Chapter 3
Things seemed to change drastically almost overnight. The other houses were beginning to complain bitterly about Dumbledore being replaced by the ministry appointed Umbridge woman. Draco, Crabbe and Goyle seemed to be overjoyed. Malfoy was going out of his way to make the Gryffindor students suffer under him as a prefect. Tobias finally decided that he could not let what was going on in the rest of the school deter him from his quest for knowledge. He needed to unravel the mystery of the divining chest and soon. It was starting to eat him up that his preliminary investigation garnered very little information about the actual artifact. However, he was quite pleased with the help Hermione was able to offer on divining the source of the warding rune. After studying it carefully he determined that it was indeed one of Emeric the Evil's death runes. So, any false move on this thing would result in instant, unavoidable death. Something Tobias was not about to let happen to Gevin.
He wondered how Gevin was doing. He hoped that he was not in as much danger as his imagination supposed through the nightmares he had all night. He immediately got up and grabbed his wand. He cast a small curse on himself, causing him to break out in a multi-colored rash. He meandered on down to the infirmary and explained to Pomfrey how he accidentally drank one of his experiments from potions class. She went in to full on caregiver mode and gave him a vile tasting medicine to clear up the rash. She informed him it would take a day or two to go away, but that he would feel better soon. After a lengthy debate on where he was to spend those two days, she grudgingly agreed to let him rest in his own bed. Students seemed to be coming down with all sorts of maladies since Umbridge took over and she was completely exasperated by the whole thing.
Tobias thanked her and brought his excuse note around to all of his teachers. Snape was most displeased, but because Tobias was usually such an excellent student he kept the glaring to a minimum. He had succeeded in buying himself the time he needed to continue his research unhindered by his classes. He would have a terrible time catching up, but it would be worth it to get his research finished.
He practically ran down to the library and began pulling books off the shelf. In the process he ran into Hermione doing much the same thing, for different reasons. She looked at him.
"Umm, Tobias, you look awful."
"Don't worry. I'm not contagious. It'll pass by tomorrow."
"Okay, well I hope you're feeling better."
"Thanks. By the way, if you run across any information in your studying about Emeric, let me know."
Hermione agreed with a smile. She stopped briefly and turned back to Tobias.
"What exactly made you ask about Harry and me last night?"
"I'm a terribly curious person and I am running a series of tests to see how accurate my divination skills have become over the past couple of years."
"Wh..what are you saying? That you asked me because you had some kind of premonition?"
"Not exactly," he replied.
"Well, what exactly do you mean then?" she asked while biting her lip.
"I have had some divinations unfold about a number of different students here at Hogwarts and you were one of them. I am writing them down diligently to see how accurate they are."
"How accurate have you been?" she asked.
"So far? About eighty percent."
"Eighty?!" Hermione exclaimed. "That's fairly amazing."
"I guess. Mostly, it has been a curious exercise in measuring a divinator's accuracy. I hope to come up with my own scale to measure it on an across the board scale. Perhaps someday Trelawney will be teaching about the Tobias Scale of Divine Measurement. Of which, her score will not even show up on the graph."
Hermione let out a warm, throaty laugh.
"I like you Tobias. You've got a quick wit."
"Thanks," he responded modestly.
"So, what exactly did you see…"
"I'm sorry Hermione. I can't tell you. Part of the test relies on those involved being tested in the blind. If they were to 'know' the possible outcome, it could seriously skew there perception and actions."
"Which of course would completely ruin the findings," she responded. "I can respect that… I guess."
Hermione walked away with a very frustrated look on her face. Tobias felt bad, but was glad that she understood how important this test was to him. He once again turned back to searching for the elusive dark wizard who was around when Emeric the Evil was still alive. It was not going to be an easy one.
--- ---
Hagrid explained everything he saw to Dumbledore. Albus sat back in his chair and stroked his beard.
"Have you informed the other centaur's yet?" Dumbledore queried.
"They would not let me get near them, so I carried the body close as I could and left a note of explanation on it. I'm thinkin' they are going to need a bit o' time to work through this one," Hagrid said sadly.
"We'll give them a few days to mourn and we'll start all over again. I have a feeling we'll be needing there help sooner than we might think."
"Dumbledore?" Hagrid interjected. "What do ya think about what might of caused this?"
"Alas, dear Hagrid, I fear that our old enemy has enlisted the aid of the grendel hags in his cause. They could pose a serious threat to a lone wizard, and when they hunt in packs they are especially dangerous."
"Exactly how are they different from your average hag," Hagrid asked with sincere curiosity.
"Many of us thought they were an old Norwegian myth, but Voldemort proved it otherwise. The first troll ever written about in history was a fierce one called Grendel. Apparently, he took a few hags to be his wives. The children they bore were half-hag and half-troll. They are extremely dangerous and able to blend in to the regular population. They would move in to a town and one by one kill and eat every last one of them and then move on."
Hagrid gave that some thought, "I'll head down and have a talk with some of the other professors and see if we can't find a way to ferret these hags out and deal with them properly."
"Thank you Hagrid," Dumbledore said, "that will help take some of the load from me, so I can concentrate on what is to come. I fear that my time here at Hogwarts is fast coming to an end. Cornelius is not listening to reason and it is just a matter of time before Umbridge gets him to agree to sweep me under the rug as you might say."
Hagrid who was visibly upset could only reply, "I won't let ya down. You've always been a true friend to me and I intend to be the same ta you."
Dumbledore smiled warmly and said, "Thank you old friend."
--- ---
Elwyna woke up an hour before the sun rose and she was tense with anticipation. She could barely stand to wait the short time before she would see Gevin. She hoped fiercely that he was going to keep his promise and be there when she arrived. She decided this would be the last night she would leave his side. She was not going to allow anything to come between her and starting a new life somewhere far away from here with him. She was not completely sure it would be a relationship of love between them. She really was not clear on what love was exactly. On a deeper level she thought it might be nice to learn what love is with him. Maybe he knew enough about it to teach her how it find love and what to do with it once you had it.
She had already finished packing and had everything she could foresee needing. She even brought a few special things that her father kept at the house. She was not keen on using them, but if it came down to protecting herself or Gevin she would not hesitate to use whatever dark magic she had to. There were even about fifty galleons in case she needed to bribe someone on the spot. Yes, after careful consideration, she was as ready as was possible for the unknown.
"Finally!" she muttered.
The dawn had finally come and it was time to apparate just outside the inn where Gevin was staying. She pulled out her wand and after a moment of gut wrenching, she was standing right where he had held her last night. She could hear her heart beating again when she concentrated on it and it made her feel good. Gevin was not there. Apparently she had arrived first. She looked across the way at her father's store. Everything was intact and none of the alarms had sounded. Even if someone did break in, they could never get the safe open. Her father once confided in her that if it were not him or her trying to open it, then not even You-know-who could get it open. Her worries laid to rest, she returned to expectantly waiting for Gevin to make his appearance.
A long time had passed and witches and wizards began to fill up the street in bustling activity. Little of it honest, but bustling nevertheless. Elwyna could not believe that he would sleep in after sounding so urgent last night. Then a small worry cracked its way inside her thoughts. As each minute went by the worry grew more and more severe. What if he had already gone? What if he had left her behind?
She could not wait another minute. She stormed into the inn and asked the barkeep what room Gevin was in. He said top floor on the left. She ran up the two flights of wooden stairs and made a sharp left at the top. There was only one door on this side of the hall. The door was closed tight and there was no sign of anyone. She walked up to the door and stopped. She swallowed hard and brought her fist to the door and gently knocked.
"Gevin? Are you there?"
She knocked again.
"Gevin? Please be in there. Gevin??"
She knocked louder and longer this time.
"GEVIN!? Please open up. You're kind of scaring me."
She stepped back and pulled out her wand. She aimed it carefully just above the doorknob.
"ALOMOHORA!" she practically shrieked.
The door flew open and she ran in.
"GEVIN?! Where are you?!"
The first thing she saw was a body crumpled on the floor. It was covered in a dark gray cloak. There was blood everywhere. She ran over to it and lifted the cloak up. Whatever it was, it was dead. It also was not completely human. It had drastic teeth and gnarled talons instead of hands. She pushed at it with her foot and confirmed that it was not going to get back up, ever.
She turned around and the heart that had been beating so loudly in her ears, suddenly stopped. Her whole body froze in abject fear and panic. Her soul was chilled cold as ice. There lie Gevin on his bed, his body mangled and still.
"Oh Gevin," she cried out, "Gevin? It's me. Please wake up. Please. It's me. It's Elwyna. I came just like I promised."
She forced herself to walk towards him. She reached out and touched his arm. There was so much blood. He looked so strange. He looked empty.
"I'm here Gevin. I'm here to run away with you. I… I think I love you. I'm not completely sure what that means, but I must. I must."
Her voice was becoming hysterical with panic. She looked around desperately. There must be something. What could she do?
"Don't worry. I'll figure something out."
But, there was nothing to figure out. There was nothing to be done. Her chest hurt so badly. Her throat felt like it was closing up, choking her from air. She was just standing there, but as sure as if she were in the deepest ocean, she was drowning. Her mind simply stopped. She could no longer think, nor reason. Empty.
"Don't worry," Elwyna said breaking the silence in the room. "I'll be with you very soon. We'll run away together and never look back."
She drew out her wand and turned it on herself. There was no hesitation at all.
"AVADA KE…"
He moaned. Her wand dropped to the ground. She fell to her knees and scrambled towards him.
"GEVIN! GEVIN!! Don't worry, don't worry, don't worry," she whispered to him.
She laid her body over his and raised her wand again.
She quietly apparated them. A moment later she was lying just inside St. Mungo's Hospital, protectively covering Gevin's broken body.
She sprung up and ran to the desk.
"I need your help. Please, help him. He's dying. Please… I need him."
The woman behind the desk almost went into bureaucratic mode, but seeing the blood and the look on the young woman's face. She said, wait just a moment. I'll have someone apparate down to see you right away.
A wizard did come down and see her. Almost immediately they transported Gevin to the first floor. All Elwyna could do is wait. She was escorted up to the tea room on the fifth floor. She sat and drank tea, pretending that she was still sane.
She waited.
She spent a lot of time pacing back and forth and then back again. She had paced so much that her legs began to burn from the exertion.
She waited.
She stared at a clock that actually showed the time. She stared so hard that it seemed each second took hours to go by.
She waited.
She sang a song that came out of nowhere. She thought it was a song her mother sang to her when she was very small, but she was not really sure.
She waited.
She felt herself slowly dying inside. A kind old wizard had come out and said that they were not sure if they could save him.
She waited.
An entire day had passed. She stopped eating.
She waited.
She found a small broom closet and went inside and closed the door. She screamed as loud as she could. She screamed so loud that she tore a muscle in the back of her throat. She just kept on screaming.
She waited.
Another day.
Then, a young wizard knocked on the door and slowly opened it. She had screamed so long that she had no voice left. He took her by the hand and apparated her to a small, beautiful room. The curtains were white and there were small flowers set in a small vase. The window was open and there was a light breeze. Gevin was lying on a soft bed. He looked so serene.
"He's asleep right now, but he's going to pull through. You can wait here if you'd like, so he will have a friendly face to wake to. I didn't think he would survive, but somehow he did."
After the last sentence the wizard left her alone in the room with Gevin. She was past all normal emotion. She felt that she was not the same person anymore. After this time no one ever used the name Elwyna again.
Ellie silently crossed the room to his side. She pulled up a little whicker chair next to the bed. She knelt on the chair beside him and rested her head on his chest. Then she cried and she kept crying. Tears flowed down her face. They splashed onto him and the bed. Her whole body shook. Her arms embraced him.
"Thank you for staying with me," she wept. "I love you."
She cried until everything that ever hurt inside of her was gone. After an eternity came and went. His eyes opened. She quickly sat up.
In a very hoarse voice she comforted him, "I'm right here Gevin. It's me Ellie."
He smiled at her, raised his hand and touched her shoulder. He tried to stay awake longer, but his body was still very weak. His hand slid down and he closed his eyes. She pressed her face into his chest. She could hardly keep her eyes open any longer either. She had not slept for such a long time. So, she fell asleep right where she was. The only thing she could hear was her heartbeat and it was almost deafening.
--- ---
A haggard looking man sat at a table in a dank, muggle pub. He had been waiting for quite awhile now, but the wait was over. Another man wrapped in a black cloak entered the establishment and immediately came over and sat across from the first.
"He-who-must-not-be-named must have discovered that Gevin was hiding the chest somewhere. He was attacked last night. I just got word from a young spy we have at St. Mungos that he pulled through. That grendel hag just about did him in."
The dark figure listened carefully to the first man's account.
"It shows that he is very strong to be able to take one on by himself and still be around to talk about it. I am still convinced that he will be of great value to us," the cloaked man replied.
"Aye, it's true he did indeed. The girl might cause a problem though."
"No, she will be the catalyst that will start the chain of events. We need her alive for the time being."
The haggard man thought for a moment, "What about the boy at Hogwarts?"
"As soon as he discovers how to break the rune, then kill him. We cannot risk him talking to Dumbledore."
"Alright then. I'll set things in motion. Anything else?" the first man declared.
"Yes, it is time to gather our loyal together. It has been too long since The Circle Of Emeric has convened. We must plan our next move. The Dark Lord has set his plan in motion already. He has many eyes and ears at the ministry and that leaves us at a disadvantage. Rumor has it that the Order of the Phoenix has started meeting again. We must take advantage of the confusion that will occur when those two openly clash. With Dumbledore and Harry Potter spending all of their focus and energy fighting the death-eaters, we will be able to bide our time. In the end only we will be left standing. When that time comes we will take our place as absolute rulers of the wizard and muggle world. The world has not known true, blind fear up until now. We will teach them and we will teach them well."
The haggard man's face lit up at these words. His reply was short and direct.
"I will summon the Circle together. The next new moon will be in four days. That night the new regime of darkness will rise."
--- ---
Harry Potter awoke with a start. His scar was pestered by a dull throbbing. Voldemort must have been upset about something. That at least made the pain more bearable. Anytime Voldemort was not happy was a time that things were probably going their way.
He decided that he needed to talk to Ron and Hermione. It was getting harder and harder for him to control his temper. It was not that he wanted to be mad at everyone and everything. It was just the pressing weight of what was coming. He knew the Order of the Phoenix was doing everything they could, but it made him feel claustrophobic not being able to 'do' anything himself. The one thing he could look forward to was the D.A. meetings. Not that he felt that Dumbledore's Army was really going to accomplish important things in the near future. It was more the fact that everyone seemed to feel more empowered. Not to mention that anything that would upset Umbridge brought a degree of satisfaction to Harry. He rubbed the back of his hand while he thought about that. When he thought about those detentions, he could almost feel the pain again.
He could not wait until he could talk to Sirius again. He was worried about him for more reason than one. It also made him feel better and gave his courage a boost whenever they could talk through things that were bothering Harry. Harry told himself that he needed to thank Hermione. She had been there a lot for him lately and he really had not shown any gratefulness to her. Most likely the opposite; he had been using her as an emotional punching bag. He cringed at some of the things he had said to her this year.
Harry had cleaned up and gotten dressed. He came down the stairs and through the portrait of the Fat Lady. There in the common room was Miss Granger herself. She was sitting quietly on one of the chairs. Her face looked so serious.
"Hi Hermione"
"Oh Hi Harry," she said in a somewhat strained voice, that sounded a bit too eager.
"Alright, what's wrong?"
"You mean besides You-know-who trying to kill you, Umbridge running the school like a deranged mad-woman, being behind in my studies, and worrying about the next D.A. meeting? Nothing at all. Why do you ask?"
Harry laughed. He sat down beside her and gave her his best smile to try and cheer her up.
"Harry do you know Tobias Beldower?"
"Hmmm… really doesn't ring a bell. What house is he in?"
"Well, he's kind of a Slytherin."
"Where do I begin with that statement? How can you be only kind of a Slytherin, and second why on earth would I want to know 'any' kind of Slytherin?"
"He's not like that though. He seems pretty nice. He's also very smart, maybe as smart as I am."
"Wow! That's quite the compliment, coming from you Hermione"
"If you get a chance, I want you to sit down and talk to him. Get to know him and let me know what you think of him."
"I," he paused, "…of course I will. I'll give it a try as soon as I see him."
"Thanks, Harry! You're the best," she beamed at him.
With that she jumped up and left the common room. She apparently had somewhere to go, he thought. Harry sat there for a moment and then pulled himself out of the chair and headed out as well. As he was walking down the large hallway, it suddenly hit him.
"Hermione just asked me to sit down and get to know a Slytherin student better. That's kind of an odd thing, don't you think?" he wondered out loud. "Hey, why not? Things couldn't get any weirder this year, even if they tried."