can get out of here,” I told her so that she would not panic when I flamed the rats. “If this works, we will be able to get out of here. Hopefully, we can find another way back into the central core.”

“Okay, I’m ready,” she replied nervously.

I carefully looked back around the corner to make sure the rats were still at the entrance to the connecting tunnel. Sure enough, they had not moved at all. I took a deep breath and let loose with a jet of fire from my wand aimed directly at the rats. Nicole jumped, as much as was possible in the confined space we were in, and let out a gasp as the sound and smell of fire filled the air.

I remembered at the last second to duck back so that the searing heat from the flame would not burn my face off. Most of the flame shot forward, but in this confined space, a significant amount reflected backwards off the walls.

The results were heard, and smelled, almost instantly. The rats squealed in mortal terror. When I looked around the corner, they were gone. Only the smell of scorched hair and flesh remained.

“Nicole, stay here while I check and see what has become of the rats,” I said and slowly inched my way to where the rats had been watching us.

The unmistakable stench of burnt hair filled the passageway and made it impossible to breathe deeply. Peering cautiously out into the passageway, I expected to see two dead rats, but to my surprise, the passageway was empty. I did not know if I was relieved or not, as I was hoping that flame would destroy them. Since in all likelihood, we were going to have to venture from the passageway, I wanted a means of killing the rats should we encounter more of them.

“Nicole, the rats are gone. You can come out now,” I called quietly before stepping out into the passageway, ready to flame anything that moved.

Nicole did not hesitate in joining me. I could see by the look on her face that she was much relieved to be free of the confining tunnel. Together we slowly made our way to the entrance of the passageway and carefully looked over the immediate area. There was no sign of the rats, or anything else.

“Hermione, do you think it would be safe to drink from that pool of water?” asked Nicole, pointing to a small pool surrounded by boulders and some vegetation, and nestled snug against the base of a waterfall twenty-five feet to the right of where we were now standing.

“I don’t know, but now that you mention it, I’m thirsty too,” I replied.

There was a narrow ledge, which lead to the pool that was part of a larger outcropping in the rock wall. The ledge itself was not dangerous; it was what we might encounter while totally exposed as we made our way to the pool that worried me. Once we reached the pool, there were many large boulders that looked to provide protection if necessary. It would take about ten seconds to cross the ledge at a safe pace. If necessary, we could dash across in just a few seconds. I scanned the sky for any sight of the dragon or anything else in flight before leaving the protection of the passageway.

“Okay, Nicole, follow me,” I said stepping out onto the ledge. “If you are afraid of heights, don’t look down,” I added and started towards the pool, moving quickly.

I held my breath most of the way across the ledge, finally relaxing a little when we reached the safety of the boulders that surrounded the backside of the pool. Hidden between two of the boulders was the entrance to what looked to be a small cave. If necessary, we could take refuge in there if anything menacing showed up. I hoped that would not be necessary, as I was getting tired of hiding in cramped spaces.

The pool was larger than it appeared from the entrance of the passageway. Actually, the pool was made up of two separate pools joined by a narrow passage that allowed water to flow between them. The closest pool was about ten feet in diameter, while the other pool was close to twice that size. The smaller pool looked to be four or five feet deep in the center. If the water had not been crystal clear, I would not have been able to guess at its depth.

Looking closer, I realized that the smaller pool was being continuously filled from the larger pool, which was itself being filled by water cascading down the rock wall. I walked a few feet around the front of the pool until I found the place where water spilled out of the smaller pool and continued its way on down towards the lake below.

Along the front of both pools, thick green vegetation was growing up between the boulders giving the pools a beautiful garden like setting. From where I was standing, the pools in their natural setting did make me think of Paradise.

The soft sound of the water splashing down into the large pool and then flowing into the small pool made the place seem safe and inviting. In reality, nothing could be farther from the truth. If I wanted proof, all I had to do was remember the rats. I would have to on my guard and not let this enchanting setting lull me into complacency.

I walked back over to where Nicole was standing, knelt down and cupped my free hand to scoop up some water from the pool. It looked and smelled clean. I took a small sip, ready to spit it out if it tested he least bit funny. Fortunately, the water was fresh and I took another sip.

“Nicole, this water is fit to drink, even if it is a little on the warm side,” I said and took another sip.

“This water is warm enough to bathe in,” Nicole said after she had slurped up several handfuls of water from the pool.

“Yes, it is. However, we might be just a tad embarrassed if the others managed to find us while we were in the middle of a bath,” I answered. “That is, unless you were planning on bathing with your clothes on.”

“No, I wasn’t planning on getting my clothes wet,” Nicole replied, smiling for the first time since the rats had trapped us. “I think I’ll settle for just washing my face with the warm water.”

“That sounds like a great idea. You go first and then you can keep watch while I wash my face,” I said.

From the moment Nicole mentioned taking a bath, I really wanted one. Suddenly I felt sticky all over from the perspiring caused by the day’s activities. I was sure that I didn’t smell too fresh either. Had we had soap and towels at hand, I might have chanced taking a warm bath. Seeing that we had neither, I settled for splashing some warm water on my face after Nicole was finished washing her face.

After we had both freshened up a bit we sat down on a sandy stretch of ground and leaned back against a pair of boulders. I needed time to think and plan what to do next. Somehow we needed to find another way back inside. I was fairly confident that there must be other passageways like the one we had used to enter Paradise. All we had to do is find one of them. Looking around at the terrain, I knew that would not be an easy task. The only way we were ever going to find any of the other passageways was going to require a great deal of faith and courage on Nicole’s’ part.

“Nicole, one of the abilities that you may acquire because of your magical heritage is the ability to transfigure yourself into an animal,” I began slowly. “I can transfigure into the body of a cougar or mountain lion.” I could tell from the expression on her face that she did not believe me. When her look of disbelief changed to worry, I realized that she knew next to nothing about magic and was worried that I had lost my sanity.

“I know it is hard for you to believe, but it is true. Would you like me to show you?” I continued. “It doesn’t hurt and I will change right back to human.”

“Okay, if you insist,” she replied. The look on her face and the tone of her voice clearly showed that she did not believe a single word of what I had just said, she was just humoring me.

“Sit still and don’t scream,” I instructed her and quickly transfigured into a cougar.

At first, the expression on Nicole’s face did not change. As soon as her brain registered what had happened her expression quickly changed to shock and then terror. Before she could open her mouth to scream, I transfigured back into human form.

“See, I did just as I said I would,” I said smiling.

“You…you, really can change into a mountain lion,” she gasped.

“I told you I could,” I answered, smiling at her genuine surprise.

“Hermione, you just have to teach me how to do that. Oh, I can hardly wait. This is going to be so much fun,” Nicole replied, the excitement of changing into an animal overwhelming her emotions.

“Whoa, slow down, Nicole. It takes a long time to learn how to become an Animagus,” I said calmly.

“What’s an Animagus?”

“An Animagus is a person who can transfigure into an animal form, just like I did a few moments ago. It usually takes a long time to learn how to transfigure without seriously hurting yourself. In my case, an old and powerful wizard named Gawain cast a spell to grant me the power to transfigure. Up until three days ago, I was not an Animagus either.”

“Can you cast the same spell on me so that I can become an Animagus?” Nicole asked hopefully.

“No, I’m sorry, Nicole. I am not that skilled in the use of advanced magic. I’m afraid you are going to have to wait, just like most other young witches and wizards.”

“Well, if you say so, but I think it’s most unfair. In fact, I think it stinks,” Nicole complained, obviously upset over the fact that I could not teach her to become an Animagus.

“Nicole, listen to me. You need to learn the basics of magic before you can do the really advanced things, like becoming an Animagus,” I said sympathetically.

“But how am I going to learn? Mother doesn’t even know that I have magical abilities. Besides, no one in the village we come from has any magical abilities either. I don’t see how I will ever learn magic,” she concluded dejectedly, her shoulders drooping to match her mood.

“Try not to fret, Nicole. I’m sure there must be some way for you to get training in the magical arts. Martha or Walt may be able to help you. Being from the Realm, they know a lot more about what kinds of training might be available to you.”

“I’ll try, Hermione, but it won’t be easy. I really do want to learn how to do magic,” she replied earnestly.

“You will, Nicole. However, our immediate problem is to find some way back inside the central column so that we can rejoin the others,” I said firmly, lifting her chin so that I could look into her eyes. “Unfortunately, that is not going to be easy. I am guessing that the other two passageways on the third level connect to this cavern just like the one we used. Assuming that this island is circular then the entrances to the other two passageways should be a third of the way around the island. We could try to reach them on foot, but that would be a slow and dangerous journey. If I transfigure into my cougar form I could completely circle the island in a very short time. I think it is the quickest and safest way to determine if the other passageways do indeed connect the central corridor to this cavern and if we can get back inside.”

“But that would mean that I have to stay here by myself,” Nicole replied, suddenly looking very frightened. “What am I to do if you don’t come back?”

“I don’t like leaving you here alone any more than you do, Nicole. I just think it is the safest way to locate the other passageways. If we were to be caught out in the open by a dragon, or lord knows what else, we would most likely be killed. In cougar form, I can run and climb exceedingly quickly. I would only be gone for a very short amount of time.”

“Unless you were hurt or killed, then I would be trapped here all alone. Please don’t leave me alone? I am terrified of being alone. I always have been ever since I can remember,” Nicole pleaded. I could see from the wild look in her eyes and the fact that she was trembling that she really couldn’t be left alone. She would go crazy within minutes of my leaving. No my plan just wasn’t going to work.

“Okay, Nicole, I won’t leave you alone. We will find some other way,” I said while tenderly touching my hand to her cheek.

“Oh, thank you, thank you,” she replied and threw her arms around me. She as shaking so hard that her teeth were chattering. It took me several minutes to calm her down enough that I felt comfortable in letting go of her.

While I was holding Nicole, I tried to think of some way to reach the entrances to the other passageways that would afford us some protection in the event we were attacked. Out of all the spells that I knew, none was strong enough to disable or ward-off a dragon, even a small one. I was resigned to admit that all we could do was sit and wait to be found. I hated that plan, but there really wasn’t any other choice.

“Nicole, the only safe thing for us to do is to either wait here or go back inside the passageway and wait for someone to find us,” I said once she had calmed down enough so that I could let go of her. “Which would you prefer to do?”

“I would much rather wait here,” she quickly replied.

I couldn’t blame her. It was my first choice too. However, we did need to make some kind of marker so that the others would know that we were here by the pools. It had to be something that would not attract the attention of any of the local wildlife. I finally settled on transfiguring a stone that I could lift into a broom. I placed the stone broom in the middle of the ledge with the handle pointing towards the pools. I was sure that would catch anyone’s attention that reached the entrance of the passageway.

“Now that I have left a marker to show where we have gone, all we can do is wait,” I said to Nicole, as I sat down next to the pool so that I could soak my tired feet. “There is no telling how long we are going to be here.”

Harry: 7:00 PM

The minutes ticked by with agonizing slowness while we waited for Luther and Eliza to return. I tried to remain optimistic, but as time dragged by, I grew more and more discouraged and restless. No matter how hard I tried, I could not keep the thought of Hermione being eaten alive by a Drack out of my head. I felt haunted by it. I could hear her screams, as she begged me to save her.

After ten minutes of sitting and waiting, I could not sit still for another second, not even if my life depended on it. I jumped to my feet and started pacing back and forth in an effort to calm my nerves. Hermione and Nicole had been gone for close to twenty minutes. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do if Luther and Eliza could not find them—they just had to find the girls, they just had to.

“Harry, you are either going wear a rut in the stone floor or wear your legs off, if you don’t stop pacing and relax,” Ron said jokingly, when I walked past him for the umpteenth time. “We know you are worried, but—

“Ron, I’m not just worried, I’m scared out of my mind that something terrible has happened,” I half cried, half choked; trying to push the gruesome images of Hermione’s imagined death from my mind. I had never been this scared in my life. No matter how hard I tried, I could not stop thinking of all the terrible things that might be happening to her.

“Harry, you are not doing yourself any good by thinking the worst,” Gretchen said after she stood up and grabbed me by the hand as I walked past her.

“I know that, Gretchen, but I just can’t stand the waiting any longer,” I replied. My voice cracked half way though the sentence and I stared into her eyes, which were filled with both empathy and fear. I could see that she was just as scared as I was, but somehow she seemed able to control her fear.

Just as I was about to comment on her control, her jaw started to quiver and tears began to stream down her cheeks. In a flash, she threw her arms around my neck and clung to me, softly crying on my shoulder. I was so surprised by her outburst of emotion that I didn’t know what to do.

I felt terribly awkward placing my arms around her, but I felt equally awkward in not trying to comfort her. I glanced beseechingly at Ron for help in consoling his wife. To my surprise, he just sat there and smiled warmly at me as if it was perfectly natural that I should be hugging Gretchen while she cried softly on my shoulder.

I was at a total loss for to what to do. If I had been holding Hermione, I would have stroked the back of her head and kissed her cheek while telling her that everything would be okay. Unfortunately, none of those actions seemed appropriate, so I just settled for holding her gently, but not to firmly. Thankfully, she stopped crying after just a few minutes and pushed away, while wiping the tear stains from her cheeks.

“Thanks, Harry. I didn’t mean to go all to pieces on you like that. I hope you are not upset with me,” Gretchen said, smiling sheepishly.

“I’m not upset with you, honest,” I replied sincerely. I was just glad she had finally stopped crying. I hated seeing her so distressed.

Just as I was about to ask her if she was going to be all right, Luther and Eliza popped out through one of the walls.

“We are sorry, but we were unable to find any trace of Hermione or Nicole, “Eliza said before I could ask.

I took several seconds for Eliza’s words to sink in. When they finally did, I felt devastated.

“Harry, just because Luther and Eliza didn’t find them doesn’t mean that something bad has happened,” Ron said to me as he stood up and placed a supportive hand on my shoulder. “Hermione probably discovered an entrance to another secret chamber and can’t get back out for some reason. She’s smart; she will figure a way out or some way to let us know where she is.”

“I suppose that’s possible,” I replied half-heartedly. I was having a hard time forcing myself to believe that the reason for the girls’ disappearance was that simple. “You are right about one thing though. Hermione is smart. Hell, she is smarter that all the rest of us put together—sorry Alec, I don’t mean to belittle your abilities, but Hermione is as smart as they come.”

“I know Hermione is very smart,” Alec replied without any annoyance in his voice. “It is not her intelligence that has you and I so worried. It’s her newfound courage to tackle any challenge, no matter how dangerous it might be. That’s what bothers us, and you know it as well as I do.”

“You’re right, Alec. Up until now, the combination of Hermione’s intelligence combined with her natural caution, kept her relatively safe and out of harm’s way. I have been worried about her ever since she got that boost of confidence when she touched the cult member’s wand earlier this afternoon. Now I’m afraid that my worry may have been justified.”

“Harry, Alex, snap out of it. You two are treating Hermione as if she is some dim-witted female that doesn’t have the sense to come in out of the rain,” Gretchen snapped. “Just because she had a boost in her self confidence doesn’t mean she is going to start behaving recklessly or do something stupid. If she could hear the two of you, she would be angry and insulted for which I wouldn’t blame her one damn bit.”

I stared at Gretchen, shocked by what she had just said. In all the years that I have known Hermione, I have never treated, or thought of her as dim-witted. I could possibly understand why Gretchen might feel that way, but why couldn’t Ron understand why I was so worried, especially since he has know Hermione as long as I have. Which is long enough to know that her behavior has changed significantly since she came in contact with the ancient wand.

Maybe Ron and Gretchen were right, maybe I was just over-reacting. However, that didn’t change the fact that Hermione and Nicole had disappeared and even the ghosts couldn’t find them. In any case, this was not a good situation.

Gretchen did have a point though, Hermione would be very angry over my not trusting her ability to take care of herself. Under the circumstances, about all we could do was depend on her ability to take care of herself, and Nicole. That and do everything we possible could to try to find them, just in case she truly needed our help.

“Gretchen, you are right. We are not giving Hermione the credit she deserves,” I answered after thinking over what she had said. “What we need to do now, is to try to find her and Nicole. If they are trapped in some chamber, they may be waiting patiently for us to come and free them.”

“Yes, Harry, I agree. Besides, the sooner we find them the sooner we can get on with locating the agent and dark power source.”

“I think they must have left this chamber through one of the narrow openings at the end of the passageways,” Alec said, gazing around the chamber. “If they had gone up or down the staircase we would have seen them. On top of that, they would have said something to one of us before leaving this chamber if they didn’t plan on being gone long.”

“That makes sense,” Ron replied. “Maybe the path they used to leave the room sealed itself after they passed through it and now they can’t reopen it from the other side.”

“All we have to do is figure out what path they took and how to open it,” I added looking around the room for any obvious clues.

“Let’s spread out and see what we can find,” Gretchen said and started examining the wall directly behind her.

“Harry, I still think the narrow openings at the end of the passageways are the most likely paths from this chamber,” Alec said as he headed towards one of the passageways. “The openings must have some purpose. I can’t imagine that they just lead nowhere.”

“You’re probably right, Alec. Let’s check them out first,” I replied and took a few hurried steps to catch up with him.

We quickly reached the narrow opening at the end of the passageway Alec had entered. Several symbols were etched into the walls on both sides and over the top of the opening. The symbols over the door were arranged in a semi-circle, while the ones along the sides were stacked on top of each other. The symbols themselves meant nothing to me even though they looked vaguely familiar.

“Alec, I think these symbols, if pressed in a certain order will make it possible to pass through the opening and reach whatever is on the far side.”

“You are probably right. However, they could simply mean, ‘watch you step’, ‘enter at your own risk’ or something else equally useless,” Alec replied, grinning at me.

“What are you looking for?” Luther asked as he and Eliza popped out of the wall next to us.

“We are trying to figure out how Hermione and Nicole left the chamber,” I replied. “Do you know where this opening leads to or what these symbols mean?”

“It doesn’t lead anywhere,” Eliza replied quickly.

“As for the symbols, we never learned the meaning of even half of them,” Luther replied and then he and Eliza disappeared though the ceiling before I could ask him another question.

“Harry, do you get the distinct impression that Luther and Eliza are being deliberately less than helpful?” Alec asked sarcastically.

“You noticed that too? I am beginning to think that they don’t want us to find the girls. If I didn’t know better, I might think that Luther and Eliza have been taking personality lessons from Peeves.”

“Who is Peeves?”

“”Peeves is a ghost at Hogwarts who loves to cause trouble,” I replied. “Giving out false or misleading information would be right up his alley.”

“Do you think they know where this opening leads to?” Alec asked, returning his attention to the opening and its symbols.

“Alec, I think those two know everything there is to know about this island. After all, they have had hundreds of years to explore the place without the possibility of being hurt. The more I think about it, the more convinced I have become that they don’t want us going anywhere but where they want us to go.”

“I suppose we could just try touching each of the symbols with our wands and see what happens,” Alec said as he ran his fingers over several of the etchings.

“Alec, there may be a better and quicker way,” I replied and called out to Ron and Gretchen.

“See if placing your left hand on any of these symbols causes anything to happen,” I told Ron after he and Gretchen joined us.

Ron placed his left hand on each symbol beside the opening beginning with the bottom symbol. Nothing noticeable happened as Ron placed his hand over each symbol.

“So much for that brilliant idea,” I said, as I took out my wand so that I could try Alec’s idea.

“Harry, wait!” Alec exclaimed as he took a closer look at one of the symbols. “There is a hole in this symbol big enough to stick the tip of a wand into. Maybe it’s the key to opening the passage.”

Sure enough, went you looked closely you could see a whole that was almost hidden from view at the center of a group of four lines that crisscrossed at their centers.

“I’m not sure I want to poke my wand in that hole,” I said, think that this would not be a good time to break a wand or get it stuck somewhere.

“Let’s use the ancient cult wand?” Alec replied as he withdrew the wand from inside his robes.

“Good idea, Alec,” I said and we all watched as he slowly inserted the wand in the hole.

Nothing happened and we all let out sighs of disappointment. On an inspiration I said, “try twisting your wand in either direction.”

Twisting the wand clockwise had no effect, but as soon as Alec twisted the wand counter-clockwise, I heard the sound of stone scraping on stone. I quickly ducked into the narrow opening. Sure enough, the second leg of the passage was no longer blocked in the middle. I made my way to the second corner and cautiously peered around it. I could see that the third leg ended in another wide passageway that was dimly lit. Once I made my way back to where the others were waiting I had Alec remove the ancient wand from the hole. No sound of stone on stone was heard when he removed the wand. A quick check showed that the passage was still open.

“Alec, insert the ancient wand again and this time turn it clockwise,” I instructed him.

When he did so, I heard the sound of the passage being sealed shut. Turing the wand counter-clockwise again caused the passage to be reopened.

“It looks as if we know how to open and shut this passage,” I said as Alec withdrew the wand once again. “Now all we need to do is figure out where it leads to and see if this is the one that Hermione and Nicole passed through.”

“Harry, if Hermione figured out how to open and shut the passage, she and Nicole should have been able to return by themselves,” Ron said, a worried look on his face.

“If Hermione and Nicole stumbled on this passage and it was open, then who shut it on them?” Alec asked aloud exactly what I was thinking.

“Good question. Maybe the girls will be able to shed some light on that,” I replied. “I am going through this passage to look for the girls. If you don’t want to come along I’ll understand.”

“Count me in,” Alec quickly replied.

“Harry, it might be a good idea for Ron and I to wait here in the chamber,” Gretchen said. “What if Hermione and Nicole return through one of the other two passageways and don’t find anyone here. We could end up searching for each other for days.”

“I agree, Gretchen. We are only guessing that this is the passage they used,” I replied. “If we don’t find any trace of them within ten minutes we will come back and try the others. They could be waiting just outside one of the other passages.”

“Be careful you two,” Ron said as Alec followed me into the narrow passage.

Walt: 7:05 PM

We descended the stairs in silence, which told me that Sirius and Albus were just as worried about the kids well being as I was. They were in way over their heads. A Hercon Crystal could contain an incredible amount of dark energy. The smallest complete crystal could contain enough power to annihilate the entire island. I seriously doubted if there were more than a dozen wizards in the entire Realm that could construct one. Out of those dozen, most likely only one or two could neutralize the crystal once it was activated. It was possible that Marcus had known how, but unfortunately, he was gone and could no longer help us. How much Albus knew about crystals, I could only guess at.

Wand makers, of which there were damn few, were about the only group of wizards that knew how to properly work with Hercon crystals. The minuscule crystal particles that they embedded in their wands contained enough dark power to serve the needs of most wizards or witches for a lifetime. A skilled wand maker knew exactly how to balance the dark energy of Hercon crystal particles with the light energy contained in Psycon crystal particles. Unskilled wand makers, well they didn’t last very long. More than one student at school had come to an abrupt end by trying to dismantle a wand in order to obtain the crystals it contained. If our kids tried to do anything with the Hercon Crystal they were searching for, we would all perish in the blink of an eye.

“Albus, is crystallography still taught in the seventh year?” Sirius asked when we reached the bottom of the stairs and entered a large chamber.

“Yes, Sirius, that is correct. As you have correctly surmised, our young charges know very little about crystals in general and Hercon crystals in particular.”

“Great, I would be much happier if they knew enough about crystals to be scared senseless—just like I am right now,” Sirius replied, his worry coming out as sarcasm. “I can still remember the nightmares I had from that class. ‘Old Glowworm’, excuse me, Professor MacDougal, really did scare us half to death with his demonstrations and stories.”

“It probably helped that you could practically see right through ‘Old Glowworm,’” Albus replied, a small smile on his face. “It’s a shame that he is not still around to teach our students a healthy respect for the power of crystals.”

“Let’s just hope that we find the kids before they find the crystal,” Sirius replied, a definite note of foreboding in his voice.

Glancing around the room, I noticed that Fawkes and Iseult were perched at the far end of the room. Several feet beyond them, in the middle of the far wall, I saw a mirror large enough to walk through. As we approached the phoenixes, I could see the room’s fixtures in the mirror, but not our own reflections. Fawkes and Iseult were staring into the mirror, apparently quite agitated by the lack of their own reflections.

“This looks like something we used to call ‘Perdition’s Gate,’” I said as I stepped closer to the mirror to get a better look at it. “Once you stepped through the mirror you never returned. Rumor has it that you walk around aimlessly in some ethereal medium, unable to locate the gate from the other side.”

“Yes, it does appear that you may correct,” Albus replied after he too had examined the mirror in more detail. “On the other hand, it could be just an ordinary non-reflecting mirror.”

“Albus, this doesn’t make any sense,” Sirius said, gazing around the room. “Madelyn, Walt and I came through a room very much like this one on our way back to the main floor of the house. The chamber at the top of the spiral staircase had six equally spaced doors around its outer wall. Since this has to be one of the six rooms, there should be a door right where the mirror is. I find it very strange that this room, which appears to be some type of dormitory, should have a trick door.”

“Reality does not always make sense, it just is,” Albus replied gazing at me knowingly over the top of his spectacles—I really enjoyed his little gems of wisdom, he stated the obvious so eloquently. “However, based on what was real to you a very short time ago I am suspicious of what we now perceive as reality. I think we can reasonably rule out that our youngsters are responsible for any changes to this chamber. The first question we need to answer is, was the chamber like this when the youngsters passed through it, or did some entity change the room after they passed through.”

“If this mirror was here when the kids entered the chamber, then they either passed through the mirror or there is another way out of this room,” I said, after I tried to see behind the mirror without success.

“It’s possible that there is another way out, but I highly doubt it,” Sirius replied. “Walt, everything we saw when we ascended the spiral staircase lead me to believe that the top two levels were divided into six equally sized chambers. I think the mirror is a ruse to keep us from following the kids.”

“What makes you think that?” Albus asked, gazing at Sirius intently.

“Don’t laugh, Albus, but the hair on the back of my neck is bristling, just like it always does when something sinister or evil is lurking nearby.”

“I would not presume to laugh at you, Sirius,” Albus replied sincerely. “Sometimes it is the smallest signs that we should pay the most attention to. Rarely does evil warn us with big, brightly lit signs that something disastrous is about to befall us.”

“Albus, assuming Sirius is correct about the mirror being a ruse, then we may have a much bigger problem. Namely, who or what are we dealing with.”

“Yes, Walt, I am in complete agreement,” Albus replied gravely. “Since everyone on the island does not age, we could be dealing with beings that are nearly a thousand years old.”

“If anyone is still alive on this rock after a thousand years, then they must be totally insane by now,” Sirius added, shivering involuntarily.

“That is what worries me the most,” Albus replied, a cold menacing tone in his voice. “Sane beings we can probably deal with, but we have no way of guessing at the delusions an insane being perceives as reality.”

“Since all of the cult members were confined to this island just as Ron and Gretchen are, it is possible that one or more of them became ghosts when they died,” I said, trying to think of all the possible foes we might be facing. “I would expect that at least a few of them were upset over their deaths to the point of not being able to pass on to the hereafter.”

“That may be true,” Albus replied. “If we are dealing with ghosts, the possibilities are endless.”

“Perhaps I should return to the dragon’s chamber and see if they know of other beings, living or dead, that inhabit the island,” I said after neither Albus nor Sirius said anything for several seconds.

“That may be the safest course of action,” Sirius replied. “They may be able to tell us what we are dealing with.”

Before anyone could respond, Fawkes let out an ear-splitting shriek and flew straight towards the mirror. I watched, totally fascinated, as he approached the mirror and disappeared through its surface. For several seconds no one said anything. Iseult watched the mirror intently, cocking her head from side to side as if she were trying to see through it. From somewhere on the far side of the mirror I heard the unmistakable cry of a phoenix. Iseult answered Fawkes’ call with a shriek and flew through the mirror, just as Fawkes had done.

Ron: 7:05 PM

For a while, I was really starting to worry about Harry. I could not remember the last time I had seen him this panic-stricken. Hermione meant the world to him, as did Gretchen to me. In all of the many adventures the three of us had had over the past six years, this was the first time that Hermione had gone off on her own without telling Harry where she was going. Everything about this island had hidden and unforeseen consequences. I was sure Harry was imagining the worst. Thankfully, Gretchen had been able to snap Harry out of his melancholy.

“Hey, Gretchen. What was the idea of crying all over Harry?” I asked when I suddenly remembered her performance a few minutes ago.

“I figured that if I went all to pieces in his arms, Harry would have to deal with me and he would forget about feeling sorry for himself. And as it turned out, my idea worked.”

“Yes, it certainly did. You certainly are clever at getting a man to do what you want,” I said and kissed the tip of her nose.

“Of course, Ron. But I would never try to manipulate you that way.”

“Oh, yeah, right. Like I believe you for one minute,” I answered her, gathering her into a big hug, which she whole-heartedly returned. “I do have to hand it to you though, your use of the carrot and the stick worked better than a charm. Harry is now focused on finding Hermione and that will keep him from worrying too much.”

“Ron, I was really mad at both Harry and Alec, that’s why I used the stick on them. If they had not infuriated me by treating Hermione as a nitwit, I would not have yelled at them as I did.”

“They were being a little patronizing, weren’t they?”

“A little, boy that’s one of the understatements of the day.”

“Well, all’s well that ends well, Gretchen. I don’t think either of them is likely to do that again, especially in your presence.”

“Ron, do you think—” Gretchen started to ask when Luther and Eliza suddenly emerged from the far side of the room, laughing menacingly.

When the ghosts spotted us, they stopped laughing and slowly floated in our direction. For several seconds they circled a round us without saying a single word. They way they looked at us I felt as if we were dinner, just waiting to be devoured. As I was about to ask them what was going on, Luther spoke up, his tone of voice a mixture of hate and glee.

“Soon you will no longer be alone. Soon you will have company with which to share the eons of eternity. Soon our suffering will come to and end. Soon we will at last be free of this cursed island. Soon we will have our revenge of Mortius. Soon, very soon all that we have planned will come to pass,” Luther finished as he and Eliza grinned diabolically at each other.

Luther and Eliza suddenly seemed more sinister than any of the ghosts I had encountered at Hogwarts. I felt a cold shiver shoot down my spine as they abruptly stopped circling and flew right through us, laughing like a pair of maniacs.

“Gretchen, did I hear them correctly when they said that we would never see our friends alive again?”

“Yes, Ron, that’s what I heard too. I don’t like this one damn bit. Do you think we should try and find Harry and Alec and tell them what has just happened?”

“I would say yes, but what if Hermione and Nicole do come back and we aren’t here? Let’s wait and see—” I stopped in mid sentence at the sound of a piercing shriek reverberated off the walls and was suddenly silent.