The Phoenix Prophecy

Chapter Seventeen: The Return

Monday – Evening - July 21^st

Gretchen: 8:10 PM

Even though Ron had been in the room where Luther and Eliza were holding Harry and Hermione prisoner for only five minutes, they were the longest five minutes of my life. When Ron told me telepathically that Luther had decided to kill the drack Ron was transfigured into, I thought my heart was going to burst because it was beating so hard. From that moment, until I was able to kneel down beside my husband, I don’t remember anything at all. The terror I experienced had wiped my mind clean of everything that happened during that last minute. I didn’t start to relax and breathe normally until Ron smiled at me. I had only been a bride for thirty plus hours; I was not ready to be a widow.

Getting Ron to his feet was a struggle, but I finally managed it. Thankfully, Walt levitated the two of us down from the top of the stairs. I was sure we would never have made it down the spiral stairs without falling off them. Now that Ron had survived his ordeal with Luther and Eliza, I didn’t want anything to happen to him on our way back to the Atrium.

Compared to Harry and Hermione, Ron was in relatively good shape; at least he was completely conscious and aware of what was happening. Sadly, I could not say the same for Harry or Hermione. Both of them were drifting in and out of consciousness, with barely a clue as to what was going on around them. Alec and Nicole, who were supporting Harry and Hermione, had their hands full when Iseult apparated in the Atrium with the six of us hanging onto her tail feathers. Harry and Hermione outweighed Alec and Nicole, but the youngsters did a right good job of preventing Harry and Hermione from collapsing to the floor and possibly adding to their injuries. Martha and Madelyn must have been expecting us, as they were at our side just seconds after we apparated. They helped get Harry and Hermione onto cots from the wizards tent that had been moved beside the pool. I tried to get Ron to lie down on one of the cots but he was too wound up to lie down. I could see that my husband was going to be a difficult patient.

“Ron, you really should take it easy for a while,” I said, trying to steer him towards a chair. As soon as his butt made contact with the chair, he sprang back up and headed for where Harry and Hermione were lying down.

“Are they going to be all right?” he asked Madelyn anxiously, as she covered Harry with a light blanket, already having done the same to Hermione.

“Yes, Ron, I think so,” Madelyn replied. She looked concerned but not overly worried, so I relaxed. Harry and Hermione seemed to be sleeping peacefully, a fact that Ron noticed right away.

“They don’t look like they are in any pain,” Ron commented, more to himself than to anyone in particular.

“People suffering from a concussion usually don’t show any readily visible symptoms,” Madelyn answered. “Ron, sit down, I want to have a look at you,” Madelyn added after she got a good look at Ron.

I don’t know if it was the tone of her voice or that Madelyn was older and a figure of authority, but Ron sat down, and stayed down, without so much as a peep. Madelyn checked him over thoroughly and found nothing wrong with him.

“Gretchen, what happened?” Madelyn asked me as soon as she was satisfied that Ron was going to be all right. “You keep your backsides glued to that chair until I say you can get up,” Madelyn told Ron roughly, when he started to get up.

“Go ahead, Gretchen,” Madelyn repeated.

“The short story is this,” I began. “Luther and Eliza, a pair of evil spirits masquerading as ghosts, were members of the dragon cult. They trapped Harry and Hermione with the intent of stealing their bodies. Minerva transfigured Ron into a baby drack and placed him in the same room with the four of them. Once we realized what Luther and Eliza were about to do, Professor Dumbledore destroyed the fake Nexus entrance at the doorway to the room, rushed in, and captured the two spirits. Even though Ron, Hermione and Harry were protected by a shield that Ron carried in his mouth and activated just before Professor Dumbledore destroyed the entrance, they were all injured from the force of the blast, Harry and Hermione more so than Ron was. Iseult brought the six of us here while Walt and Sirius remained to help Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall who had captured Luther and Eliza.”

“Sirius or Walt said nothing about what we should do or when to expect them?” Madelyn asked after she had digested my brief summary of events.

“No, nothing specific,” I replied. “Walt did say not to worry; everything was under control, or some words to that effect. I’m sorry I don’t remember his exact words, but I was more than a little shaken by what happened.”

“Don’t worry about it, Gretchen,” Martha replied, giving my shoulder a squeeze. “Your account sounds just like the words Walt would have used.”

“Gretchen, I want you and Ron to go and soak in a hot bath for at least thirty minutes. It will help to relax you, which is just what you need after everything that has happened,” Madelyn said briskly. “Just don’t let Ron drown, should he pass out.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that. He can’t get away from me that easily,” I replied smiling at both her and Martha. I quickly glanced over at Harry and Hermione, wondering how long it would be before they woke up.

“They will sleep for at least an hour,” Madelyn said, following my gaze. “You and Ron have plenty of time for a hot bath before Harry and Hermione come around.”

“Would you two like anything to eat?” Martha asked as Ron stood up, but not before checking with Madelyn who nodded at him.

“I’m starved,” Ron replied instantly. “But as long as the food will still be here when we get back I can wait.”

“Yes, Ron, I will make sure there is something here for the two of you,” Martha replied, laughing softly. “Run along, times a wasting.”

I grabbed Ron’s hand as we headed for the bathroom that the dracks had not destroyed yesterday. It seemed almost impossible that so much had happened to us since we awoke yesterday morning. I was more than ready to spend the next thirty minutes soaking my cares away in a nice hot bath. Trouble was, I was just as ready to wrap myself around Ron and forget my troubles in his arms. What a choice to have to make, hot bath or sex. This was definitely not my day, or maybe it was.

I took care of this and that while Ron filled the tub to the brim with hot, sudsy, fragrant water. Ron was kneeling by the edge of tub feeling the water with his hand. I was tempted to get playful and shove him in, flying suit and all, but decided against it, as I didn’t want to waste even a second of our thirty minutes. Ron stood up as I reached him and pulled me to him, kissing me very passionately.

“Now I suppose you think you are going to sweet-talk me out of my clothes,” I said as seductively as I knew how, which wasn’t all that seductive as I was very new at this. Maybe Martha could give me some pointers.

“Of course I am, my beautiful bride,” Ron replied, grinning wolfishly. “Or would you rather just get undressed and soak in the tub?” Ron asked, suddenly looking distressed.

“Ron, the day you stop trying to sweet-talk me out of my clothes, is the day I start to worry,” I said, meaning every word of it. To make sure he knew that I was just waiting for him to unwrap me; I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him as if it might be our last kiss.

When I unwrapped my arms from around his neck and Ron set my feet back down on the floor, I stood back just enough so that Ron could unzip my jacket easily.

“Before or after?” Ron asked when he finished unzipping my jacket and started to push it back off my shoulders.

“Oh, before to be sure,” I replied as I let the jacket slide down my arms and fall on the floor. “And, after should we feel the need.”

“Gretchen, you are just what the doctor ordered,” Ron replied, laughing easily as he took off his jacket and drew me to him so that our flesh melted together.

“Yes, I guess I am,” I replied, remembering the wink Madelyn had given me when she ordered Ron and me to take a hot bath.

Martha: 8:15 PM

When Gretchen and Ron disappeared through the bedroom doorway, I sighed heavily as I remembered the first few days of our marriage. I was surprised, but pleasantly so, when Madelyn strongly suggested that they take a ‘hot bath.’ ‘Hot bath’ indeed, who did she think she was fooling?

Turning around I found myself face to face with my real problem, Roxanne. Since returning to the Atrium, she had not moved from the love seat that I had placed her in. Claude was sitting in the chair with her and Roxanne had an arm around her son’s shoulder. When the kids arrived, Nicole went straight to her mother, but Roxanne ignored her as though she wasn’t even there. With each successive unanswered call to her mother, Nicole’s spirits fell lower and lower. Claude was only making matters worse by blaming Nicole for their mother’s condition. His accusations were cruel and heartless. If he had been one of mine, I would have smacked him into next week for being so down right nasty to his sister.

After a couple of minutes of watching Nicole’s heart breaking, I could no longer just stand there and do nothing. Crossing over to where she was standing, I turned Nicole around, pulled her head to my chest, and held her. I had expected Nicole to start crying, but she didn’t. A few tears escaped from her eyes and rolled down her cheeks, but that was all. I knew that this was not a good sign. Nicole was holding her pain and anguish inside her. She needed to let it out or it was going to slowly eat away at her until she was nothing but a hollow shell. This lesson was very fresh in my mind from the way I had suffered after Tom’s death. I did not start to feel better until I had let the grief overtake me so that I could grieve with my family and we could all help each other. At some point Nicole was going to have to come to terms with the grief of being shunned by her mother. From all appearances, Roxanne was not going to acknowledge Nicole any time soon, if ever.

This fact, that was looming larger by the minute, was going to force me to do something I loathed, and that was, to interfere in other people’s lives. When it came to the welfare of children, I was not about to stand by and see someone as sweet as Nicole put through hell, just because her mother could not cope with magic. Somehow, I had to break through the barrier Roxanne had erected around herself. I looked up at Roxanne and Claude, trying to decide what to say that might get through to her. I felt an icy shiver shoot straight through me when I noticed the way Claude was staring at Nicole. The hatred in his eyes was as unmistakable as a slap in the face. I would no more have left Nicole alone with him than I would trust wolves to baby sit the twins.

Giving up for the moment on trying to get through to Roxanne, I took Nicole and sat down with her on a loveseat far enough away from Roxanne and Claude so he would not overhear what I was about to say. I sincerely doubted that Roxanne was hearing anything that was going on around her.

“Nicole, I am terribly sorry that your mother is ignoring you and that your brother is being so mean,” I began. “Sometimes people who have not been exposed to magic become very frightened when they come in contact with it. I think that this is what has happened to your mother. After all of the suffering you have endured at the hands of the giants, being exposed to magic was more than she could handle. Looking back, I can see that it was a mistake to have your mother travel to the pit with me. Apparating is somewhat spooky the first few times you experience it, even for magical folk. I’m sure that your mother loves you. Try not to be too harsh in your judgment of her actions. We all have our breaking points.”

“I know it’s not mother’s fault,” Nicole replied, her voice barely a whisper. “For weeks after dad was killed Mom barely talked to any of us. I cried myself to sleep almost every night because I felt so terribly alone. I would have given anything for a hug during those first few weeks. With time, mother finally was able to talk with us and even show some genuine affection. Life was still terrible, but at least we had each other, or at least mom and I did. Claude never did recover from the weeks of being rejected. I think that is part of the reason he started betraying us to the giants whenever we did something the giants would not like. Such as, taking food from the animals, or sneaking extra water to drink. I know this sounds terrible, but I don’t trust Claude. The way he looks at me makes me very uneasy. I’m afraid of him.”

“No, I don’t think it sounds terrible. Especially not after seeing the look in Claude’s eyes when he looks at you, or any of us for that matter,” I answered sincerely. I wanted Nicole to trust me. Telling her a pack of lies was not the way to accomplish that. “Nicole, I am not going to lie to you and tell you that everything is going to be all right, when in fact, I don’t really believe that it will be. Ever since you announced that you have magical abilities, at least according to Virgo, I have been dreading the fact that your mother might not want you around her anymore. Sadly, this is not an uncommon reaction when a non-magical parent discovers that their child has magical abilities.”

“I don’t understand how that could be,” Nicole replied, struggling to hold back her tears. “I’m still her daughter.”

“Yes, you are, Nicole. The reason most people act this way is out of fear of something they don’t understand or are jealous of,” I answered, trying to help Nicole see that it was not her fault. “Nicole, is there anyone in your village that you can turn to for help? Someone who has magical abilities, or at least who is not afraid of magic?”

“No, no one,” she replied, looking totally lost and alone.

“I have something that I want you to think about,” I began, wondering if I was doing the right thing, “If we cannot get though to your mother, then you are most welcome to come and live with us. You don’t have to answer right away. I just want you to know that no matter what happens you will always be welcome in our home.”

Nicole did not answer with words, she collapsed against me and started to cry softly while I hugged her and kissed the top of her head. By the time that Nicole had stopped crying a few minutes later, the top of her head was damp from the tears I had shed.

“Martha, I don’t know what to say, except thank you,” Nicole said after she had rubbed the last of her tears from her eyes. “Are you sure I would not be a burden? You already have a big family. That’s a lot of mouths to feed.”

“Yes, I’m sure, and you let me worry about the food, okay?”

“Okay, Martha,” Nicole replied, a small smile showing through her sorrow.

“We recently lost our son Tom, so adding one more to the family will not be a problem,” I replied, smiling back at her. “Oh course Alec may start to feel that the family has too many females. But on the other hand…”

“Yes, I know what you mean,” Nicole added, suddenly looking self-conscious.

“Do you like babies?” I asked, hoping that the twins might help take her mind off her troubles.

“Oh, yes, I love babies?” she replied, her spirits lifting visibly at the mention of babies.

“Well then, I would like to introduce you to mine,” I said. We stood up and I led Nicole over to where Annie and Katie were sitting with the twins. The twins were awake and would need feeding before much longer. I asked Katie to let Nicole hold Laurie. When I was sure that the girls were comfortable with each other, I walked over to where Madelyn was standing between Harry and Hermione.

“Any change?” I asked when I reached their bedside.

“I think they will be waking very soon,” she replied as she watched them intently.

Alec had pulled up a chain to the foot of the cot Harry was lying on. I could tell from the look on his face that he was worried. But even more telling was the fact that Alec was twirling his wand in his hand as he gazed at Harry. When Alec was nervous or upset he always had to have something in his hands to play with.

“Try, not to worry, son. It looks like Harry and Hermione will be all right,” I said, trying to lift his spirits.

“Mom, what is going to happen to Nicole?” Alec asked suddenly, catching me by surprise, as I thought he was completely absorbed in Harry and Hermione’s welfare.

“What do you mean?” I asked, wondering what he would think of the idea of Nicole living with us if her mother would not accept her.

“Now that Nicole’s mother knows that Nicole has magical abilities, will she ever accept her again?” Alec asked, glancing at Roxanne and then over to Nicole. “You saw the way Nicole’s mom reacted. She won’t even acknowledge Nicole’s presence. Her brother looks at her as if she is some kind of vermin. I don’t trust him on bit. If he tries to hurt her, I will make him wish that he had never been born!”

I was completely startled by the vehemence of Alec’s threat against Claude. I had the feeling that Alec liked Nicole, I just didn’t realize how much. Even though Claude was older and bigger than Alec was, I could not let Alec harm him with magic. It just wouldn’t be right.

“Alec, I don’t trust Claude either, but you can’t use magic against him except to prevent him from hurting Nicole or anyone else,” I said, looking into his eyes, which were just like his father’s eyes. “Inflicting pain in anger is the first step on the road to becoming an evil person. As much as you might dislike Claude, you need to control your anger and use your magical abilities to protect those around you.”

“I know that, Mom,” Alec replied reluctantly. “What are we going to do if Nicole’s mom doesn’t snap out of it before we leave here? We can’t send Nicole off with them, she would be all alone.”

“We will just have to cross that bridge when we come to it,” I replied without answering his question. Due to the feelings Alec was showing towards Nicole, I didn’t want him getting his hopes up that she might come and live with us. At this point, I felt it was better just to leave the matter open.

Alec was just about to complain about my answer when Minerva, Sirius and Walt apparated into the Atrium, holding onto Iseult’s tail feathers. Walt was carrying Minerva in his arms; at first, I thought she was dead.

“Walt, put Minerva down on the cot next to Hermione,” Madelyn snapped the instant she saw them.

While Walt was putting Minerva on the cot, Sirius went directly to Harry’s side. It was at that moment that I realized that Albus was not with them. I didn’t start to worry until Walt stood up and looked at me after he laid Minerva on the cot. Minerva’s condition, while not good, was not the whole reason for the worried look on Walt’s face.

“Where is Albus?” I asked quietly when Walt walked over and placed his arms around me.

“We are not sure,” Walt replied and I felt my heart begin to ache. “The two spirits self destructed—at least I think they did, but I’m not sure—and Albus took the brunt of the blast caused by their destruction. Fawkes showed up immediately and took Albus away, but where Fawkes took him, we have no idea.”

“Are you and Sirius all right?” I asked.

“Yes, we are. Minerva took quite a blow, but she seems to be coming around. She had me worried for a few minutes,” Walt replied as he gazed around the room. “I see Nicole’s mother is still not doing very well.”

“No she isn’t,” I replied, wondering just how much I should tell him about my worries. “Keep a sharp eye on Nicole’s brother. He looks like he could come unglued at any moment. I’m afraid that he might try and hurt Nicole, especially if he learns that Nicole has magical abilities.”

“Okay, I’ll keep my eye on him. Perhaps it would be best if no one mentioned anything about Nicole’s abilities to anyone,” Walt suggested.

After giving me a decent kiss, Walt walked over to see how Harry and Hermione were doing. I went back over to where the girls were sitting with the twins and drew Nicole aside so that I could tell her not to mention anything of her magical abilities. She agreed that she would not say anything to anyone. Laurie picked that moment to get fussy. I knew it was time to feed her and Lazarus; they could be put off for just so long and no longer.

Sirius: 8:25 PM

When Iseult apparated Minerva, Walt and me to the Atrium, I breathed a sigh of relief to be back above ground. The Atrium was a thousand times more pleasant than the room we had just left. No sooner had we all let go of Iseult’s tail feathers, than she disapparated and was gone with a distinctive ‘pop.’

I went immediately to Harry and Hermione’s bedsides while Walt was placing Minerva on a cot so that Madelyn could examine her. When I looked down at Harry I abruptly realized I was carrying the regulator. Not wanting anything to happen to it, I placed it in the middle of a table and hurried back to ask Madelyn how the kids were doing.

“I feel reasonably certain that Hermione and Harry will make a full recovery,” Madelyn replied, when she stood up from examining Minerva. “The same is true for Minerva, but it will most likely take her longer to make a full recovery because of her advanced age.”

“Better not let Minerva hear you say that,” I said, smiling warmly and stealing a quick kiss. Madelyn placed her hand behind my neck and made the kiss last longer than I thought she had time for. Right now, her primary concern was the welfare of her patients. We would have time for each other later.

When I returned my attention to Harry, I noticed that his eyelids were fluttering. Before I could mention this to Madelyn, Harry’s eyes popped open with a start and he tried to sit up.

“Hold on there,” I said, gently pushing him back down on his back. “You are in the Atrium and everything is going to be fine.”

“Where is Hermione?” Harry asked, starting to sit up again, but I was ready for him and kept him flat on his back.

“Hermione is right beside you. See?” I replied, pointing at Hermione in the cot just a few feet away from his. “Now, lie still or Madelyn will be putting you under a sleeping spell.”

“All right,” Harry replied, gazing over at Hermione. “Is she going to be okay?”

“Yes, she is, so just try and relax,” I answered, ready to push him back down again if he tried to sit up.

“Sirius, what happed?” Harry asked, after he seemed to feel that Hermione was going to be all right.

I quickly explained everything that had happened from my perspective. When I got to end where Albus was seriously injured and taken away by Fawkes, Harry tried to sit up again.

“We have to find him. Professor Dumbledore may need our help,” Harry said, a note of panic in his voice.

“Harry, we do not have any way of knowing where Fawkes has taken him,” I said, trying to calm his rising anxiety. “Besides, Fawkes is more capable of taking care of Albus than we are, so try not to worry.”

“I’ll try,” Harry replied unconvincingly. “Where are Ron and Gretchen?”

“I don’t know,” I answered, wondering the same thing myself. “Madelyn, do you know where Ron and Gretchen are?”

“Yes, I sent them off to take a hot bath. I thought they could use one,” she replied, a wistful look on her face.

“They aren’t the only ones who could do with a nice hot bath,” I said, longing for one myself.

“Harry, how are you feeling?” Madelyn asked as she bent over him and looked into his eyes.

“My head aches a little, but then so does the rest of me,” he replied softly.

“I know you want to get up, but that is not a good idea just yet. Promise me that you will remain lying down until I tell you that you can get up,” Madelyn asked when she was finished looking Harry over.

“All right, I promise,” Harry replied, smiling weakly.

“Sirius, how are we ever going to figure out the correct order for inserting the ‘Rings of Power’?” Harry asked, after he had been quiet for a short period.

“I really don’t know, Harry. Right now, I don’t see how we are ever going to figure out the correct order. Luther and Eliza were the last remaining souls that even knew the regulator existed. Now that they are gone, I don’t know what we are going to do. Mortius sure isn’t around to tell us, not that he would even if he were here.”

“Maybe he is,” Harry replied thoughtfully, looking lost in his thoughts.

“What do you mean, Harry?”

“Luther and Eliza told us, Hermione and I, that they were certain that the room you rescued us in, was Mortius’ secret room,” Harry began slowly. “One of the reasons that they were convinced that it was Mortius’ room was because they found one of his early journals in the room. It just might be possible that the journal they discovered described the regulator, and how to operate it. According to Luther and Eliza, Mortius left the island before they discovered his room. It stands to reason that they must have learned how to operate the regulator from some source other than Mortius. From everything we have learned about Mortius, I’m convinced that he did not tell them how to work the regulator. The journal is the most likely source of their knowledge.”

“You know, Harry, you just might be right,” I replied, thinking that everything he had said made perfect sense. “We will have to wait for Fawkes or Iseult to return in order to get the journal and see if your theory is correct.”

“What if neither of the phoenixes comes back? We have to get our hands on that journal. It may be Ron and Gretchen’s only hope of getting off this island,” Harry added, sounding rather desperate.

“We will, Harry. We will,” I answered, trying to calm his rising anxiety. “Try and relax while I check on Minerva, all right?”

“Okay, I’ll try,” he replied reluctantly.

Even though I knew Harry was probably right about Mortius’ journal, I didn’t want him getting excited until after Madelyn was sure that he was going to be all right. Keeping Harry quite, and Hermione too—once she awoke, was not going to be easy.

Harry: 8:30 PM

When Sirius went to see how Professor McGonagall was recovering, I rolled over on my side so that I could look at Hermione as she slept on the cot next to mine. She seemed to be resting peacefully enough. Her breathing was slow and regular. I wanted to reach out and touch her, but she was too far away, so I had to be content with just watching her sleep.

While I was watcher her, I suddenly realized that I was absentmindedly rubbing my ring finger with my right hand. I brought my left hand up to my face so that I could examine it closely. The anxiety that had suddenly started to build when I realized that I was rubbing my ring finger quickly evaporated when I found nothing out of the ordinary on either hand. I had half expected to see a dragon emblem, like the ones imbedded in the palms of Ron and Gretchen’s hands. Evidently, Luther had not been lying about the purpose of the rings. Thankfully, we had been rescued and the rings removed before our spirits were driven from our bodies. I had spent enough time outside my body to last me more than one lifetime.

My attention was abruptly drawn back to Hermione when she started moving around on her cot, moaning softly. Madelyn was at her side in a flash, telling me to stay put, just as I was about to get up.

“Hermione, can you hear me?” Madelyn asked, as she tenderly brushed Hermione’s hair away from her face.

For several minutes, Madelyn continued to talk to Hermione. When Hermione finally opened her eyes, I let out a sigh of relief because Hermione recognized Madelyn and asked where I was.

“Right beside you,” Madelyn replied, smiling and pointing to me.

Hermione managed a weak smile when she glanced at me.

“How do you feel?” I asked, returning her smile.

“Like I have been stomped on by a troll,” she replied softly and coughed a couple of times. “Oh, my head hurts.”

“Hermione, you and Harry have both suffered mild concussions,” Madelyn said as she examined Hermione carefully. “I don’t think either of you will suffer any permanent damage, but just to be on the safe side I don’t want you two getting off your cots for another hour.”

“That won’t be a problem for me” Hermione replied, sounding as though she never wanted to get up again.

“Give me a minute and I will get you something to drink,” Madelyn said when she stood up; apparently satisfied that Hermione was going to be all right.

A minute later, Katie showed up with two small glasses of water. She gave one to each of us and waited while we slowly downed their contents. After Hermione finished drinking and we both thanked Katie for the water, she rolled slowly onto her side so that she was facing me.

“Are you all right?” Hermione asked me, looking a little bit better than when she first woke up.

“Yes, I’m fine,” I replied. “If you think you can listen, I will repeat what Sirius told me about the events that happened after we were knocked unconscious.”

“Sure, Harry, go ahead, but just don’t go too fast, or talk too loud,” Hermione replied, a small smile on her face.

I told her everything Sirius had told me; stopping here and there to repeat some of the events that she didn’t quite understand the first time. By the time I finished, Hermione looked much more alert than she had when I first started talking.

I reached out my hand and Hermione met me halfway. When our hands touched, I felt an intense desire to hold her. I was sorely tempted to levitate my cot over next to hers, but I figured Madelyn would have kittens.

All of a sudden, I felt my cot inching its way towards Hermione. My first thought was that Hermione was levitating me, or her. From the surprised look on her face, I realized that she was not the one doing the levitating. I glanced down past the foot of my cot. Alec was sitting in a chair, some twenty feet way, staring at Nicole’s mom and brother. I was just about to look elsewhere when I caught sight of the tip of his wand poking out from under his folded arms. It was pointing straight at me and was quivering. When he gave a quick glance in my direction, the look on his face was enough to tell me that he was the one doing the levitating. A few seconds later, my cot bumped up against Hermione’s cot and stopped moving.

Our faces were just a foot apart. I leaned forward and so did Hermione. Just as our lips touched, I heard Madelyn sigh heavily. Since she didn’t say anything to either of us, our kiss lasted for several seconds. Although our kiss would not have won any prizes in a kissing contest, it felt wonderful to me. From the look in Hermione’s eyes, when she opened them after the kiss was over, I was sure she felt the same way.

I was just about to tell her that ‘I loved her’ when I heard two distinct ‘pops.’

“Lemke!” Sirius exclaimed. “We certainly are glad to see you!”

“Master Sirius, it is good to see you again,” the elf answered with a slight bow, as both Hermione and I turned to look at the house elf that had apparated next to where Alec was sitting. Just beyond Alec, I noticed that Iseult was sitting on a perch, watching us intently.

“How did you know that we were here?” Sirius asked, as everyone in the room turned their attention to the elf.

“A few minutes ago, Iseult appeared at our home and told me that humans on the island fortress were in need of our assistance,” Lemke replied, his large, sad eyes glancing around the room. “I thought she might possibly be referring to you, so I came with her.”

At that moment, I caught sight of a movement out of the corner of my eye. I quickly turned my head to see Claude rushing straight at Nicole. His face was contorted with rage and his hands were reaching out menacingly. Nicole let out a small scream and started back peddling in an attempt to get away from her brother. At the same instant, Alec jumped to his feet and started to point his wand at Claude. Alec hesitated for a instant and then for some unknown reason he dropped his wand and lunged straight for Claude. Alec intercepted Claude just before Claude’s hands could reach Nicole who had backed herself into a table. Claude was bigger, but Alec was moving faster, so Alec was able to prevent Claude from reaching Nicole and the two of them went crashing to the floor. Before any of the grownups could react, Alec and Claude rolled across the floor and crashed into the legs of a nearby table, upsetting the table and dumping the items setting atop the table to the floor.

“The regulator!” Sirius screamed. I looked up just in time to see a strange looking device hurtling through the air.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as I watched the regulator tumble in a slow arc through the air. Directly beyond the regulator, I saw Ron and Gretchen emerge from one of the bedrooms and head straight for us as if they we walking in slow motion. Ron and Gretchen had taken only a single step when the regulator hit the floor and shattered into dozens of pieces.

As the regulator broke apart, a flash lit the room causing me to shut my eyes because of the brilliance of the light. I opened them just in time to see Ron and Gretchen’s outlines glow intensely as their bodies shimmered and faded to nothingness. I blinked once and they were gone. For a few seconds I just stared at the empty doorway from which I had seen them enter the room just seconds ago.

Walt: 8:35 PM

The events of the last thirty seconds had caught me completely off guard. I had just stood up when Lemke and Iseult arrived and seconds later Claude charged for Nicole. From the expression on his face, Claude was obviously consumed with hatred for his sister. By the time I drew my wand to immobilize Claude, Alec had intercepted him and the two boys crashed to the floor, wrestling for all they were worth. I did not realize that the regulator was on the table they knocked over until Sirius called out, but by that time it was too late. The regulator smashed into the floor and broke. The intense flash of light that followed caused me to see spots for several seconds.

When my vision returned to normal, the first thing that I saw was a look of disbelief frozen on Harry’s face. At first I thought he was in shock over the destruction of the regulator. I felt exactly the same way. Without the regulator, Ron and Gretchen were going to be stuck on this island forever. When Harry glanced up and saw me looking at him, his expression changed to panic and he started gesturing towards one of the bedrooms wildly. Finally, he was able to bring himself to speak.

“Ron…Gretchen…they’re…gone,” he stammered, continuing to point towards the bedroom door.

“Harry, what are you talking about? Where have Ron and Gretchen gone?” I asked, trying to understand why he was so upset.

At that moment Claude, who had escaped from Alec, picked that moment to jump to his feet and advance towards Nicole. I had had more than enough of his nonsense and quickly immobilized him with a flick of my wand. Claude wasn’t hurt, but he wouldn’t be moving on his own until I set him free.

“Ron and Gretchen, they vanished in the flash of light, I saw them,” Harry cried out, obviously believing that something awful had just happened.

I suddenly remembered overhearing Madelyn tell Sirius that she had sent Ron and Gretchen off to take a bath. Not waiting to ask any more questions, I dashed off towards the bedroom with the working bathroom. I reached the bedroom and quickly crossed over to the bathroom. The door to the bathroom was open, but the room was empty. The tub was still draining and there were wet towels on the floor next to the tub. It was obvious that someone had just finished bathing.

At first, I had not believed what Harry told me, but now that I could not find Ron and Gretchen where they should have been, I was beginning to panic. Even though I had heard of instances where destroying the source of a spell could adversely affect those under the spell, I had never heard of a person disappearing when the spell’s source was destroyed. Unfortunately, we were dealing with extremely dark and powerful magic. I was sure that if anyone could rig a spell to make those under its influence disappear, Mortius could.

I quickly made my way back into the Atrium to find Harry on his feet while Madelyn was trying to get him to lie back down. With Sirius’ help, they finally managed to get him to sit in a chair. Hermione was sitting on the side of her cot, crying, her face in her hands.

“Sirius, Ron and Gretchen are not in the bedroom or the bathroom,” I told him when I walked over to where he and Madelyn were standing.

“Harry, take a deep breath and tell us exactly what you think you saw,” Sirius asked after he knelt down in front of Harry, placing a steadying hand on Harry’s shoulder.

“Just before the regulator hit the floor I saw Ron and Gretchen come out of the bedroom doorway,” Harry replied monotonically. “When the regulator hit the floor and shattered, I saw Ron and Gretchen shimmer and disappear in the flash of light that followed.”

“You’re sure it was—

“Yes, I’m sure!” Harry snapped, cutting Sirius off in mid sentence.

“Okay, Harry. Try to stay calm,” Sirius quickly replied. “If what you say is true—and I’m not doubting you—then we need to keep our wits about us so that we can help Ron and Gretchen.”

“How can we possibly help them, their gone,” Harry wailed, getting up to go and sit beside Hermione on her cot.

“Sirius, assuming Harry really saw what he thinks he saw, then Ron and Gretchen must have been apparated to some other place when the regulator was destroyed,” I suggested, trying to get Sirius to focus, as he seemed to be going into shock, just like Harry.

“I suppose that’s possible,” Sirius replied after a couple of seconds, suddenly snapping out of his depression. “The question is; where were they taken to? This place has more rooms than a dog has fleas.”

“Right this moment we have no idea where they are, or even if they are still alive,” I said, wishing I felt more optimistic, but in truth, I didn’t think there was much of a chance of finding Ron and Gretchen, alive or dead.

“Don’t even think that,” Sirius replied, clearly agonizing over Ron and Gretchen’s disappearance.

“Sirius, we may have even bigger problems,” I began, as an uneasy feeling was starting to build up in my gut. “We have no idea what else may have been unleashed when the regulator was broken. It is very possible that the regulator was controlling a number of spells that affected this island and every creature on it.”

“I hadn’t thought of that,” Sirius replied. “It may no longer be safe to stay here.”

“My thoughts, exactly,” I replied. “Sirius, I think we should prepare to leave this place as quickly as possible. All hell could break loose at any minute.”

“What about Ron and Gretchen?” Sirius asked me. “We just can’t leave them here alone, at least not until we know for sure that they are…

“Sirius, I think one of us should go and make a quick search for Ron and Gretchen while the other gets the women and children ready to leave,” I suggested, keeping my voice low so that the others would not over hear me and become upset.

“I’ll go and look for them,” Sirius replied, sounding thoroughly depressed.

“I think it would be better if I went to look for Ron and Gretchen,” I began gently, placing my hand on Sirius’ shoulder. “Harry and Hermione are suffering tremendously over the possible death of their friends. Right now, they need you more than they need me. If you stay to get everyone organized to leave, Harry will listen to you. He won’t like it, but he will do as you ask.” I didn’t add that I felt I would be better able to handle finding Ron and Gretchen’s bodies if that was what it came down to.

“Are you sure?” Sirius asked me.

“Yes, I think it would be for the best all the way around,” I replied, giving his shoulder a firm squeeze. “Give me a minute to talk with Martha and then we can tell the others what we need to do.”

“Sure, Walt,” Sirius replied, his voice heavy with depression.

I knew that Sirius was hurting much more than he let on. I could only imagine the anguish that Harry and Hermione were going through right about now. As soon as Sirius walked over to Madelyn, I beckoned for Martha, who was standing beside Alec and Nicole, to come to me.

“Dear, am I correct in assuming that Nicole is coming with us?” I asked softly when Martha reached my side.

“I want her to, but I hadn’t discussed it with you yet,” Martha replied, doing a fair job of looking guilty but not fooling me for a second.

“Martha, since when do you have to ask my permission to do what needs doing?” I asked. “In this case there is no question, at least in my mind. We cannot send Nicole with her mother and brother. Roxanne will never accept her and Claude will kill Nicole the first chance he gets. I assume you have talked with Nicole about this possibility already. What does she want to do?”

“Walt, have I told you how much I love you,” Martha began.

“Not in the past few hours, but let’s stick to Nicole. What does she want to do?”

“She wants to come with us,” Martha replied quickly, glancing over her shoulder at Nicole and Alec. “And just in case you haven’t noticed, I think our son has a crush on her.”

“My son? The confirmed bachelor? No,” I replied in mock surprise.

“Yes, and I think the feeling is mutual, so we may have something more than a brother-sister relationship on our hands,” Martha replied easily.

From the loving look on her face, I knew that Martha was not the least bit upset with this new development. I motioned for Alec and Nicole to come over to us. While the kids were making their way towards us, I told Martha about the plans Sirius and I had discussed. She agreed that the plans were sensible, but I could tell that she was worried over my going to search for Ron and Gretchen. Martha was suffering terribly, but would not admit it even to herself, at least not until everyone was out of harm’s way.

“Nicole, we are going to be leaving this island fairly soon,” Martha began as soon as the kids reached us. “Do you still wish to come and live with us?”

Nicole hesitated for just a moment as she glanced to where her mother was still sitting. “Yes, Martha, I do want to live with you,” Nicole answered firmly, but with the sadness one would expect in such a situation.

“Nicole, I’m sorry for having to immobilize your brother,” I said apologetically.

“I’m not!” Nicole replied quickly and rather loudly. “Serves him right.”

“He will be all right once you release him from the spell,” Nicole asked immediately.

“Yes, he will be just fine,” I replied.

“What about mother; is there anything that can be done for her?” Nicole asked.

“Being back among the people she knows may help, that and time,” Martha replied, putting her arm around Nicole’s shoulder and giving her a quick hug.

“How are mom, Claude, Lucinda and her kids going to get back to our, I mean her, people?” Nicole asked.

“I am going to ask Lemke to take them back,” I replied. “He can take them much quicker than we can.”

“That’s good. The sooner she gets home the sooner she may start feeling better,” Nicole replied, as a few tears escaped from her eyes.

While I was talking with Martha, Nicole and Alec, I noticed that Sirius and Madelyn were talking with Harry and Hermione. From the way Harry was acting, I could guess that Sirius had just told them that we must leave this island as quickly as possible. Harry was shaking his head repeatedly as if he wasn’t agreeing to anything Sirius was telling him. By the time Nicole’s situation was settled, Harry and Hermione were just sitting quietly on Hermione’s cot. My heart went out to them, but we could not risk all of our lives in an attempt to find Ron and Gretchen who in all likelihood were already dead.

“Lemke, I have a couple of favors to ask of you,” I began when I went over to where Lemke was standing beside Minerva’s cot.

“How can Lemke be of service?” he replied, bowing slightly.

“First, can you transport these mountain villagers to their homes?” I asked indicating Roxanne, Claude, Lucida and her two kids.

“That will not be a problem,” Lemke replied. “When did you wish for them to leave?”

“As soon as possible,” I answered. “From the moment the regulator was broken, it may no longer be safe for us to remain here.”

“I am in agreement. Dark forces are beginning to close in on the house as we speak,” Lemke replied and I felt my anxiety ratchet up a notch or two.

“Any guess as to how long before the dark forces take over the house?” I asked.

“No, sir. That I cannot say.”

“Very well, let’s get these villagers out of here now, and then the rest of the women and children after that.

“I will be gone for only a minute, at which time I will return with some of my brothers to help with the transporting,” Lemke said and quickly vanished.

Martha and the girls, including Nicole, were rounding up any of our possessions that were lying about.

“Sirius, we should gather up some gold and place it in the wizard’s tent,” I suggested, after I walked over to him. “We may have need of it in the near future. It always helps to have money to buy goods or favors.”

Agreeing that my idea was valid, Sirius followed Alec and I to Marcus’ vault where we quickly filled six sacks with as much gold as we could carry. By the time we had the gold stored in the tub in the bathroom, Annie and Nicole arrived at the entrance to the tent with the cots Harry and Hermione had been sitting on. Minerva was still sleeping or unconscious; I wasn’t sure which, so the last cot was still in the Atrium. Lemke and some other elves had returned just as Lemke had promised.

“Sirius, do you think we should chance getting some more gold, or should we just pack down the tent and get out of here now?” I asked.

“Let’s not risk our lives for something that we may not need. I vote we pack down and get the others out now.”

“Agreed. Sirius, I will leave the final packing to you while I get Lemke’s brothers to take our villagers home,” I said, and quickly walked over to where Lemke was waiting with six of his brothers.

“Lemke, I have placed the tall, young boy under an immobilizing spell as he was attempting to hurt his younger sister. Can you free him once you take him and his mother home or should I release him now?” I asked, not sure what the elf would prefer to do.

“It will not be a problem for my brothers to free the boy once he has been transported,” Lemke replied. “The older woman seems to be suffering from some mental condition.”

“The villagers are not accustomed to magic, and she is not handling all of this very well I’m afraid to say.”

“Perhaps a memory charm to help her forget the magic she has witnessed would be of some help,” Lemke suggested.

“Yes, I think that might be a good idea, for the boy as well as his mother,” I replied, hoping that it would at least give the two of them some peace.

“It will be done,” Lemke said, bowing slightly, as was his custom.

From the time Iseult had brought Minerva, Sirius and I to the Atrium, Lucida had been sitting in a large chair with her two children, not saying a single word. I quickly made my way over to them and explained that the elves would be taking them to their village. I knew that they were very frightened, but I did the best I could to alleviate their fears. They did seem to respond favorably to the news that they would not have to endure another trip by portkey. I had to coax them up off the chair and to place their hands on one of the elves hands. Before I had a chance to say ‘goodbye’ they were gone. I wished them a belated ‘good-luck’ and went to where Martha and Nicole were standing in front of Nicole’s mother.

After Martha repeatedly asked Roxanne if she wanted to say goodbye to Nicole she gave up and suggested that Nicole just give her mother a hug goodbye. Thankfully, Roxanne did not scream or push Nicole away. Roxanne did not return the hug, but Nicole seemed to derive some comfort from the fact that she had given her mother one last hug. When Roxanne and Claude vanished with two elves, Nicole looked lost for a minute. Martha wrapped her arm around Nicole and led her back to where my girls were sitting with the twins.

Sirius and Lemke walked up to me while I was watching Martha help Nicole. “Walt, Lemke has offered to put us all up for the night. As it is getting late, I think we should accept his generous offer,” Sirius said, bowing slightly in Lemke’s direction.

“I could not agree more,” I replied. I was almost too tired to think, accepting Lemke’s generous offer was just what we needed.

Alec: 8:45 PM

I could not believe how well Nicole was holding up since the elves took her mother and brother back to their mountain village. I noticed that mom was paying a lot of extra attention to Nicole, which was good for two reasons. One, the obvious one, and two, I wanted to corral dad alone. I had to talk him into letting me go with him when he went to look for Ron and Gretchen. Harry was putting up such an awful fuss that he should be out looking for Ron that I thought Sirius was going to cast a sleeping spell over him just to get Harry to stop arguing. Not that I blamed Harry for how he felt. Ron was his closest friend and now he was gone. If I had been in Harry’s shoes, I’m sure I would have felt the same way.

Sirius had taken down the wizard’s tent while Lemke’s brothers were getting ready to transport the villagers back to their village. Everything was ready for Lemke to transport us back to his home in the mountains. That’s when the argument broke out. Dad and Sirius wanted Lemke to transport the women and us kids right now, and they would follow just as soon as they finished searching for Ron and Gretchen. Mom and Madelyn would have nothing to do with that idea. I figured this was my best chance to talk dad into taking me with him.

“Walt, you can not go off on your own to look for Ron and Gretchen,” mom told dad. From the tone of her voice, it was more like an order than a statement. Mom had that determined look about her and so did dad, which meant that if I waited for the right opening, maybe I could get dad to see things my way. That chance came quicker than I anticipated.

“Martha, we have already agreed that either Sirius or I should stay with all of you just in case something forces you to make a hasty retreat,” dad replied. “Neither Harry nor Hermione is in any shape to go looking for them, Madelyn needs to stay with Minerva, and you have to look after the twins.”

“Dad, I am ready to go with you, if you will let me,” I interjected before either mom or dad could say anything else.

Mom and dad both turned to look at me as though I had surprised them by being there. Mom was just about to say something to the effect of ‘no way’ but dad replied before she got the words out of her mouth.

“Son, I really appreciate your offer to go with me, but I may encounter some very nasty characters or extremely unpleasant scenes.”

“Would these characters be nastier than Saccarus or the scenes worse than the blood-stained bones that I thought belonged to you and mom?” I asked, keeping my voice calm while looking dad straight in the eye. “I did learn quite a lot about this island and the cult from Cetus that may be of use in searching for Ron and Gretchen,” I added when dad failed to answer my questions quickly.

“Alec, I cannot dispute what you have just said,” dad began slowly. “As your father, I feel it is my duty to see to that you are kept as safe as possible—

“And as your son, I feel it is my duty to see to it that no harm comes to you so that you can go on providing for my mother and my sisters, including my new sister,” I shot back before he could add any more arguments as to why I should not go with him.

I was afraid to look at mom for fear that she was about to have a nervous breakdown if dad agreed to take me along with him. I knew that if she asked me not to go that I would be sunk. I could not refuse a request from mom, no matter what I thought of the request.

“Walt, as much as I want to keep Alec safe beside me, I think he needs to be beside his father in this matter,” mom said, her voice strong, but her worry was unmistakable.

After hearing mom’s words, you could have pushed me over with a feather duster. She was the last person I expected to have on my side in this matter, and apparently, dad was just as surprised by her statement because he looked as though he couldn’t believe what she had just said.

“Walt, you heard me, Alec should go with you,” mom repeated. “I will feel better knowing that my men are looking out for each other.”

With mom’s words, I felt like jumping for joy, but all I could do was stand there.

“Well, in that case, I guess we had best be off,” dad replied and gave mom a quick kiss.

“We will be back before you know it, mom. So try not to worry,” I told her.

“I’ll try,” mom replied, to my astonishment.

“And don’t you three worry, either,” I added, turning to face my sisters and Nicole.

Annie and Katie seemed completely tongue-tied, but not Nicole.

“Be careful, Alec, and please hurry back,” Nicole said, suddenly looking embarrassed.

“Dad, perhaps you should take the ancient cult wand, it might just come in handy,” I suggested as we turned to begin our search.

“That is an excellent idea, Alec. One that I should have thought of as well,” dad replied, smiling at me.

“Walt, do you have a particular plan in mind for your search?” Sirius asked dad.

“Yes, we will work our way down through the levels as quickly as possible, beginning with the large chamber directly beneath this one,” dad answered. “It’s the most obvious plan I can think of.”

“Lemke would be honored to accompany you on your search,” Lemke offered, doing his little half bow.

“We would be honored to have you. Thank you,” dad replied, returning Lemke’s bow.

Walt: 8:50 PM

I was surprised to find that I felt comforted, instead of anxious, by having Alec come along with me. Alec’s fierce determination to protect me was heart warming, but also strangely amusing. Up to this point in his life, I had felt it my responsibility to make sure that he was kept safe, both from others that meant to harm him and himself when he would try something that could result in his being injured. Looking at my son—who was no longer a boy, but a young man—walking along beside me, filled my heart with pride. One did not have to look very hard to see that Alec had the potential to become a great wizard. He seemed to be able to control his fear, as I could not detect any sign of nervousness in him. That ability, above all others, let a person apply their skills in times of need without falling apart. I had known many students at the Academy that were extremely talented in casting spells in the classroom. However, when it came to using those same spells in real life situations, they lost their nerve and were paralyzed by fear, which preyed on their minds like a hungry demon. Facing Saccarus alone would have taken every ounce of courage a person possessed, and Alec had done just that and beaten Saccarus in the process. No father could be prouder of his son than I was at this moment.

“Dad, I’m terribly sorry for having broken the regulator,” Alec said, breaking into my musing about him.

“Don’t worry about it, son. You didn’t do it deliberately.”

“If I had just used a spell on Claude instead of tackling him, the regulator might still be intact and Ron and Gretchen would still be with us,” Alec replied, sounding angry with himself.

“Alec, what’s done is done. We can’t change what has happened, so there is no use beating yourself up over this. Right now, we need to concentrate on searching for Ron and Gretchen. I don’t know whether we will find any trace of them or not, but we need to look for everyone’s sake.”

Alec stopped walking, looked straight into my eyes, and said, “Yes, I know that, dad. I guess what I’m trying to say is, thanks for letting me come with you as it helps make up for breaking the regulator.”

“You’re welcome, son. Now let’s hurry, as I don’t know how much time we are going to have. I’m not trying to fill you with some vague, unknown dread, but this place feels decidedly unfriendly. Keep your eyes and ears open, and be ready to defend yourself if we are attacked.”

We reached the entrance to the lower chamber just as I finished telling Alec to defend himself if need be. Alec touched his wand to the wall just below the torch bracket and a section of the stone wall slid noiselessly back to reveal the staircase that led to the lower chamber. I told Lemke about the large circular chamber at the bottom of the stairs and the three dragons that had been held captive in this room. Alec added that Mortius had lured them here more than a thousand years ago. Lemke seemed quite interested and eager to meet Cetus and his brother and sister.

As we made our way down the dimly lit, dust-laden stairs, I could hear a knocking sound that grew steadily louder. I was sure Alec noticed the sound as well. He seemed just about to comment on it, but I put a finger to my lips and nodded my head as a sign that I understood he could hear the sound too. Thankfully, the thick carpet of dust muffled the sound of our footsteps and we were able to descend the stairs in complete silence. When we reached the bottom step, I very cautiously peered around the entrance to the staircase to see what was causing the knocking noise that had grown so loud that we would have had difficulty talking to each other, even though we were right next to each other. Alec and I both gasped aloud at the sight that meet our eyes. If Lemke said anything, I didn’t hear it over the noise coming from the chamber.

The chamber was filled with literally thousands of shaking skeletons knocking against each other. Many of the skeletons were draped in long black robes, which sported a pair of emblems. The entire floor of the chamber we covered with the hopelessly tangled mass of skeletons. In most places, the skeletons were stacked two or three high, and in a few places higher than that. It was almost like watching a stormy sea covered with whitecaps. In the middle of the sea, rising out of it like a small island, I saw Cetus and his brother and sister gazing at the mass of undulating bones that surrounded them.

“Dad, some of these skeletons are wearing cult robes. Do you think all of these skeletons belonged to the cult at one time or another?” Alec shouted so that I would hear him over the roar of knocking bones.

“I suppose that is possible,” I shouted back. The noise was so loud that it was staring to make my head ache.

“The dragons are alive,” Alec shouted, pointing at the three dragons in the middle of the room. “How are we going to get past all of these skeletons so we can talk to Cetus?”

It was obvious that we were not going to be able to walk over the mass of skeletons that completely covered the floor. We would become hopelessly tangled before we moved ten feet. Levitation was the only answer. Before I could tell Alec that I would levitate us across the sea of bones, I felt myself being lifted and the three of us floated quickly across the room to land on the platform the dragons were standing on.

“I trust I did not offend you by levitating you with out your permission,” Cetus said as soon as we landed between them.

I was just a little un-nerved standing between three dragons, mostly because of the experience with the dragon in the cavern I had gone through a short while ago, but Alec seemed completely relaxed in their presence.

“No, we were not offended,” Alec replied loudly.

“There is no need to shout,” Cetus’ voice said inside my head as the roar of the knocking bones suddenly stopped. “There, that is much better, do you not agree?”

“Yes, I certainly do,” Alec’s voice echoed inside my mind. Communicating with creatures that were telepathic was always difficult for me, but after a few minutes, I did mange to express my thoughts without verbalizing them.

“A short time ago some event must have occurred that brought all of the cult members remains to this chamber. Do you have any knowledge of this event?” Cetus asked.

“Yes, we do,” I replied quickly, trying to save Alec any unnecessary guilt over the destruction of the regulator. “A regulator, which we believed controlled the agent for the aging spell was accidentally destroyed. Albus, Sirius, whom you meet previously, along with another colleague of ours and me, discovered the regulator in what was believed to be Mortius’ secret room.”

“This is a most interesting development,” Cetus replied after a considerable pause. “Virgo and Gemini are of the opinion that the destruction of the regulator has broken the aging spell and returned all those who were under the spell to this chamber. I feel that they may be correct in their assumption, but I am not totally convinced at this point.”

“Cetus, nothing ever totally convinces you of anything,” Virgo replied and I heard Alec snicker. “Don’t pay any attention to Cetus. He has always had a doom and gloom outlook on life.”

“Excuse me,” Alec interrupted. “The reason we are here is that Ron and Gretchen disappeared immediately after the regulator was destroyed. If you are right in your assumption that all the members of the cult were returned to this chamber, shouldn’t they be here too?”

“Yes, they should,” Gemini replied. “However, there is another part to our conjecture and that is with the breaking of the spell everyone under the spell suddenly aged to how old they would be today if they had lived through all the years since falling under the spells influence. We ourselves felt a distinct jump in our ages. Fortunately, for us, it was only a small portion of our natural lives. Sadly, that is not the case with you humans. Since the cult members are all over nine hundred years old, there is nothing left of them except their bones, as you can plainly see.”

“Gemini, you forget that Ron and Gretchen were inducted into the cult just yesterday. They should have aged only a single day,” Alec replied, calling the dragon’s attention to his oversight.

“You are quite right, young one,” Virgo replied. “Your friends should have only aged on day. They should also be somewhere in this room. Most likely they are buried under a mass of skeletons.”

“Dad, how are we going to dig through all these skeletons?” Alec asked aloud. “It will take weeks.”

“Cetus, how did the skeletons arrive in this chamber?” I asked, having a hunch why Ron and Gretchen were not standing or trying to make their way out of the room.

“The skeletons materialized in mid air and fell to the floor,” Cetus answered, confirming my hunch.

“Alec, Ron and Gretchen were probably knocked unconscious from the fall after they were brought to this chamber,” I explained. “Other skeletons that arrived shortly after them are covering them up.”

“We can’t just wait until they regain consciousness, somehow we have to find them,” Alec replied.

“Lemke, do you have any suggestions?” I asked, turning my attention to the elf.

“Lemke is most sorry, sir, for he has no suggestions on how to find your missing friends,” Lemke replied apologetically.

“It’s too bad you could not just make all the skeletons just disappear,” I said, thinking out lout.

“Lemke could do that, but sadly the skeletons of your friends would disappear as well,” he replied.

“Cetus, could you levitate me and my dad over the top of the skeletons so that we could look for Ron and Gretchen? They may be near the top and we might spot them,” Alec asked.

“Yes we could do that,” Cetus replied.

“What do you think, dad? Should we give it a try?” Alec asked, looking at me for my opinion.

“I don’t see why not,” I answered. “Maybe we will get lucky.”

For the next five minuets the dragons levitated Alec and I just above the tops of the skeletons that covered the floor of the chamber. After covering the entire surface of the room, I asked Cetus to return us to the platform.

“Don’t feel bad, Alec. It was a good idea even if it didn’t work out,” I said after we reached the platform. “With the limited visibility in this chamber we would have been extremely lucky to find them, even if they were only covered by a single skeleton.”

“Dad, that’s it!” Alec exclaimed, suddenly looking very excited. “You are absolutely right. We will never see them; it’s too dark. But we can smell them; or rather, my wolf form can smell them. Ron and Gretchen should be the only flesh and blood, besides us and the dragons, in this chamber. Once I transfigure into my wolf form, I should be able to locate Ron and Gretchen very quickly from their scent.”

“That is a great idea, Alec,” I replied, having completely forgotten that Alec now had an animagus form. “But how will we know if you have found anything? You won’t be able to talk.”

“Cetus, will you be able to communicate with me telepathically when I am in my wolf form?” Alec asked.

“Yes, of course I will,” Cetus replied, sounding just a little amused that Alec should ask such a simple question.

“Masters had better hurry,” Lemke said and I felt a chill wash over me.

“What is wrong?” I asked, knowing that the answer would not be good news.

“Small carnivores have entered the chamber and appear to be in search of food,” Lemke replied, pointing to a group of rat-like creatures moving against the outer wall of the chamber.

“Baby dracks!” Alec exclaimed, his voice dripping with disgust. “We must find them now or it will be too late. Cetus, please levitate me towards where the dracks are gathered first. If I don’t pick up Ron and Gretchen’s scent there, I will tell you in which direction to move me.”

Alec quickly transfigured into his wolf form and Cetus levitated him towards the dracks Lemke had spotted along the wall.

Alec: 9:00 PM.

Being levitated in wolf form was something decidedly different than I was used to. The wolf’s instincts were very leery about this form of travel. After a few seconds, I was able to steady my mind and concentrate on the different scents that were reaching my nose. The dragons were giving off an almost over-powering scent that made it difficult to pick up the fainter scents in the room. After filtering out their strong scents and dad’s, I was able to concentrate on the more subtle scents reaching me. I was surprised when I realized that Lemke was only giving off a very weak scent.

The dracks were busy sniffing the air, but retreated into the shadows when they saw me approach. Whether they were retreating because of my size or the fact that I was growling menacingly at them, I had no idea, nor did I care. I was satisfied with the fact that they were retreating and not advancing.

A quick scan of the immediate area brought no other human scents to my nose. “Cetus, move me back and forth from the wall to the platform, slowly rotating around the chamber,” I instructed, hoping to find Ron and Gretchen quickly, as the dracks would soon be back.

Each time I got close to the outer wall, the dracks would retreat from my view. However, with each trip back to the platform, the dracks were getting bolder, advancing farther into the chamber. If Ron and Gretchen were near the outer wall, even half-way around the chamber, I would not get to them before the dracks did. I hoped that they were closer to the platform so that I would have more time to locate them.

Five minutes had passed and I had only covered a tenth of the chamber. If it had not been for the dracks, I would not have been worried about the time it was going to take to search the entire chamber. At this rate, the dracks would be well past half way into the chamber before I even searched a third of it. I was desperately trying to think of some way to speed up the search when a faint smell brought my attention back to what I was doing.

“Cetus, stop! Move me sideways,” I commanded.

The scent immediately became much stronger. Suddenly it hit me. I was picking up the scent of fresh blood. There is no mistaking the scent blood gives off. Predators have that scent ingrained in their minds.

“Cetus, tell dad that I can smell fresh blood right beneath me,” I said, surveying the pile of bones beneath me.

My wolf eyes were better than my human eyes for seeing in near darkness. I had Cetus keep me in place while I frantically scanned the mass of skeletons in the immediate vicinity. I spotted a single drack darting among the skeletons. Shortly after the first, I spotted two more. Looking ahead, trying to figure out where the dracks were headed I spotted a human hand sticking up between a pair of skeletons.

“Cetus, I have found one of them!” I exclaimed. “From the looks of the hand that I can see, I think it is Gretchen.”

Before I could ask what to do, dad was floating at my side, with Lemke next to him.

“Alec, you keep searching for Ron. Lemke and I will rescue Gretchen,” dad shouted, hurting my sensitive wolf’s ears.

If Ron were beside Gretchen, dad would find him, so I didn’t worry about Ron and Gretchen being too close to separate their scents. I knew I had to cover more ground quickly or the dracks were going to get to Ron first.

“Cetus, move me in an arc around the remainder of the chamber and I’ll try to pick up Ron’s scent.”

As soon as I was a few feet away from where dad and Lemke were rescuing Gretchen, I was able to block out her scent. I had traveled barely ten feet when I picked up another distinct blood scent. Abruptly the scent started to fade.

“Cetus, back me up and move me towards the outer wall,” I cried out.

In ten seconds, I was hovering over the strongest scent of blood. The skeletons were only two or three deep beneath me. Frantically I scanned the jumble of twitching bones for any sign of Ron…and spotted what I had dreaded, several dracks with fresh blood on their fur. If Ron was still alive and was to remain so, I hand no choice.

“Cetus, drop me! Drop Me Now!” I commanded.

I felt a sudden surge in my stomach as I fell about three feet and landed on top of the mass of skeletons. My fall crushed the skeletons I landed on top of. As I bit into a large femur next to me, it turned to dust. Every bone I touched crumbled into powder. I quickly transfigured back into human form and started reducing all the bones around me to powder with my hands and feet. With seconds, I was standing on the hard floor, waist deep in bones and powder. The dracks retreated in the face of my frenzied attack on the skeletons.

Being careful not to step on Ron I continued crushing the bones around me. The crushed bones were making it difficult to keep my balance. Suddenly, I felt as if my leg was on fire. I spun around to see a drack with its teeth buried in the calf of my leg. It hit the drack squarely in the middle of its body with the bottom of my fist and sent it flying. Unfortunately, the momentum of my swing caused me to lose my balance and topple over backwards.

I skeletons I landed on broke my fall and turned to powder. The back of my head it the ground hard, but not hard enough to knock me out. Panicked that I would be easy prey for the dracks I tried getting to my feet, but could not get up because of the bones on either side of me. I rolled hard to my left so that I could get to my hands and knees. I was just about to jump up when I realized that I had rolled onto something hard. I was scared stiff that the dracks were going to jump me at any second, but I reached down to check out what I had rolled onto.

My heart soared when I realized that it was a pair of legs covered up by a cloak. Ripping the cloak up and smashing all the bones around me, I discovered Ron’s body. He was a bloody mess. I thought for sure that he was dead and almost threw up. When Ron moaned weakly I cleared the powdered remains away from his face so that he could breathe easier.

“Cetus, tell dad that I have uncovered Ron and to—youch,” I screamed as another drack sank its teeth into my leg and ripped out a hunk of flesh.

I was so enraged that I hit the drack hard enough that it flew all the way to the outer wall. I struggled to my feet and straddled Ron’s body as I drew my wand, just waiting for the next drack to show itself.

I didn’t have log to wait. Two seconds later, three dracks attacked Ron’s feet. Even though I knew that I could stun them, I killed them as I was way beyond angry, I was livid with rage. I hit them with an engorgement spell that swelled them to the bursting point, splattering me with their blood and gusts. After killing six on them this way the others backed off and left us alone.

“Cetus, where is my dad?”

“I’m coming, Alec. Just hold on another couple of seconds,” I heard my dad’s voice say in my head.

When dad landed beside me a few seconds later his face twisted as if he were in terrible pain.

“Alec, are you okay?” he asked, but before I could answer dad looked down and saw that I was straddling Ron who was not moving. “Oh Lord, no. Not Ron.”

“Dad, Ron’s not dead, he just looks like it,” I said louder that I intended, still pumped up from my rage.

“Quick, step aside so that I can roll him over,” dad said, and I quickly stepped away from Ron, never taking my eyes off the surrounding piles of bones.

“We have to get Ron back to the Atrium immediately,” Dad said after he rolled Ron over and noticed all the blood Ron had lost.

Dad gently scooped Ron up into his arms. As soon as dad was standing, Cetus quickly levitated the three of us back to the platform.

“Alec, do you think you can carry Gretchen?” dad asked as our feet touched the platform.

“Yes, I think so,” I replied.

As soon as I picked Gretchen up, Lemke placed a hand on both dad and I. Instantly we were back in the Atrium, greeted by ear piercing screams and faces with looks of unbelievable horror pasted on them.

Sirius: 9:10 PM.

I had just stood up from talking with Minerva when Lemke transported Walt and Alec, who were carrying Ron and Gretchen, back to the Atrium. Everyone, but Lemke was soaked in blood. One of Martha’s girls started screaming and the others joined in almost immediately. I heard Madelyn gasp loudly as she turned to see what all the screaming was about. All I could thank was that both Ron and Gretchen were dead. My thoughts must have showed on my face because as soon as Walt looked at me he shouted out that Ron and Gretchen were alive, just barely.

Madelyn was up and out of her chair before I had taken two steps. She took one look at Ron and covered her mouth with her hand. I could not ever remember seeing a person so badly chewed that was still alive.

“Ron is way beyond anything I can do to help him,” Madelyn choked out. “And Gretchen’s not in much better shape either.”

“Lemke, can you help them?” I asked, without waiting to discuss what we should do.

“Yes, Mister Sirius Black, I can have my sisters try to nurse your injured young ones back to good health,” Lemke replied.

“Then please do so now,” I asked. Before the sound of my words died away, Lemke disapparated with the four of them.

Within a minute, in which everyone sat in stunned silence, Lemke returned with Walt and several of his elf brothers. Three of his brothers disapparated after a short discussion with Lemke.

“I asked Lemke if he could free the dragons from the chamber,” Walt said when he walked over to where I was standing. “Lemke did not think it would be a problem, assuming the dragons were willing to accept the help of house elves. I got the distinct impression that Lemke thinks dragons are a bit arrogant.”

“Not having known any dragons personally, I really don’t know whether that is true or not,” I replied. “It has been my experience that house elves sometimes have a distorted view of other species.”

“Walt, where is Alec? Is he all right?” Martha asked, as she came rushing up to us, a baby in each arm.

“Calm down, Martha. Alec is going to be just fine,” Walt replied, trying to relieve Martha’s anxiety. “He has a couple of small bites on his legs that the elves are going to fix for him. You will be able to see him shortly.”

“How small is small?” Martha asked, looking slightly distrustful of Walt’s description of the extent of Alec’s injuries.

“Big enough to hurt something fierce, but not bad enough that the elves can’t heal him quickly,” Walt replied. “If you must worry, and I know that you must, then worry over Ron. I am not sure the elves are going to be able to save his life. They were extremely upset over his condition.”

“What about Gretchen?” Martha asked, her eyes filling with tears.

“Gretchen will make it,” Walt replied.

None of us said anything for a few moments. I noticed that Lemke was waiting with three of his brothers so I walked over to where he was standing.

“Lemke, we can not begin to thank you enough for what you have done,” I said, meaning every word of it.

“My brothers and sisters and I are happy that we can be of service,” he replied and added his little bow, which I ceremoniously returned.

“Perhaps this would be a good time to take the women and children?” Lemke added.

“Yes, I think you are right. We have had enough troubles for one day. There is no sense waiting around for more trouble to find us. Give me a moment to get the others organized and then we can depart.”

“As you wish Mister Sirius Black,” Lemke replied formally. I knew it was of little use trying to get Lemke to address us informally, so I didn’t bother.

I walked over to Minerva who was sitting on the edge of her cot. Everyone was in a state of shock over what had happened to Ron and Gretchen. The sooner we left this place the better.

“Minerva, do you feel up to traveling? I think we should leave the island as quickly as possible,” I asked, placing my hand gently on her shoulder.

“Yes, I am ready. Have you heard anything from Albus?”

“No, we haven’t, but I am not worried. Albus is in good hands, so to speak, with Fawkes,” I replied, truly believing that Fawkes would fetch Albus around.

“Let me help you up, Minerva. I see that Walt is rounding up his family and Madelyn has Harry and Hermione ready to go as well.”

I steadied Minerva as she got to her feet. Once up she took a few deep breaths she was able to walk holding onto my arm for support. Madelyn steered Harry and Hermione towards us so that Minerva would not have to walk very far. As soon as they reached us, I told Madelyn that I would be along very shortly. She wasn’t too happy with my staying behind, but she let one of Lemke’s brothers take the four of them without further comment. I noticed that Walt had remained behind when his family departed.

“Lemke, when will we know if the dragons have been freed?” I asked. I did not want to leave the island until the dragons were free or refused to go.

“I expect word from my brothers at any time.”

“I wonder why Iseult is still here,” Walt said, looking at her still sitting on her perch.

“Do you think she is waiting for Fawkes to return?” I asked. I did not truly understand phoenixes, but then again, no one did.

“She might be,” Walt replied and let it go at that.

As if in answer to my question, Fawkes apparated to sit on the perch next to her. The two of them looked at each other and then fixed their gaze on us.

“Now that has to be more than just a coincidence,” Walt said, staring back at the two birds.

“What has to be more than a coincidence?” asked a voice from Marcus’ bedroom doorway.

“Albus! Where did you come from?” I asked at the unexpected sound of his voice.

“From Marcus’ bedroom,” he answered.

I was amazed and pleased to see Albus on his feet and looking so well. Fawkes had done a first rate job of healing Albus of his injuries.

“Have you been in Marcus’ bedroom all the time?” Walt asked, looking at Albus as though he could scarcely believe his eyes.

“I do not know how long I have been in the bedroom. I awoke a few minutes ago and came straight to the Atrium as soon as I felt steady enough to walk.

“Well wherever you have been, you look much better than when I last saw you,” I said, still finding it hard to believe how good Albus looked.

“Where are the others?” Albus asked, glancing around the room.

“They have gone with Lemke’s brothers to his home. Ron and Gretchen have been seriously injured. The elves are trying to save them as we speak.”

“Then we should join them at once,” Albus replied, suddenly looking tired. “If you will wait a moment, I wish to retrieve Marcus’ pensieve.”

While Albus was getting the pensieve, Lemke’s brothers returned to report that all three dragons had been returned to the mainland. From there the dragons were going to fly under their own power to their home. Albus returned a few moments after that, carrying Marcus’ pensive.

I looked around trying to decide if there was anything that should be done before we left, as I had no wish to return. Abruptly I remembered the ring that controlled the house. “Albus, what should we do with the rings of power?”

“The rings should be destroyed. Exactly how that should be done, I do not know. I will have to give it much thought.”

“All right, Lemke. We are ready to join the others at your home,” I said after one last look around.

Lemke held out his hand for us to all touch. The next instant we were standing out in the open air looking at one of the most magnificent sunsets I had see in many a year.