Chapter 16
Professor Midrigge quietly snuck out of the castle. She stared beyond the darkened grounds, barely lit by her wand. She decided not to use the Whomping Willow this time, so she headed towards Hagrid's hut. She went around the paddock in the back of the hut. Ophielus counted down 5 trees and knelt by a bush. She pushed it aside and came upon a hole. It was dark and there was a wooden ladder leading down. She grabbed the ladder rungs and made her way down. This would be the way Voldemort would use to take over Hogwarts. Dumbledore knew where the Whomping Willow tunnel led to, and would have it guarded after he talked with the Ministry. Professor Midrigge's feet touched solid ground. She then walked down the path which led to a secret trap door in a far corner of Voldemort's lunar room. She was very concentrated on finding her way into the palace, her powers did not read the four people sneaking into the Whomping Willow, yards above…
"Where are they?" Voldemort hissed.
"I--- I told them to come, Master!" Wormtail said. "I don't know why they're not here yet."
"All right then. They should be here soon. Just long enough for me to go over my plans with them. Then…. You will leave me alone for the rest of the night. The third floor is off limits to you tonight. Same goes for the screen room and the lunar room. Only I am allowed in there.
"Yes Master." The basement door swung open. Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and Nellie hurried in the room.
"Ah! My pets!" Voldemort said. Everyone's nose twitched. Voldemort had put on too much cologne.
"Come into the drawing room." He ushered them into the parlor. Voldemort had laid down a map of Hogwarts.
"I have called you all here to discuss my break-in plans."
"Really Master?" Malfoy's blue eyes lit up evilly.
"Yes, Young Malfoy. See here? This is Dumbledore's office. I am confident that the Whomping Willow will be guarded after Dumbledore visits the Ministry."
"Duh. How do you know what?" Goyle asked.
"Because, foolish boy, a… little ray of sunshine in my life told me so." Voldemort went red. The young boy death eaters stared at Nellie who glared at them.
"And thus, I will have some of my henchmen stall Dumbledore and enter the school Christmas night. I will stay there and make more preparations. The dementors and the other Death Eaters will come and we will have a meeting in the Great Hall. The doors will be magically sealed. No one except those at the meeting and those helping me into the castle, will know of this. Now, I will enter from---"
"Tom! Tom! Where are you?" called a feminine voice from the entrance hall.
"Damn you woman!" Voldemort said. "You stay here or die." Voldemort threatened. Nellie and the others sat stock still on the couch in the drawing room.
"How did you get in here?" they heard Voldemort hiss.
"Aw. You mean you're not happy to see me?"
"Of course I'm happy to see you. But I am busy at the moment! I just wasn't expecting you until later." Voldemort's voice raised. "Wormtail!" he roared. Wormtail came shuffling in. They could hear his shuffling steps.
"Yes, Master?"
"Take care of the lady while I finish."
"Yes, Master." Wormtail said. Voldemort came back in the room.
"Now." He said haughtily as he sat down. He pointed to a black line that was drawn in. It lead into Professor Midrigge's office.
"I will come in here. You will meet me here." He pointed to the entrance to the Charms corridor. "We will continue to the Headmaster's office and then commence to the Great Hall later. Understand?"
"Yes Master." They said in unison.
"Good. Now go out the back way." Voldemort stood up and watched them go. Nellie was positive that was Professor Midrigge's voice she had heard, but knew that it was not so. Malfoy and the others left the palace.
Voldemort went into the second story sitting room and collected Professor Midrigge. He pointed his wand at Wormtail in a threatening manner. Wormtail's gaze fell off Ophielus and he wiped the drool from his mouth. He led her up the stairs to the third floor.
"How did you get in here?" Voldemort asked.
"I have my ways." She said. Voldemort led her into a room which he had commanded be furnished. There were several rooms in the palace unfurnished. They either contained beds or chairs, tables, and books. The room was brightly lit by white torches on the walls. The walls were a pale yellow color and the white carpet was very soft. A dresser stood off to one side, a changing table to the other. Ophielus was quite surprised that Voldemort had the nerve to go baby shopping. Two cribs were on either side of the room.
"Whatever is this for Tom?" she asked.
"It is my next greatest plan! I can put my own powers to work now! Can you see it dear? When I leave this world, I will have two heirs to take over my position of evil Lord of the Wizarding World!!!!" He raised his hands up to the ceiling.
"If that Potter gets the best of me again and once and for all, which shall not happen, I need not worry if it turns to its worst. I will have my heirs." He rubbed his hands greedily together.
"Two?" Ophielus asked.
"An heir and a spare." He hissed.
"Who's going to bear them?" Midrigge crossed her arms and glared at Voldemort.
`If he wants me to, he's got another thing coming.' She thought.
"Oh my dear.. Dear, dear, dear." Voldemort shook his head and gathered Ophielus in a hug. He stroked her hair.
"Not just you. Do not worry. I have a plan for the other." Professor Midrigge did not like the way he said that. He was a sick minded man. But Wormtail was worse. Midrigge tried to sense his thoughts, but he was clever enough to think of something else and drive the name of the other person far to the back of his mind.
"Come." He said, taking her hand and leading her out of the room.
Ron woke up in the cabin on the musty old mattress, next to Leila. He had figured a better way to get dressed in the morning. Ron never knew that you could use magic when you were a werewolf. But sure enough, with the wand clenched gently between his teeth, he repaired his clothes. They lay next to him on the floor. He quietly got dressed. Frost had gathered on the windows and the floor was cold. He stayed huddled under the sheets for warmth. Thor seemed to be waking up also. He mumbled and turned over a few times. Ron was warm enough now, so he decided to start a fire in the fireplace. He gathered some wood from the pile by the stove and used his wand to ignite them. Ron warmed his hands and stood up. What should he do? He was off of school for two more days. Then he had to be excused from Astronomy since that class was at night. He had freedom. But there was hardly anything to do in the forest. Leila stirred as the fire popped. Maybe Leila would take him on a tour of the forest while it was still light enough. Lupin was awake now. He slept with his wand under his pillow and summoned his clothes. He dressed and said `good morning' to Ron. Ron helped him with breakfast. Ron had never made pancakes before, but he caught on. He fried the bacon since he was better at that. Thor got up, dressed, and set the table. Leila was, of course, the last to get up.
"Bloody hell! It's FREEZING in here!!!!"
"Get your clothes on then." Lupin said, flipping the pancakes.
"Well…" Leila said, getting an attitude. "Maybe I could get ready if you gave me some PRIVACY!!!" Thor reluctantly left. Lupin paused, thinking about the pancakes. Ron headed to the door.
"You can stay." Leila said to him. Lupin rolled his eyes and waited outside. Ron busied himself with testing the pancakes while Leila got dressed. She didn't tell Lupin and Thor to come in.
"Morning." She said to him.
"Morning." He returned.
"What do you want to do today?" Leila asked.
"I was thinking about asking the same thing." They smiled at each other.
"I want to visit my fairy friends. Want to come?"
"Would I ever!!! Except I don't like Cornish Pixies much. I don't know if they live in the forest. Had a bad experience with them in my second year." Ron said.
"No. Only the fairies, Scottish Sirens, Unicorns, and the centaurs are the ones usually out in the daytime. The pixies like to come out during sunset and the mid morning. And the gnomes and everything else roams around at night." Lupin knocked on the door.
"Are you done?" he called.
"You can come in." she called back. They ate their breakfast in silence. Lupin went out to the small garage and brought back two archery sets.
"We need to get something for dinner." Lupin said. "You're free to do anything you want." He slung the pack of arrows over his shoulder.
"But mind you use protection!" Thor piped up. He and Lupin laughed and bundled up some of the deli meat for their lunch.
"And NO using the car." Lupin warned.
"We won't." Leila said. "We're going to talk to Kendra."
"Sure…" Thor said. He and Lupin laughed again and they left. Leila turned to Ron after their footsteps died away.
"Get your cloak and we'll go."
They left the cabin and headed past the garage.
"Who's Kendra?" Ron asked.
"She's the head Fairy." Leila explained. "She knows all about the forest. The fairies really didn't accept me at first, but then they knew I was harmless and would be the same after I changed because of the potion."
"Ah.." Ron said. Something reached Ron's ear. It sounded like a tiny harp being played, followed by someone laughing.
"That's them." Leila hurried ahead.
"Hi LeilA!!!! HoW ArE YoU?" A fairy spoke in a high pitched helium like voice.
"Very good, Maash. How are you?"
"SplendiD!" Leila came and fetched Ron. Ron stared at the fairies. The fairies stared at him. They were bigger than the fairies that had adorned the school at holiday times. They were prettier and almost the size of a small human.
"Ooooh! A BOY!!!!" Squealed a fairy and they were all over him. They grabbed his sleeves and dragged him over to a rock to sit on. They hovered beside him, blushing and giggling.
"I never knew fairies were this big!" Ron whispered to Leila.
"Well. They're Mountain Fairies. Mountain trolls are larger than other trolls, so there you are." Leila said. She turned to one of the fairies, stroking Ron's hair.
"Jewilissa, where's Kendra?" Leila asked.
"I don't know"
"She went to the Hidden Valley!" spoke up another fairy.
"There's a hidden valley here?" Ron asked.
"Oh yes, sir! There is! The grandest, greenest valley! You must travel in a cave in order to get to it. That's where the Unicorns sometimes graze." Spoke up Jewilissa.
"Yes! The Unicorns are very beautiful!!! The most beautiful in all the land!" echoed the other fairies in unison.
"And the Unicorns are very much in distress!" spoke a voice, though not as high pitched.
"Kendra!" Leila cried. An old fairy came floating over to Leila.
"Good morning, Leila." She saw Ron and all the fairies about him.
"Well! It's been quite a while since I've seen another male around these parts!" Kendra said to Ron.
"This is Ron." Leila introduced. Kendra nodded to Ron.
"Leila. Could you come with Haze, Siue, and I to the valley?"
"Yes! I should be delighted to come and help. What is wrong with the Unicorns?"
"It's foaling time for the Unicorns. The Unicorns fear for one of their mares." Kendra exclaimed. The fairies gasped and began to cry nosily.
"WaaaaaaaaaH!" Maash cried. "ThE UnicorN WilL DiE!!!!" The fairies cried harder and clung to Ron who very abashed and didn't know what to do.
"Can Ron come? He can stay a distance from the Unicorns." Leila begged. Kendra looked Ron over and at the fairies clinging and crying on Ron.
"Yes. He may come. Haze, Siue?" Two fairies glided over and nodded to Kendra.
"We have our medicines." The one fairy named Haze said, indicating the pouches they held.
"Good." Ron detached himself from the fairies and followed after Leila and the fairies.
"WaaaaaaaaaH! He Won'T ComE BacK, I BeT!!!!" Maash said which set all the other fairies off again.
Sure enough, there was cave hidden by a rock. Kendra pushed it aside easily and they passed through. Water dripped from the cave ceiling. Sunlight shone into the cave and they came upon the opening to the valley. Ron had never seen such a place. The valley was deep and a bright green, with trees littering the sides. Leila and the fairies began to walk into the valley.
"You can stay around here." Leila told Ron, waving her hand at a spot in the valley dip, a good distance away from the Unicorns. Ron sat down on the grass. The valley was littered with little gold Unicorn foals and silver teens. The white females were gathered in a circle. Ron could see some male Unicorns hidden among the trees. Two golden foals ran up to him and wagged their short little tails. They sniffed at him in interest. One foal sneezed and galloped back down the hill, the other close on his heels.
Leila and the fairies slowly approached the Unicorns. In the middle of the circle of Unicorns was a sad looking Unicorn. She stared at Leila. She snorted and tossed her head, the horn flashing in the sun.
"It's all right. She's here to help." Kendra told the Unicorns, who broke the circle in order to let them all near the Unicorn. Kendra was able to tell what was wrong with the Unicorn.
"All her foals have been still-born. This one will get through, but painfully." Kendra said. Siue gave Kendra one of the medicine bags and opened it. She shook some silvery powder on the Unicorn's horn.
"This will ease the pain." Then they sat and waited. Suddenly, all the Unicorns gathered around bolted for the trees. Mother's whinnied to their foals.
"It's come." Kendra said. Ron wondered why the Unicorns had bolted. But he soon heard Leila gasp.
"Oh my! I can't be true!" she cried. She ran up the hill to Ron.
"What? What is it?"
"That baby Unicorn! You know how they are born bronze, turn gold and then so on?"
"Yes?"
"Well…. It's black."
"WHAT?" asked Ron, very surprised. He didn't know black Unicorns existed.
"Yes. It's black. That means that its an evil Unicorn! It was born during the reign of You-Know-Who!!! The first! This is bad Ron. This is bad. If You-Know-Who gets a hold of this black Unicorn, there's no telling what he could do!!!"
Note: Yay! Sorry not much happens in this chapter. Oh well. More coming soon with Chapter 17…
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