Chapter 27
They found themselves in the town of Slantos the following weekend. Luckily for them they didn't have to hike the mountain trail that led to Eagle's Canyon. Harry's and Emrys' power of leaping were a blessing for all of them, especially for Hermione who was terrified of heights.
Others trained for the dueling match in which the points will be added to the house points with the highest receiving the house cup at the end of the year. The other students' excitement showed on their faces wherever they went. They knew they each had a chance to give glory to their house. Little do they know, however, that getting the glory they seek was in the hand of one of the seven - most obviously Harry himself. Even the other six knew they were no match for Harry.
When they arrived at the gate, at first the guards did not recognize Emrys at first and readied to defend their gate as if the teens were dangerous intruders. Emrys tried to explain that he and the master bread maker, Pluton, became fast friends during his last visit, but the guards did not believe him. They took their jobs very seriously and the one rule they could not break; protect the village and its secrets at all cost. Then the little boy, Galwy that Emrys once saved from a goblin appeared at the entrance and ordered the guards to let the teens pass. Harry and the others were relieved to be sure.
Upon entering the village, the teens spotted the fountain in the middle that emitted dough instead of water. Pluton recognized Emrys immediately but became wary when he saw that he and Rhia were not alone.
"Greetings old friend," Emrys called out when he saw him. He noticed that Pluton stared at seven untrustingly. "Allow me to introduce you to my friends, Harry, Hermione, Ron, Lavender, Draco, Ginny and Neville. They've come from a very far away place to learn the art of bread making from you. Do not worry my friend. They will not take anything from you or your village that is not freely given."
Pluton shook their hands; however, still had reservations about their visitors. "Well, then. I am quite busy, but you may observe and ask questions while I work."
He brought them inside the building where he guided them to a table and actually gave them tasks. He had them cut the seeds, one of the ingredients in the Slantos heart bread: it fills one's heart with courage when eaten. They also made Ambrosia bread and other types of breads whose recipes were well kept from the public.
He let them help with the milling and sifting and other tasks unrelated to knowing the recipes of bread made at Slantos.
"I feel as if I'm in Snapes potions class with all preparation," Neville commented.
"Well, I'd say he's a bit friendlier than Snape, don't you think?" Hermione answered him.
"Yes, I suppose you're right. What do you suppose bread making has to do with naming?" Ginny asked from Hermione's left.
"I'm not really sure," she answered. Lavender, Ron and Neville looked thoughtful for a moment, and then shrugged their shoulders to let the others know they had no idea as well.
Emrys and Rhia chatted away with Pluton as Harry observed them all while performing his task. Neville looked immersed in studying the little seeds he was cutting. Hermione too was concentrating on perfecting her seed cutting skill as were the others.
"You know, we call Emrys by his given name, but he is known to many as Merlin. You can say he is polyonymous, right?" Harry mentioned.
"What are you trying to get at Harry?" asked Hermione.
"Well, we're here to learn about naming, but so far we've just been shown how to make the bread. Maybe the task is not so much to learn to make the breads, but to learn what exactly goes into the breads."
Pluton upon hearing this became concerned, "Are you here then to try to steal the recipes for our breads?"
"No sir, merely trying to connect our task to the art of bread making," Harry assured him. He knew he could take what he wanted from them at any time, but he knew that if he took something by force he would not be any different from Voldemort and that taking something doesn't guarantee the learning of the lesson of naming. "We have to learn the lesson of naming, at least one of us. I assure you if we wanted to take anything from your village by force we would have done so."
Pluton stared at Harry. His brows furrowed as if in deep thought trying to determine if Harry spoke the truth. What he saw inside Harry almost scared him to death. He'd never witnessed such powers before, not even when he'd looked at Tuatha face to face. Although he knew that Merlin would be more powerful than Tuatha, the teen before him would prove to be a force not to be reckoned with. "Well, then I believe you should continue with your tasks in bread making." He smiled and thanked the gods he didn't squeak out the words. Pluton left them was they were.
"That was strange." Ron blurted.
"Back to what you were saying, Harry." Neville
"I was saying that Merlin, who is also called Emrys told me once that those are not his true name. He felt as though they really did not fit him somehow. He said that his true name was something else, but he wouldn't tell me. He told me it was not to be said aloud, but only for him to know in his heart alone."
"You're only now telling us?" Hermione asked with a hint of sarcasm.
"Sorry, I didn't think it was relevant."
"Harry, this song is about naming, remember." Ginny politely pointed out.
"Oh, go on. Leave him be. You all know he has more than enough things on his mind," this coming from Ron. All six turned to look at him incredulously. Harry was a bit surprised that Ron who was known to think mostly of himself and would like a crack at ribbing Harry was in fact defending him. He had never questioned his loyalty when it came to his defense from others apart from the seven of them, but defending him against the others was a bit new.
Harry flashed Ron a sheepish grin that Ron returned whole heartedly.
"Anyway, back to the matter at hand. We are cutting seeds and milling barley, rye and whatever else he'd having us do for what?" Draco put in impatiently.
"I think that's what we're supposed to figure out," Lavender countered. "So, would you all please stop blabbing so much so we can get back to work? I find the art of bread making quite relaxing. It's a far cry from Snape's potions class."
The six turned to her quite surprised. They'd never heard Lavender ever enjoying anything close to being a domestic task. "What?" she asked. Ron kissed her on the forehead to let her know she meant well and that side of her was appealing to him, especially if she'd learn to make bread and other scrumptious meals.
As they continued on mulling over the meaning of the art of naming with bread making, the hours passed quickly. Then as if out of the blue Neville practically squealed in delight. He'd been studying the different type of seeds he'd been cutting. He studied hundreds of different plants as well as the seeds they come from. He'd been turning it over and over again in his head where he'd seen the seeds and what they were called. As if a light bulb was lit in his head he'd remembered.
"What is it?" asked Hermione curiously.
Others already quickly gathered including Pluton who'd been watching them all warily with fear.
"I think I know the lesson of naming. We've been cutting all these seeds right?"
"Er, yes," answered Hermione.
"Well, don't you see? The seeds if you look at the botany books always have some type of Latin based name and a name that can be easily pronounced. Each seed also has a true name. Here at Slantos, they learn the true names of each and every ingredient before they can use them. By knowing the true names of the each ingredient, they hold the power within the seeds and entwine them within their breads because a true name holds the true power."
With that the earth started to rumble. They didn't understand what was going on. As far as they knew, Hermione already had the earthen powers. They knew it could not be repeated during the search for the songs. They knew Harry had been endowed with the gift, which caused confusion. No one else was to mimic another's power, but the rumblings were telling them otherwise.
They hurried outside to see what was going on. Nevilled who'd been anxious about the whole revelation watched in amazement knowing that he was the cause of the commotion. Harry looked at him in question, but he knew that Neville had no idea what it was that was rumbling beneath the earth.
All of the sudden, like a tea kettle with boiling water, a small crack became fountain of flowing clear water. The children ran around the water splashing about and muddying up their clothes and those around them. The parents tried to gather them to no avail. The children were having themselves a great time.
Pluton looked at the seven with fear surmounting within him. He regretted letting them in and working to learn about the art of bread making. He looked at Emrys for reassurances and found none. Emrys was busy enjoying the clear water falling freely on him as well as the children.
"Neville, calm down before you flood this place!" Harry exclaimed.
"Sorry," Neville stuttered. He focused his nervous energies elsewhere and slowly the water returned to the ground. After a few minutes only the crack in the earth remained as well as a very muddy ground and people.
Harry apologized to Pluton for the mess and assured him that they will clean the mess up. The seven went to work cleaning up the children one by one. At first the people were a bit frightened to get near the teens until Emrys and Rhia stepped forward to be cleaned by them.
"Scourgify!" Harry directed his hand towards them and cleaned their clothing and their persons instantly. No traces of mud remained. Pluton looked on with amazement at the power they displayed. He would never forget that day as long as he lived.
A/N: Well there you have it. The fourth song, not as difficult as the other three, but I wanted to speed things along. Thank you for your wonderful reviews. I truly appreciate them.