The Phoenix Prophecy

Chapter 17: Epilogue - Part 7

Monday — July 21^st

Ron:

Walking along the bank of the winding stream brought back happy memories of the many enjoyable hours I had spent as a kid playing in the woods near the Burrow. A stream very similar to this one meandered through our woods, although the water in the stream back home was not anywhere near as clear as the water in this stream. That was one of the first things that I noticed about this stream. It was so clear that it actually sparkled. The sound of the water flowing downstream as it spilled over rocks strewn about the streambed was very soothing. In fact, everything about this place seemed peaceful and friendly. If it were not for that fact that we had just been kidnapped, this would have been the best day of my life.

Gretchen was walking along beside me; holding our newborn baby girl in her arms. Every time we exchanged glances with each other, all we did was smile. We must have kissed each other a dozen times, as we made our way from the meadow to the cottage. Even though I knew that I should be terribly concerned over what might happen to us, I found it extremely difficult to give it much thought. The sight of Gretchen and our baby girl made everything else seem inconsequential by comparison. During one of the times when we looked at each other and I thought about just how much I loved her and the baby, I noticed a soft, shimmering glow slowly form around her body. The glow slowly expanded in my direction. When the edge of the glow touched me, I felt an incredible mixture of feelings wash over me. Sorting out all of the feelings was impossible, but one feeling that came through crystal clear was the feeling of pride that I felt because Gretchen had agreed to be my wife. I knew that pride could be a selfish emotion, but I felt proud just the same.

The second thing that I felt was a sense of awe and wonder when I looked at our new baby. Suddenly my light heartedness vanished as I thought about the awesome responsibility that had landed on our shoulders. Would I be as good a dad as I should be? I knew that Gretchen would be a great mum, on that point I had no doubts whatsoever.

“What’s wrong?” Gretchen asked, intruding on my worries about being a good father.

“Oh, nothing much. I was just thinking that being a father was an awesome responsibility. I hope I will as good a dad to our daughter as my father was to me.”

“Of course you will be a good father,” Gretchen replied, her gentle smile causing my worries to drift away with the wind. “I would not have married you if I hadn’t thought you would make a great father. I do know what you are going through, as I am a little anxious myself. However, my worries are nothing compared to the joy and excitement that I feel when I think about raising our little girl.”

“I suppose you are right. I just have to learn to relax. Dad was always telling mum to cherish the moment, so that is what I will try to do as well.”

“By the way, how did you know that I was worried?” I asked, wondering just how she knew that something had been troubling me.

“Oh, that was easy. The glow around your body suddenly disappeared. One second it was there, and the next it wasn’t. That and the frown on your face made it pretty obvious that you were worried about something,” Gretchen replied matter of factly. She was obviously sure of herself where my moods were concerned.

“You think you know me that well, huh?”

“My husband, I’m know I know you that well,” she replied and reached up and pulled my lips to hers for a warm, lingering kiss.

“Dear, do you have any idea what’s up with this glowing that we have started doing since we arrived here—where ever in the bloody hell, here is?”

“Ron, don’t cuss. It’s not polite, especially in front of the baby.”

“What! She doesn’t know what I am saying. You know that.”

“She doesn’t now, that’s true. But she will soon enough.”

“Gretchen, why are you suddenly so concerned with a little swearing?” I asked, taken by surprise at her concern over something as trivial as a little mild swearing.

“I just think we need to watch what we say in front of our children, and yes I know that she doesn’t understand us yet.

“Ron, ever since we arrived here I have been having memories of my mother and all the things that she used to tell us, that is, my brothers and sisters and me. It’s as if she was trying to pass on the things that I needed to know in order to be a good mother. I’m sure this all sounds pretty silly to you.”

“No it doesn’t, but I will be more careful about what I say in front of the baby,” I said as Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall caught up with us.

“Professor Dumbledore, do you know where this glow we have picked up is coming from?” I asked.

“It would appear that something about this world makes our natural life-energy more visible here than on Earth, or the Realm. Every living thing has this energy. Ordinarily we do not notice it. There are a couple of reasons that I can think of that account for our ability to see this life-energy. One, either the sunlight is different on this world, or two, the higher level of life-energy that surrounds us has awakened an ability that we have always possessed but never realized we had.”

“Professor, I have noticed that the glow surrounding us seems strongest when we are sharing the love that Ron and I feel for each other. What does love have to do with the life-energy?” Gretchen asked.

“Minerva, perhaps you can answer their questions better than I,” Professor Dumbledore replied, glancing at Professor McGonagall. “You are much better versed on this subject than I am.”

“Very well, Albus,” Professor McGonagall replied and then looked at us. “Our life-energy is closely related to our emotional state. You have undoubtedly heard the expression ‘glowing with happiness’ before. This is in fact more than just an expression or figure of speech. When we are happy our life-energy increases, expanding outward. Normally this energy is contained within the body. It would seem that here on this world, we are able to absorb more life-energy than the body can contain and that the excess is visible to those around us. Love being a powerful, positive emotion, easily draws in more life-energy. The more love that we feel for each other, the more energy we absorb. Since you and Ron love each other and are openly expressing that love between you, it is only natural that you will have absorbed a great deal of life-energy. Incidentally, the baby that you are holding in your arms enhances the love that you share many times over. On this world, I am not the least bit surprised that you can see the glow from each others’ life-energy.”

“I see that the others are getting farther ahead of us than I would like,” Professor Dumbledore said kindly after Professor McGonagall was finished with her explanation. “Perhaps we should quicken our pace and catch up with them.”

We offered to let the professors lead the way but Professor Dumbledore insisted that we go ahead of them. We hastened our pace, but not by too much, until we caught up with Sirius and Madelyn. Harry, Hermione and Nicole were right behind the Blyths who were in the lead. From around a sharp bend in the path we heard several people cry out in astonishment.

Hurrying around the bend, we quickly discovered what all the excitement was about. Fifty to sixty feet from where we stood, I spotted a cottage in a small clearing beside the stream. The path widened out into a lawn of sorts as it lead directly to the front door of the cottage. Several large groups of colorful wildflowers formed a border between the lawn and the forest on the opposite side of the path from the stream. The windows in the cottage were all aglow with a warm, cheery light coming from inside the cottage. Twin wisps of smoke rose from the central chimney and then drifted lazily across the stream.

Alice and Katie started racing for the cottage almost at once, but stopped dead in their tracks when a mother deer and two fawns walked out of the woods, crossed the lawn to the stream, and began to drink. As the rest of us moved closer, the deer stopped drinking and stared directly at us. Suddenly they crossed the stream in two long bounds and vanished into the woods. Once the deer were out of sight, Alice and Katie took off once more, running towards the cottage as fast as their legs would carry them. What they discovered upon reaching the house I would not have believed if I had not seen it with my own eyes.

Seeing our names, along with everyone else’s, inscribed on a plaque on the side of the cottage caused all of the happiness I had been feeling to vanish abruptly. Up until this moment, I guess that I had deluded myself into believing that this dream we were living would all go away and that we would find ourselves back in the Realm. Instinctively, Gretchen and I drew closer to each other and I put my arm around her shoulder for support—mine as well as hers. When we looked at each other, I could tell that she was feeling just as nervous and appehensive as I was.

It was obvious that everyone else was feeling the same way too. After several moments had passed, during which no spoke a single word, Professor Dumbledore stepped forward, opened the door and entered the cottage. Slowly we all followed him inside to find ourselves standing in a large room. Off to the right, a cheery fire was burning in the fireplace. The smell of burning wood faintly filled the air, but was overpowered by something that is near and dear to my heart. On a large table in the center of the room sat several fruit pies, with a number of flasks of juice alongside the pies. I didn’t have to get any closer to know that there was at least one cherry pie—my favorite—on the table.

For the next several minutes, we all milled around the room, looking it over. At last, Professor Dumbledore asked us to all take a seat at the table. It took a couple of minutes for all of us to get ourselves seated as Sirius and Madelyn had decided to check out the upstairs while Walt and Martha did likewise to the rooms on the main floor. Once everyone was seated, Professor Dumbledore began to speak.

Professor Albus Dumbledore:

As much as I wanted to spare our youngsters the agony of an uncertain future, it was time to openly discuss our current situation. With the possible exception of Alice and Katie, our youngsters were entitled to know what we were faced with. They were old enough to see though any story that I might fabricate to protect them from the agonies of an uncertain future. As young as Harry, Hermione, Ron and Gretchen were, they were old enough to understand what we were faced with and provide valuable suggestions as to how we might return to Earth. When I looked into their faces, I no longer saw them as adolescents. Instead, I saw four young adults with the same hopes and fears for their future as those of us who had lived longer and experienced more of what life had to offer. Every phase of life has its’ beginning as well as its’ end. These four young, but capable, students were at the very beginning of their adult life. Their early initiation into adulthood had been hastened by their previous encounters with Tom Riddle, the many obstacles they had faced, and the decisions they had made, since embarking on the quest for the ‘Impervious’ charm

Looking at Ron and Gretchen sitting side by side, Gretchen with a baby in her arms, I knew that if my worst fears came to pass—namely that we would not be able to return to Earth for a very long time—then Harry and Hermione would want to be married so that they could comfort each other as only a husband and wife could. They truly loved one another, of that I was certain. This fact, coupled with the desires of the flesh—which were not easily controlled at best—was going to make life difficult for them until we knew more about what our future would entail.

“The time has come for us to take a long, hard look at our situation,” I began. “In quick summary, we have been brought to this world, which is alleged to be Eden, through trickery and deception at the hands of Kai and Nyssa. The reason we have been brought here has not been disclosed to us. What Kai and Nyssa’s true motives are we do not know, but we might deduce them through the process of elimination. It is readily apparent that we are not going to be deprived of food or shelter as evidenced by this cottage and these delicious looking pies sitting on the table. What will happen tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, we have no way of knowing, so it is pointless to worry about it at this time. We have just two choices to make. One, we can stay here and wait for Kai or Nyssa to return and ask that we be returned to the Realm. Or two, we can attempt to find the location of the portal that connects Eden to Earth and return home through that portal.”

“If our predicament doesn’t classify as the proverbial ‘being between a rock and a hard place’ I don’t know what does,” Sirius growled. “Albus, neither of those choices are to my liking, but I must agree that in essence they are our only real choices.”

“Professor Dumbledore, assuming this is Eden, then we only have one year to find the portal before we lose our sanity,” Harry added. “Assuming of course that Kai and Nyssa were not lying about what would happen to anyone who stayed on Eden for more than a year.”

“The portal could be anywhere on this world. A person could spend a lifetime and never find the portal,” Hermione said, glancing around the table. “We don’t even know where to start. We have no brooms, or other means of transportation. If the portal is very far from here, then we do not stand a chance of finding it. On top of that, the portal will most likely be disguised in some way. Frankly, it seems hopeless to me.”

“If we elect to stay here and wait for Kai or Nyssa to return and they never do, then each day we spend sitting here is a day lost for searching for the portal,” Madelyn added. “However, I do think we should wait for a few days, just in case Kai and Nyssa return. After that, we should spend all our efforts trying to find the portal. I know Kai said that we have a year before we go mad, but I have a baby growing inside of me and I will be damned if I am going to give birth to my child on this world.” The force of Madelyn’s last statement was so strong that it made several around the table jump.

“Madelyn, we will do whatever it takes to get all of us out of here,” Walt added, as Martha placed a comforting hand on top of Madelyn’s hand. “I have a suspicion that this is some kind of game, or test, that Kai and Nyssa are playing. I would not be surprised to find that there are clues to find, or riddles to solve, that will show us how to get back home.”

“If this is a game, then I think it’s a pretty sick one if you ask me,” Martha added, her anger over what we were being forced to endure obvious in her tone of voice.

“Professor Dumbledore, what if Kai and Nyssa were lying about where we are,” Gretchen asked hesitantly. “If this is not Eden, then there may not be any way to get back home.”

“That is a possibility that we must acknowledge,” I replied, having already decided that this possibility was part of my worst-case scenario. “Thinking back to everything Kai and Nyssa said to us, I cannot point to a single statement that I knew in fact to be an obvious lie. Had they returned us to our world, I would have thought of them as our benefactors for saving several of your lives and not questioned anything that they had said.”

“There is something else that we need to consider. We may not be the only people on this world,” Ron added. “Maybe this world is inhabited. Or, maybe Kai and Nyssa have brought others to this place just as they have done to us.”

“That is a distinct possibility,” Sirius replied. “We are going to have to be very careful of anything and everything that comes our way.”

“I don’t know if any of you have noticed, but on this world I feel more energetic, more powerful,” Alec added. “Also, magic is definitely alive and well on this world, I can feel that as well.”

Everyone voiced their agreement on feeling more alive and energetic just as Alec had claimed. Since the energy given off by this world was far greater than our own, I expected that spells and such would be stronger and more potent here as well Alec, was indeed correct. I had sensed that my abilities were stronger, my senses more acute.

“Professor Dumbledore, you mentioned using the process of elimination to uncover Kai and Nyssa’s motives for bring us here,” Hermione said after the general comments on feeling more energetic died out. “Exactly what did you have in mind by that?”

“Well, for one, I don’t believe we have been brought here so that we can be killed or tortured. You and Harry would have died from the Dark One’s fireballs, and Ron and Gretchen would most likely have succumbed to their wounds, if Kai and Nyssa had not intervened. To restore all four of you to perfect health so that you could be killed does not make any sense. I have a feeling that Kai and Nyssa do not mean to harm us directly—ignoring the fact that we have been harmed emotionally by keeping us captive and uninformed.”

“That is the way I see it as well,” Madelyn added. “Kai and Nyssa answered each question we put to them. Moreover, they offered other information that matches what we have already learned. I think Walt may be on the right track with his idea that this is some kind of test or game. Other than the one time Nyssa lost her temper and mistreated Hermione, I have never felt threatened by them. If you think about it, their prediction about the end of our world may have been their way of motivating us to some end.”

“What ever Kai and Nyssa’s motives are, the one thing that we definitely know for a fact is that we cannot trust them,” Sirius added. “Even if they do come back and agree to return us to the Realm, we have no way of knowing that they will actually do as they say they will.”

“I don’t think there can be much doubt that Kai and Nyssa are more advanced than we are,” Walt suggested. “Whether they are from some higher dimension, as they claim to be, we have no way of knowing. We are pretty much at their mercy. The best that we can hope for—other than being retuned home—is that this is a test and if we pass the test we will be returned to the Realm.”

“Walt’s suggestion makes as much sense as any other possibility that I can think of,” Martha added in the silence that followed.

“I just hope that we are not the latest additions to Kai and Nyssa’s personal zoo,” Harry said softly. “As charming as this cottage is, I would hate to think that we were going to live out the rest of our lives in this place. No matter how charming and cozy this place is, it would still be just a cage. I would be a bloody basket case in a week.”

“Harry, that’s too depressing to even think about,” Hermione replied with a noticeable shiver.

Hermione was correct; Harry’s suggestion was too depressing to think about. Unfortunately, it was a possibility that we might have to come to terms with. For now, everyone was in agreement that Walt’s suggestion about this being a test was the most likely explanation for our being trapped on this world. That being true, the next two questions were, why were we being tested, and for what purpose.

Martha:

The discussion we were having was enough to give most adults a solid case of the shakes. I was very proud of the way my children were handling what they were hearing. For Katie, all of this probably wasn’t quite real. Alice was old enough to understand most of what was being said and followed the discussion very intently. I knew that she had many questions that she would ask me in a more private setting. Glancing at Alec, I was startled to realize just how much he looked and acted like his father. My little boy has become a young man. This realization brought a tear or two to my eyes. Nicole’s face was harder for me to read, as I did not know her very well. Outwardly, she seemed to be holding up okay. From the way she was fidgeting with her hands I was pretty sure she was more than a little alarmed by what was happening. Not that I blamed her in the least. She had suffered two devastating ordeals in less than six hours. When she turned and saw me looking at her, she managed a weak smile and quickly turned away. My heart went out to her once again. She was going to need all the love and support we could give her.

Harry’s comment about us being in a zoo brought my attention back to the discussion with a start. I could not have agreed with Hermione more. Harry’s suggestion was indeed too depressing to even contemplate. If it turned out to be true, we would all surely die from broken hearts. Suppressing a shiver, I tried to return the discussion to something more positive and fruitful.

“If Walt is right about this being some kind of test, or game, then what is the purpose of the test?” I said, trying to maintain as positive an attitude as possible.

“Thinking back over everything Kai and Nyssa said, I can’t remember anything that suggested we were being tested,” Madelyn replied. “Other than their comment about the end of our world. But if that is supposed to be a clue, then I have no idea what it means.”

“Madelyn, the end of the world comment doesn’t make any sense to me either,” Walt added.

“Unless of course, it is what is going to happen,” Harry said in gloomy voice. “Maybe that is why Kai and Nyssa brought us here. To preserve an example of wizardkind.”

“Harry, will you get off this bloody doom and gloom kick!” Hermione exclaimed, clearly annoyed with him. “Please! Our situation is depressing enough already. I would think you have had enough of that for one day.”

“Sorry,” Harry replied quietly and said nothing further. The look on Harry’s face told me that he really believed what he was saying. An image of my children squatting in a cage, behind steel bars, suddenly flashed through my mind and I felt nauseous for a moment.

“If the end of our world comment does not have anything to do with the reason we are being tested, then what does?” Sirius asked, bringing my attention back to the table. “Maybe there is something here in this cottage that will give us a clue as to what is going on.”

“When Walt and I looked around the main floor we didn’t spot anything out of the ordinary,” I said, after I was sure my stomach wasn’t going to turn itself inside out. “We found a good sized kitchen that was stocked with plenty of food, two single bedrooms and a full sized bathing room. The only thing we noticed that surprised us was that each bedroom had a name on a plaque beside the door. Evidently the bedrooms on this floor are meant for you and Minerva,” I said looking directly at Albus.

“That is not completely unexpected since all of our names were inscribed on the plaque outside the cottage,” Albus replied.

“We found that each of the bedrooms on the upper floor had names inscribed on them as well,” Madelyn said, glancing at Sirius, a worried look on her face. “There were a total of six bedrooms, two full bathing rooms, and a sitting room with a fireplace and a number of comfortable looking chairs. In the bedroom assigned to Sirius and me, we found that the chest-of-drawers and closet were full of clothes that looked to be the right size for us. Some of the clothes were definitely meant for cold weather, I might add.”

This announcement resulted in an eerie silence that lasted for several seconds before everyone started talking at once. Finally, Albus managed to restore order with his booming voice and commanding presence.

“I think we all need to take some time to get to know our new surroundings,” Albus said once everyone was silent. “This would seem to be the appropriate time to explore the cottage, both inside and out. Be on the lookout for anything that may give us a clue as to why we are here. Also, it would be wise not to wander too far from the cottage as we do not know anything about the forest that surrounds us.”

As soon as my girls left the table, they made a beeline for the stairs leading to the upper floor. I knew they were anxious to see where they were going to sleep and if any clothes were left for them. When I walked over to check on the twins, who were both sound asleep on the window-seat under the cottage’s main window, Madelyn followed me.

“Martha, we may have a small problem,” she said softly, glancing over her shoulder to where Harry and Hermione were standing. “The plaques on the bedroom doors have placed Harry and Alec in one room, with Hermione and Nicole in another. Alice and Katie have their own room as do you and Walt, and Ron and Gretchen. I hope this will not be a problem for you.”

“No, it won’t be for me. However, I’m quite sure Harry and Hermione won’t be too thrilled with this arrangement. Ever since we met you they have been inseparable.”

“Yes, I know. I blame myself for this mess. If I had not let them sleep next to each other at the outset of our quest, none of this would be a problem.”

“Madelyn, I highly doubt that is the case. Harry and Hermione are no less in love with each other than are Ron and Gretchen, and look how that has turned out.”

“That is what has me worried.”

“Worried? Worried how?

“Ron and Gretchen have a baby to show for their love. I don’t think the same thing would be a good idea for Harry and Hermione at this particular time in their lives.”

“I see what you mean, Madelyn. What did you have in mind?”

“If you and I talk with Hermione while Sirius and Walt talk with Harry, maybe we can get them to see this new sleeping arrangement is best for them in the long run.”

“All we can do is give it our best shot. As far as Alec and Nicole are concerned, I don’t think either of them will have a problem with this arrangement. If fact, Nicole seems to have taken quite a liking to Hermione. Maybe we can use that to convince Hermione that she will be helping Nicole when she needs help the most.”

“That’s a good idea,” Madelyn replied thoughtfully.

“You know forcing them to sleep in separate rooms won’t keep them from having sex if they decide they are ready for it. For all we know, then may have already become sexually active.”

“Yes, I know that too. Hopefully the talk Sirius and I had with Harry and Hermione will have sunk in and they will wait for a while longer. Right at this moment, my goal is to remove as much temptation as possible from their path. Allowing them to sleep in the same room by themselves and not have sex is asking far too much of them, especially for a couple of kids who are madly in love with each other.”

“Madelyn, they aren’t kids any more. If Harry turns out to be right about why we are here, then I don’t think we have the right to keep them apart.”

“I know they aren’t kids anymore, but they are still very young,” Madelyn replied, sighing heavily. “If it turns out that we are going to be here for the rest of our lives, then I would be the happy to see them married. Actually, I would be greatly relieved as I could stop worrying about them. But we are not going to know how long we will be here for some time, so for the time being we need to keep them from getting into something they are not ready for.”

“Walt and I will help in any way that we can,” I replied. What Harry and Hermione were ready for, or not ready for, was hard to tell. In truth, only they could decide what to do at this point in their lives. As much as I did not want to see either of them get hurt, I knew that they would follow their own course. That was what I did at their age. I suspected that part of Madelyn’s concern might have come from a traumatic experience she herself had suffered as a young woman and this was why she was being overly concerned with Hermione and Harry’s welfare. Our discussion with Harry and Hermione was going to be delicate so that we would not trigger their youthful defiance into high gear. If keeping Harry and Hermione from having sex too soon turned out to be our biggest problem, then we were going to go though much less pain and suffering than I suspected we would.

Gretchen interrupted our conversation when she walked over to where we were standing. She was carrying her baby, who was on the verge of crying.

“Martha, how often do newborns need to nurse,” Gretchen asked, as she rocked the child gently in her arms.

“About every two to three hours, but I wouldn’t wake her just to feed her. She will let you know, as she is doing right now, when she wants to be fed,” I replied, as I touched the baby’s cheek affectionately.

“Have you and Ron decided on a name yet?” Madelyn asked, smiling at the baby.

“We think we are going to name her Jessica, but Ron likes Melissa too. I prefer Jessica. I am just waiting for Ron to decide that he likes Jessica better than Melissa.”

“Good plan. Oh, by the way, Gretchen, there is a crib in your bedroom for the baby,” Madelyn said as we watched the baby look around at her surroundings. “There are two cribs in your bedroom,” she added glancing up at me.

“I see that there are several rocking chairs over by the fire,” I said as Gretchen’s baby started to put up a bigger fuss. “Perhaps this would be a good time to feed her.”

“I think you’re right,” Gretchen replied cheerfully and headed for one of the rocking chairs.

“Martha, why are you frowning at Gretchen?” Madelyn asked, interrupting my thoughts as I watched Gretchen pull one of the chairs closer to the fire.

“Oh, it’s nothing really. I was just feeling a little annoyed. Normally there is a certain amount of pain and suffering that we go through to get our little bundles of joy, but Gretchen didn’t have to endure that. I guess I’m just feeling a little jealous of how easy it was for her.”

“We really don’t know what she, or Ron for that matter, went through.”

“That’s true. We don’t know. As long as there are ten fingers and ten toes, everything is fine, or at least that’s what my mother used to say.”

“In that case, it looks as if everything is a-okay with Gretchen’s baby,” Madelyn said to me. “Why don’t we go upstairs and have a closer look at all the rooms?”

“Sounds like a good idea to me,” I answered. “If you will take Laurie, I will carry Lazarus. Let’s see how they like their new cribs.”