** Brace yourselves - we step into hell. I have a brief foreshadowing followed by a lot of desperation. **
"Tadra! Tadra! Wake up this is your day, or have your forgotten?" a twelve-year-old Bedouin boy ran excitedly into his older sister's tent quarters. "Get up! We have gifts for your birthday." He bent down and did a roll coming to a stop next to Tadra.
"I am most certainly awake now, little brother," she said teasingly with sleep still thick in her voice.
"Azizi, let our sister wake up and get dressed as she wishes. Tadra may sleep as late as she sees fit today. It is her sixteenth birthday and will only come once in her life."
Azizi looked quizzically at Naheem. Naheem was three years older than Tadra.
"Only once? . . . but. Oh, I see. Yes, very funny Naheem." Azizi pulled Tadra's pillow out from under her head and tossed it at Naheem who caught it easily.
"Azizi! I was using that." Tadra retaliated by tickling him, making him laugh and beg her to stop. Satisfied she had made Azizi beg sufficiently, she gave Naheem a look he caught immediately.
"Azizi, go on. Tell father Tadra will be along soon." Azizi sped out of the tent as his brother said, "And we will have breakfast before gifts as you well know." Azizi's whine trailed off in the distance as he went.
"Is something wrong Tadra?"
"I had the dream again," she said with furrowed brow.
"What? The one with the desert on fire again? You know the desert sand cannot burst into flame all on its own unless maybe a Gandren has surfaced to glaze its trap." Naheem responded to his sister in a lighthearted manner. He knew his sister had a recurring dream ever since she had been very little. It wasn't every night but it seemed not a month would pass that she did not have the same dream. It was a matter that concerned their father and Tadra's two older half-brothers very much. They hid their concern well from Azizi. Tadra and Azizi's mother had died in the desert after having a recurring dream of ice. The poison of the Giant Scorpion makes the victim feel as though they are freezing just before death, a death which is inevitable. No truth-sayer, dream interpreter, or one gifted with foresight, was ever able to help with the meaning of Tadra's dream. And their father, Stronan Beladasan, had sought the best in the wizarding world on the matter.
"Yes, but it was different this time. The flame spoke to me. It said, 'Choose. Choose the correct path, or the easy path'."
"You know this dream has never had any meaning Tadra. Do not let this spoil the day you come of age."
"Come of age. Most in our world do not come of age until their seventeenth birthday."
"But life is hard, and often short, living in the desert near Jaharu. Please Tadra, do not say anything to our father about this dream today. It is your day and we have all looked forward to it."
Tadra smiled reassuringly. "No, I will not speak of it unless it happens again. Will Khalfani be here?"
"Yes, our eldest brother will be here by the time you are ready. He is expected to arrive on carpet in time for breakfast."
Naheem left, not showing his concern until he had turned away.
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For her birthday she wanted to wear something of her favorite color. Tadra left her tent dressed in fine desert robes of dazzling white and deep yellow. She looked forward to breakfast this morning with her family. Family was important to her. She also looked forward to seeing Khalfani. Khalfani was one day destined to lead in their father's place and had spent little time with them these past six years. She envied Khalfani traveling abroad. She herself had traveled no further than the Magusa at Cairo.
Tadra remembered her first trip to the Magusa and the Brass Lamp and smiled as she walked. She had only been six years old and was amazed at the genie hovering out the spout of the charmed lamp. Khalfani and Naheem had teased her that the genie would scoop her up and take her inside the lamp. But just as she started to believe them and look scared they both took up mock defensive positions as if to protect her from the genie. To look more convincing Khalfani had drawn out his wand, which brought a quick rebuke from her mother. She remembered clearly the image of her mother holding two year old Azizi and suggesting Khalfani act more his age. 'Khalfani would have been fourteen at the time,' she thought to herself. 'And mother was gone a mere two years later.'
Tadra stopped and sighed. She looked out over the desert that was so familiar to her. It was the desert she had grown up with, and had come to love even with all of its dangers. It was part of her and her people, the magical Bedouin people, who had lived in the desert for millennia.
"I would like to see more of the world," she said to no one.
'Maybe if I am married I will travel with my husband,' she thought. 'Yes, a wife can persuade her husband to do many things.' Tadra gave herself a half-grin at this thought.
Several months ago, she had overheard her father talking with a neighboring leader, Chatha Sigeal, about an arranged marriage to his son Typhon. Tadra knew who Typhon was. He would be twenty years old now. She thought he was cute and would not make a bad husband but wondered what it would be like, to fall in love before marriage.
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"Now that we are finished with breakfast, amid Azizi's constant encouragement." Everyone laughed at their father's suggestion Azizi had been encouraging when he had in fact badgered everyone to hurry up. Tadra wondered who was more excited, herself or Azizi.
Azizi took off quickly to retrieve what Tadra suspected was her birthday gift.
"Formalities first Azizi." Stronan motioned him to come back. Azizi whined again and everyone laughed.
"Tadra, my daughter, this is the day you come of age. Your mother would be proud of you, as I am." He paused briefly after a slight quaver in his voice. The loss of not just one wife but two weighed heavy on his heart at a moment when Tadra's mother should have been there to share her day.
"More fair than any desert flower you are the living image of your mother and it is only fitting that you have her marriage bond." Stronan held up a bronze medallion on a gold chain. On one side of the medallion was the symbol of the Beladasan's, caretakers of the desert, etched sand dunes as viewed through coarse netting. On the other was a flying falcon, her mother's symbol. Stronan placed the medallion around Tadra's neck. He took out his wand, an ornate silver rod, and tapped the medallion. Immediately it turned silver in color and the image of the falcon disappeared leaving only the symbol of the Beladasan.
Tadra hugged her father and her brothers.
"Now father?" Azizi asked.
"Yes, now," Stronan laughed along with the rest.
Azizi returned with a carpet and unrolled it before Tadra. The carpet was beautifully woven in mosaic patterns in varying shades of color from a deep royal blue, blood red, and majestic purple, to a light rose pink, sprinkled with brilliant white, all inlayed with gold thread and trimmed on the ends with gold tassels. It was a work of art by any carpet weaver's standards.
"It's beautiful!" Tadra said in awe.
"We all charmed it Tadra, including me." Azizi gave his biggest smile. "Father helped me do it and the charm is permanent."
"It is the most beautiful carpet I have ever seen." Tadra knelt down and stroked the surface. The ends of the carpet curled up as a puppy might stiffen when scratched behind the ears. "May I ride it father?" A quick nod from her father and she leapt onto the carpet, tossed her head scarf aside and tied her hair back in one fluid motion and off she sailed into the morning desert sky.
"Always, her heart sings when she flies," said Naheem.
"Like her mother," said Stronan, reminiscent.
"When will our sister return from testing her new carpet?" Azizi asked looking intently in the sky watching
Tadra do a myriad of breathtaking maneuvers on her flying carpet.
"Patience Azizi." Khalfani tugged Azizi's headdress and mussed his hair. "Our sister shall soon return and you will be the first she takes up on her new carpet." Azizi quickly corrected his headdress without complaint. He was too busy watching Tadra flying her carpet to be annoyed with his eldest brother.
~
"Harry!" Hermione shouted.
Harry jerked awake with a start. He looked at Hermione sleeping fitfully next to him, Ron on the other side of her. He had only heard the shout in his mind. He looked around. Nothing but sand dunes as far as the eye could see. The sky was in the transitional phase of morning when half the night sky is washed with the glow of the rising sun, the other half still showing stars. Harry noted the waning moon low in the west clearly showing between the dunes. The air was chilly but within hours, it would be unbearably hot.
It was Hermione's shout of warning which was the start of their fight for survival. This would be the dawn of their second day in the Jaharu desert, one of the few places on the planet where magic did not work.
They had stopped here, in the hallow between dunes, a few hours before. Or maybe it had only been a few minutes. His sense of time was distorted from exhaustion. Their limits of endurance had been reached and they collapsed where they were. Shakily they had each pulled out a thin blanket from a pocket of the vests Ginny had given them and curled up close together on the sand trying to keep warm as best they could.
Harry's frayed nerves calmed after realizing there was no imminent danger and exhaustion quickly overtook him.
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"There they are between the dunes. Three," whispered a voice.
"It's about time. I've had enough of this accursed desert," whispered another.
"How shall we do this," whispered a third.
"We'll wait for that lazy English wizard to catch up." The man grunted. "Seems his fancy arm doesn't work in the Jaharu. However, as soon as he arrives Potter will be taken alive as the Dark Lord commands. The rest will die after we wake Potter to watch." The rest murmured in malicious anticipation.
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Someone shook Harry awake. Harry reacted viciously, drawing his knife, ready to kill. But he hesitated.
"Harry! It's me mate!"
Harry's hand clenched the knife handle tightly, a snarl on his face that shifted to confusion.
"S-sorry Ron. I thought, no, I dreamed. Never mind." Harry relaxed his grip and put his knife away. The sun was up and it was hot, and it was going to get a lot hotter.
"Are you okay Harry?" Hermione asked, exhaustion sounding in every word.
"Sure," was all he said. But he wasn't okay and neither were they.
They shoved their broom handles into the sand and tied their blankets together and stretched them over the broom bristles. Their makeshift canopy, with one corner touching the ground, formed a triangle piece of shade. Underneath they intended to wait out the day. Nevertheless, not until Hermione had taken inventory and they had talked about plans for the coming night.
Their purifying sponges were still in good shape, a nasty looking lime green color meant they hadn't gone bad. They still had cooling potion, but using it only if they had to. The cooling potion, like most of their potions worked in diluted form in the Jaharu desert. Normally a few drops would make it feel almost twenty degrees cooler for several hours. However, here where magic didn't work, it took an entire swallow. Fortunately, the effect lasted just as long but Hermione pointed out that too much cooling potion had a dehydrating effect. They had less than six liters of water between them. With the sponges and the cooling potion they should make another four or five nights, but if they had to make another trek through the grueling heat of the desert day, it would likely be their last.
Somehow, Hermione could sense their pursuers were still after them. Her solid gray eyes were disconcerting and Harry wanted to see them brown again. They reasoned amongst themselves that the Death Eaters still after them were just as low on water and wouldn't dare attempt to capture them during the day at this point. They wouldn't have enough water to leave the desert themselves if they did.
It was because Harry had over heard one of Death Eaters say it was him they wanted, and wanted him alive, they reasoned it wasn't a suicide mission. The only thing they had to decide by evening was whether to try and circle back or try and cross the desert.
Hermione wasn't sure how far across the desert was from where they were. Remembering what she had read, it varied from two to three hundred kilometers across. Ron thought they were already more than half way across if two hundred kilometers was the case. Hermione also recalled reading that people who were stranded in the desert tend to over estimate how far they travel and thought they had managed fifty kilometers at most. Harry seemed to think it was in between but closer to Hermione's estimate. Although he had to admit it felt like they had run and walked a thousand kilometers by the way his leg muscles ached and how tired he felt.
All that was left to do was wait out the day, rest as best they could and think about what they should decide when the sun went down. It was too hot to lie down and not enough room to do so if they wanted. Unlike how they huddled up in the chill morning air, they now sat cross-legged as far as they could from each other and still be in the shade of their canopy. Every hour they would drink and use their sponges in between, wiping the sweat off their faces.
The heat, the exhaustion, the muscles that tried to cramp - it all made the mind turn inward and Harry hoped Hermione and Ron were not dwelling on how dire their circumstances were. Hermione never really rested. She fidgeted and jerked to attention staring off into the empty desert with solid grey eyes before closing them and fidgeting again somewhere between sleep and awake. He wondered what it was she saw, or sensed. If not for her ability they would already be dead or he would most certainly have been captured and be waiting to die at Voldemort's hands. He gave an involuntary shudder at the thought.
His mind drifted and he thought back to how it all started.
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As soon as their large flying carpet had cleared into the open desert from Cairo, Abasi hopped onto a personal flying carpet. He began circling around them, first ahead and then behind, always looking. Adofo had complained to Mr. Weasley they should have had more escort but it was decided a quick departure was more desirable.
The disappointment of having their vacation cut short made everyone quiet and barely an hour of looking at nothing but sand was downright boring. Harry's nerves had calmed down and he felt silly for feeling paranoid earlier, almost embarrassed at suspecting Fred and George to be imposters. He watched Abasi soaring around on his flying carpet with envy.
"I wish I could fly my broom," he said to no one in particular.
"Brilliant idea Harry," Ron said with enthusiasm.
"Sure would be a nice change of pace," Ginny said with a smile.
"It's not illegal. It is the wizard desert highway," Hermione added.
Harry was pleased that Hermione wasn't trying to put a damper on the idea.
"Your brooms are all packed away. It would be a lot of trouble to get them out of your trunks. And I don't like the idea of you moving around on this carpet." Mrs. Weasley cast a concerned look over the edge.
"I'm not sure Adofo would care for you to all be flying about on your brooms," Mr. Weasley said thoughtfully. Adofo turned to say something, but before he could.
"Dad, I think it's a good idea. We won't be a single target."
Mr. Weasley looked surprised at what Ginny said or maybe it was the way his daughter focused her attention on him. In any case, Adofo grunted and said it would be okay as long as they didn't fly far from the big carpet.
The four of them were having a grand time flying about. Hermione was very conservative in her flying and Harry was just as daring as she was conservative. Harry noticed that Ginny, who was already a good flyer, seemed to be even better. Maybe it was the confidence she exhibited, he wasn't sure. Ron was showing marked improvement as well.
"Ron, if you would fly this well on the Quidditch pitch, the cup is as good as ours. Say Ginny, you still want to be Chaser?"
"You make it sound as though you'll be captain again," Ginny teased. "I thought you had been banned from every playing Quidditch again."
"I don't think that'll be a problem since Umbridge is no longer Headmaster. Besides, you'll be a Chaser if I have anything to do with it."
"Well then, you've got my vote, Captain. Wheeee, I'm going to be a Chaser!" Ginny shouted half-mockingly and took off to fly a loop-the-loop around the big carpet.
"I swear your confidence increases by a factor of ten when you're on a broom Harry." Hermione laughed heartily steering her broom toward the big carpet to watch Ginny show off. But Hermione brought her broom up in an abrupt halt and shouted.
"Harry!"
Suddenly what Harry had feared was upon them. It was an ambush. Ten, a dozen, maybe more, witches or wizards on flying carpets and brooms were in front of them and headed their way. Adofo banked the large carpet hard and brought it about to head back toward Cairo, the way they had come. Abasi had flown around to a position himself between the on comers and the big carpet. Ginny had already dropped back with Abasi. Even from this distance, he could see the set of Ginny's jaw. She was ready for a fight with her wand drawn and ignoring her mother's demands to join her on the large carpet.
Harry, Hermione and Ron pointed their brooms to join Abasi and Ginny, but Hermione pointed toward their retreat.
"More, there are more!"
Harry caught a glimpse of Hermione's eyes and they had a grey tint to them. It was a real danger; he had briefly hoped the fliers from the direction of Cairo would be allies. But it had been a hope dashed by Hermione's acute sense of danger. Hermione and Ron flew on but he held back, a thought on his mind.
"It's me they want. I can't risk everyone else because of me."
With all the speed his Firebolt could muster he shot straight up like a cork popping out of a bottle and came to a stop high above them all. He positioned his wand to his throat "Sonorus".
"It's me you want. I'm Harry Potter." Harry's voice carried across the distance like a stadium loud speaker. He applied the reverse spell "Quietus" and turned his broom northwest toward the Jaharu desert. He looked back to see both companies of oncoming fliers veer toward him. However, two had flown in the direction of the large carpet, possibly to keep Harry from getting help. He didn't want their help if it meant endangering the Weasley's and Hermione. Plus he was sure they could handle only two Death Eaters and as for the rest he thought.
"Let them follow me into hell if they want me that bad."
He was startled when he looked forward to find Hermione and Ron flying with him. They had anticipated what he was going to do.
"Going somewhere without us Mate?" Ron yelled into the hot moving air as they flew.
"No! Ron go back! Help your mum and dad! Hermione, please go back!"
"Not a chance!" she yelled back.
Harry swore, but the words were lost on the rushing air. "Why do I have to be so predictable," he thought to himself. He gave one last look back to make sure the Death Eaters were still following, and they were. But he also caught sight of something that made his heart skip a beat. One of the two attackers that had gone after the large carpet shot a curse that knocked Mrs. Weasley off. He saw Mrs. Weasley falling toward the ground below. He also saw Ginny make a spectacular dive in an effort to save her mother. The outcome was unknown as a blasting curse reverberated nearby and he had to concentrate everything on flying.
"Then fly for all your worth!" Harry wanted to put as much distance between him and their pursuers as possible before they could no longer fly. Harry pointed his wand behind him and gave everything he had into a blasting curse, directing it away from himself and toward the Death Eaters. "Pellere Conflare Confractum!" A tremendous blast thundered behind him yielding the desired effect, making the Death Eaters fall back.
On they flew. And as he expected, their brooms eventually lost altitude and glided to the hot sand below, completely useless. For just a scant second Harry considered heading back toward the enemy and making a last stand using magic. It would have been suicide, there were far too many. But with his friends to think about every second of life was another second of hope. There was no choice but to enter the simmering Jaharu.
"Run!" Harry yelled.
They ran across the sand still clutching their brooms. The brooms may have become useless while they were in the Jaharu but they had no intention of staying in the desert. At the top of the ninth dune Harry looked back. The main group was gliding in on brooms but eight of the flying carpets were still high in the air and gliding much faster than they could run. Harry judged they would be a few hundred meters away when they touched down.
"Not good, not good. Ron, Hermione. We're going to have company. Run!"
They kept running even as their lungs began to burn. Harry held back again at the crest of another dune, breathing heavily.
Bang!
A shot rang out and sand sprang up near his feet as the bullet missed. One of the Death Eaters had taken a shot at him before his carpet glided behind a dune. One of the others yelled at him.
"Fool! Potter must be taken alive as our Master commands."
Harry didn't stick around to listen to more. But his mind wrapped around the words that he heard.
"Figures, Voldemort wants to kill me personally. That means they won't risk killing me. I best keep Hermione and Ron in front of me. I can at least shield them."
Harry caught up to them and Hermione asked between deep swallows of air.
"Shooting - at - us?"
"Yes."
"Muggle - guns?" Ron asked.
"Guns - still - work - here. Magic - doesn't," Harry answered.
Suddenly Hermione stopped in her tracks
"We can't go this way. We'll - have to go - around - There's danger."
Hermione started to lead them left.
"Wait! Hermione - take us as close - as you can - You can see - the danger - they can't"
Hermione led on. Eventually she came to a stop again.
"Come on Hermione. This is no time to stop," urged Ron.
"Oh Merlin. It's all around us. I -I don't think I can do it." Hermione was shaking all over, and it wasn't just from the over exertion of running for their lives.
Ron gave Harry an incredulous look. There was nothing here but sand. It was an exceptional large hallow between dunes, but there was nothing here.
"Go on Hermione. You can do it. Lead us through."
"I'm going to get us all killed. I don't even understand what I'm seeing. All I know is it's all around us."
"That makes two of us. There's nothing here. Let's just run on across."
"No! You can't! You'll be killed!"
Hermione was shaking worse and looked on the verge of tears but it was difficult to tell. They were all sweating profusely from running in the desert heat. The sun was starting to sink in the west sky and relief from the heat would be hours away. The heat was the least of their problems at the moment.
Harry placed his hand on her shoulder and looked into solid grey eyes.
"Look at me Hermione. We have no choice. You must lead us through it, whatever it is." Then he said slowly, "Take the path of least danger."
Her shaking became less as she gained a grip on the fear that threatened to overwhelm her.
"Okay, okay. I'll lead. But you must, absolutely must, walk in my footsteps."
Hermione led on with a jog that slowed to a walk. Ron followed with Harry behind, each stepping in Hermione's foot indentions in the sand. Her walk became precarious steps. Her actions looked ridiculous. To an observer it would seem to be a game of follow the leader, especially when Hermione started doing hops and long steps. It was excruciatingly slow when they knew there were those that wished to kill them close behind. They neared the slope of the dune on the far side. Hermione stopped, hesitating to take the next step, scanning the area in front of them with indecision. Someone shouted in the distance behind them bringing on a wave of panic.
"For Merlin's sake Hermione, we've go to get out of here."
"Okay Ron, okay! Backup, backup. Be sure to step in the same steps. I'm going to take a run at this and jump. As soon as we jump across this spot we'll be clear, run as fast as you can."
They jumped and scrambled up the side of the dune as shouts rose up behind them.
"We've got them! Hurry!"
Hermione and Ron reached the crest of the dune first. Two shots rang out. Harry made it to the top next as the ground began to vibrate. He looked back to see eight Death Eaters turning to go back the way they had come as the sand beneath their feet shifted and turned. Men screamed as the ground engulfed them. Harry turned and ran after Hermione and Ron. Plumes of dust and sand shot into the air behind him.
The three of them ran until running was no longer possible. Fear and adrenaline will only carry a person so far before the body gives out. They stopped, trying to catch their breath, there robes showing signs of excessive sweating. They dropped to the ground in the shade of a dune, dropping their brooms beside them. They were breathing so hard they couldn't talk or even try to drink water. When they finally thought they could manage it they shakily reached for their water bottles, only to find they were heavy, bulging and swollen. The vests somehow managed to conceal the extra weight. But the magic holding a great deal of water in a small bottle was no longer there. Ron unscrewed the top of his bottle only to have a liter of water gush out. He managed several deep gulps before forcing the lid back on. After seeing what happened to Ron. Harry and Hermione only loosened the lids on their water bottles and drank what dribbled out under pressure.
"Eight Death Eaters were killed back there. There are maybe fifteen or twenty left. I heard one of them say Voldemort wants me alive." Ron winced at Voldemort's name but loosened the lid of his water bottle as Harry and Hermione had done.
"Then they wanted to run you into the desert where it would be easier to capture you alive," Hermione reasoned.
"It would appear so."
"Do you think they'll give up?" Ron asked.
"Not a chance. Voldemort doesn't tolerate failure."
After wincing again, Ron had a concentrated look that Harry was familiar with. It was the same look he had when playing chess.
"Some will fan out trying to make sure we don't get out of this desert where magic doesn't work. The rest will pick up our trail after they go around that last trap. We should try to lose them in the desert and circle around and out of here. Harry's strategy of taking them in close to the danger they can't see worked well."
Hermione groaned.
"Ron, you have no idea how close I came to getting us all killed."
Harry was impressed by Ron's assessment but didn't feel it was the whole picture. He almost half grinned at how calmly they were talking about their situation. He knew it was because they had exhausted themselves. He could feel the desperation starting to creep back in. Harry was beginning to wonder if they should get up and go again.
"Hermione, how far can you see? I mean, can you tell how far away the Death Eaters are?"
Hermione peered into the distance behind them clutching her left arm.
"It's not an immediate threat, but we can't stay here long."
"Then we had best be off." Ron tucked away his water bottle and grabbed his broom.
"Don't be so hasty Ron, we need to -"
"Hold on, what's this?" Ron had cut Hermione off and put his finger into a hole in the bristles of his broom. He held it up for Harry and Hermione to see a hole clean through. Harry winced, it would be a tedious repair at best after they managed to get home.
"Looks like your broom's been shot mate."
"Awwwww, dragon dung." Ron proceeded to bless the unseen Death Eaters behind them with a slew of profanity.
"Hermione, what's wrong with your arm?"
"Nothing, it just feels like . . ." Hermione took her hand away to see a spot of blood in her palm. "I don't know." She rolled up her sleeve as Harry and Ron came closer for a better look. It looked like a scratch that hadn't gone terribly deep.
"Looks like Ron's broom isn't the only thing that got shot. I think I saw a bottle of healing salts in my vest."
Harry found it quickly enough and was pleased to find it was in paste form and proceeded to gently wash the wound with precious water. Ron found some bandage dressing from his vest and taped up her arm after Harry applied the healing salts. Hermione flexed her arm, smiled and rolled her sleeve back down. Harry suddenly felt disappointed in himself that he hadn't been a better shield for them both.
"Thanks, nice work. Now, as I was starting to say. We need to think over our survival situation. First off, I don't feel like carrying my broom in my hand. How about if we rig a sling like a rifle strap and carry them on our backs."
"Brilliant idea Hermione. We'll have to put the bristle side up." Ron looked confused at what they were talking about, but after tearing some strips of cloth and rigging up the first one, he agreed the idea was indeed brilliant.
"We also need to consider -." Hermione was cut off again but this time by a shot fired in the distance. They looked anxiously at each other.
"Ron's right." Harry said hastily. "We should go further into the desert and not steer completely clear of danger. We should try to pace ourselves as best we can. It'll be dark in a few hours and it'll get a lot cooler."
"Thank Merlin," Ron said wiping sweat from his face.
"Hermione, you'll have to lead."
Hermione gave a quick nod and they were off, headed deeper into the Jaharu desert.
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The sun finally set giving welcome relief from its overhead intensity, but darkness came quickly. The background of sand made it easier to see Hermione's dark form in the lead. For hours they trudged on with Hermione zigzagging North and West, sometimes South. Each time they began to tire and slow down gunshots would sound in the distance behind them and they would immediately quicken their pace. Harry could tell by the stars it would be midnight in a few hours and it seemed like Hermione was becoming more agitated with each change in direction she led them. Sometimes she would do an about face before taking them closer to their pursuers. Harry was beginning to feel like they were losing a lot of space between them. The louder gunshots were proof to his mounting anxiety.
"Hermione how about a rest?" Harry suggested.
"I'm all for that mate."
"I don't know." Hermione looked around almost fearful. "Maybe, but not for long."
They heard a shout in the distance. Harry and Ron tensed. Hermione didn't move.
"Hermione? Don't you think it's time we got a move on?"
"I think Ron's right." No response. Hermione remained crouched on the sand and didn't stir. Her dark form and silhouette of curly hair remained motionless. Harry and Ron came closer. The only light available was from the stars above and a faint orange glow in the Eastern sky suggested the moon would soon rise. Hermione was shaking all over.
"Hermione? Are you cold?" Ron asked.
"She's not cold Ron. She's nearly scared out of her mind."
"Sweet Merlin. Let's pick her up and get the hell out of here."
"We don't know which way to go Ron." Harry thought it over and decided to go up to the top of the nearest dune and take a look leaving Ron with Hermione. He peeked out over the top and saw nothing. He waited before standing up to take a better look. Hermione being this scared was making the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. He saw three flickers of torch light and crouched lower. He estimated they were less than a kilometer away. No, wait. He saw a forth torch. They were too close to stay in one spot. If they couldn't get Hermione to snap out of it they would have to carry her and make the best judgment they could on which way to go. Harry slid down the side of the dune and came up beside Hermione and Ron.
"Any luck?"
"No, she just sits there and shakes. What did you see?"
"Four torches. You can carry mine and Hermione's brooms. I'll carry her for the first stretch and then we'll trade."
"Hermione," Harry said tenderly. "I'm going to take your broom and give it to Ron, okay?" He reached out to touch the side of her face reassuringly. However, the moment he touched her she sprang to her feet and screamed.
"RUN!"
Hermione's sudden outburst took them both by surprise. Harry had wanted stealth not a scream telling four nearby Death Eaters where they were. He and Ron took off after her and to his horror he realized she was headed in the direction of the four torches he had just seen.
"Catch her Ron. She's headed the wrong way." But Hermione was running like she had demons at her heels. Just as he and Ron reached out to grab her, she made a right turn so suddenly they both almost lost their balance.
"At least she's not running at them any more," he thought. "What on earth could frighten her so much?" Harry became aware of a low humming sound and lots of clicking. It grew louder and he found he was no longer trying to catch Hermione. He and Ron were doing their best to run with her. The low drone of large insect wings, accompanied by sharp clicking sounds was filling the desert night air. There were screams behind them; one scream was unmistakably a woman's. Multiple gunshots went off and all was silent save for the now deafening sound of flying insects. They ran on and on. Finally, the low drone began to subside and fade away. Hermione collapsed with Harry and Ron beside her. They lay on the now cold sand trying to catch their breath for what seemed like countless minutes. The orange moon was now fully visible in the night sky.
Harry pulled out his water bottle again to quench his now very parched throat. The water never tasted so good. But
Hermione hadn't moved from the spot she had collapsed.
"Hermione?"
"I'm sorry," she whimpered, her voice hoarse from breathing hard. "I nearly got us killed. I've never been so scared in my life."
"Nonsense, you got us out of it. Drink some water."
Harry and Ron consoled her fears and when the chill of the desert night became less welcome, they decided to press on. Hermione however found she was unsteady on her feet.
"Back to the original plan mate, take my broom. Hermione, let Ron have yours as well."
Harry knelt beside Hermione and she climbed up on his back and shoulders so he could carry her piggyback. Hermione rested her cheek on the back of Harry's head, her chin behind his ear. Harry was amazed at how light she was.
"You don't weigh much of anything 'mione." He thought he could feel her cheek tighten in a grin.
"Uh huh, a very manly thing to say. But when you get tired Ron can take a turn or maybe I'll feel better soon."
She obviously didn't believe him, but he was serious. On they trudged into the night, Hermione pointing out or telling him which way to go. Ron was either beside him or just behind. It was a lot easier to see with the moon high overhead. The moonlight gave the dunes a snow-covered-hills look that made him think of Hogwarts in the winter. Thinking of Hogwarts made him wish he could slip under the covers of his four-poster and sleep.
"It's been nearly two hours mate. Want me to carry her for a while?"
"I'm okay. She's really light. Besides, I think she's asleep."
"Really? How do you know which way to go then?" Ron sounded uneasy.
"We've been going steadily northeast and I figure if we get close to something really dangerous she'll wake up. Anyway, I think she needs some rest after that last one." Ron agreed and they moved on.
▪
Hermione woke with a jerk.
"You okay Hermione?" Harry asked.
Hermione took a moment and looked at the sky. The moon was low in the west, a rich milky orange.
"I was asleep. How long have I been asleep? Let me down." Harry stopped and let her down.
"It'll be dawn in about an hour. Wouldn't you say so Harry? I still don't know why you wouldn't let me carry her for a while."
"I would have, if I had gotten tired."
"You've carried me for nearly four hours? Harry James Potter, that's taking the macho stuff way too far. And why did you let me fall asleep? How did you know which direction to go?"
"Harry reasoned that if we came across anything really dangerous you would wake up. That seemed reasonable enough. And we both agreed you needed the rest."
Hermione paused before saying anything.
"I suppose I did, but Harry you shouldn't have carried me for that long."
Harry threw his hands up.
"Honest, you were as light as feather. I didn't know whether to be worried or count my blessings."
"Alright I believe you . . . thanks." Smiling in the moonlight she added, "He-man". Harry grunted and Ron snickered.
After several minutes of walking, Hermione spoke.
"Sorry about your birthday Harry."
"All that careful planning to keep you busy at the bazaar. While you were with Hermione as she took some anti-muggle charm lessons, the rest of us got you birthday gifts. Now look where you spend your birthday."
"Really? I don't know what to say. What did you get me?"
"We're not going to tell you, because we're going to see the look on your face when we get out of this. Isn't that right Ron."
▪
Several hours later they were resting in the rapidly diminishing morning shade of a dune. The desert heat was rising rapidly under the stark morning sun that was already shining relentlessly.
"I've been thinking about ways we can conserve water. I'll first point out that we are losing water through cooling and natural waste."
"You mean sweating and peeing?"
"Isn't that what I just said?" Hermione gave Ron a frown and continued. "As we already know from Hagrid's survival training, rationing of water doesn't work. But I think I know a way we can recycle some water."
Ron looked skeptical but Harry was intrigued, he had thought about the problem during their long walk the previous night. Hermione went on to explain she thought they could make purifying sponges from the potions and powders in their vests. Purifying sponges were capable of removing most poisons and contaminants from a liquid. Hermione removed the necessary ingredients from her vest and had Harry and Ron do the same. They spread everything out on a thin blanket from Hermione's vest for their impromptu potions class.
"All right, we have enough for one sponge apiece. We need to mix this together and then bake at a low temperature."
"How low?" Harry asked.
"Preferably fifty degrees Celsius for ten minutes but a lower temperature should work, it'll just take longer."
"If you haven't noticed Hermione, we don't have any mixing bowls or an oven," Ron said pointing out the obvious.
"The desert should work for our oven." Hermione gestured to some hard surfaced sand just beyond their dwindling shade. A mixing bowl is a problem though."
"Er, how about a shoe. Would that work?"
"Brilliant Harry. But we need to do this quickly. We've been on our feet for some time and we don't want our feet to swell so much we can't get our shoes back on."
Once the ingredients were mixed, a glistening white blob congealed in the bottom of their shoes. Harry was thankful he wouldn't have a squishy shoe. They poured out the contents of their shoes onto the hot sand and retreated to the shade. She explained their sponges would bake to a lime-green color and should last several days before turning brown, indicating their usefulness was gone. Hermione also showed them where a bottle of sunblock was in their vests and pulled out two pair of sunglasses from her robe. If Harry hadn't suddenly felt so tired he would have made fun of how Ron looked with a pair of Hermione's sunglasses. Maybe Ron felt just as tired because he didn't make fun of Harry wearing her extra pair. Hermione didn't need sunglasses with her gifted site and solid grey eyes.
Two shots rang out in the distance. All three of them swore at the same time.
"Can't they give it a rest?" Ron moaned.
They quickly slopped on sunblock and grabbed their sponges. Onward they trudged deeper into the desert. It was like walking through a giant oven. Hermione didn't sense an urgent need to run so they kept a steady pace trying to stay on the crests and hallows where the sand was more solid and the walking was easier. It was boundless; it was all the same - sand everywhere. After several endless hours, Harry thought he would welcome any change. The only change was to stop and use there sponges that were now like cloth covered water balloons. Hermione poked a hole in the top, held it up, and squeezed. She drank the water greedily. Harry and Ron did the same. It was warm and wet, and it was water. Ron complained that it was tasteless. Hermione pointed out that it was the same as distilled water and that minerals were what gave water its taste. Harry noticed the hole he had poked seemingly healed itself shut.
The sun had reached its high point shining down on them from directly overhead. A slight breeze stirred and it was hot. Harry considered that maybe no breeze was better and wiped his brow with his shrunken sponge. They hadn't eaten anything in a long time and wouldn't because it takes water to digest food. Harry's stomach gave a small growl but he didn't feel hungry. They were pushing themselves too hard to feel hungry. If they managed to get some rest, he was sure they would all feel starved.
Hermione pulled out a thermometer and read fifty degrees. She looked off into the distance behind them.
"They're still back there and they're still moving toward us. We had best keep moving."
Ron groaned and then Harry thought he heard something.
"Did you hear that?"
"That was me groaning mate."
"Did you hear anything Hermione?"
"I don't think so."
Harry shrugged and they moved on. His thoughts drifted to dragons and the sound they make when breathing fire. It's like a huge blowtorch making the air crackle and pop. He remembered snatching the golden egg from under the Hungarian Horntail in the first task of the Triwizard Tournament. Right now, it was as if it had all happened to someone else, an eternity ago.
"I wonder how big Norbert is by now?" Ron asked to no one in particular.
"Dunno. Should be fairly big by now. Odd you should mention dragons though. I was just thinking about -"
"The Triwizard Tournament and that Hungarian Horntail?"
"Er, yeah. How did you know that?"
"Lucky guess. But I was thinking about dragons too."
They all attributed their thoughts about dragons to the unbearable heat and moved on. The hours dragged by torturously as feet and legs ached. The temperature had risen by another degree when they stopped to drink more water a few hours later. Ron commented sarcastically the sun was taking its sweet time moving down the sky. Harry and Hermione exchanged worried looks about how much water they were consuming - in fact, it was alarming.
The sun made a slow descent in the western sky and Harry judged it would still be several hours before sunset and relief from the heat. Hermione stopped as they neared a long ridge of sand dunes. Harry and Ron tensed and looked uneasily from each other and then to Hermione.
"There's something on the other side of that dune."
"Have any idea what it is?"
"No. I only know that it's dangerous, very dangerous. I think we should go around."
"Can we ease up to the top and take a look?"
"What for Harry? I like Hermione's idea about going around."
"And I still like your idea about leading Death Eaters into a trap if we can."
"Oh, yeah, right."
"I suppose we can take a look, but we should try to be quiet," Hermione urged looking nervous and agitated.
They eased up to the crest of the dune and peered across a large hallow similar to the one that had engulfed some Death Eaters the day before. Harry could see nothing, but Hermione peered intently at something and began to shake slightly.
"There," she whispered and pointed.
"Where? I don't see anything," Ron whispered back.
Harry with his keen eyes trained to spot a small golden Snitch, saw it.
"Wait, I see it. Look there Ron. It looks like a fuzzy pinecone sticking up out of the sand. Is that it Hermione?" Harry whispered.
Hermione only nodded in response, her gaze intent on the spot Harry had pointed out to Ron.
"Here's what I think we should do. We'll ease down just on the side of the dune." Hermione shook her head violently, her solid grey eyes wide in fear. Harry continued. "I don't want to make our tracks taking an abrupt left turn immediately visible to a Death Eater as they top this dune. We'll circle all the way around to the other side and wait. I'll make myself seen just as they come up to the spot we're at right now. That should lure them to run straight at whatever it is. I don't like losing the distance but it'll be worth getting rid of a few more Death Eaters."
Reluctantly Hermione agreed but before they started out, they decided to take some cooling potion. At first, they thought it wasn't going to work. The normal two drops had no effect but Ron's brash decision to try a whole swallow yielded the desired result of making the temperature feel almost twenty degrees cooler. As they circled around to the other side, the relief from the heat was welcome but they quickly realized they were drinking more water than before.
Once they reached the opposite side Hermione and Ron were insisting on making themselves seen alongside Harry as bait to lure them across. That is until Harry pointed out that Ron had already been shot at, Hermione had already been grazed, and that it was him they wanted - alive.
They waited - Harry positioned himself two meters down the inside slope of the dune, ready to scramble over the top, and clearly visible across the wide hallow to anyone who emerged on the other side. Hermione and Ron kept just out of sight on the other side of Harry.
Two hours passed before Hermione whispered to Harry from the other side of the dune.
"They're coming."
Harry tensed, ready to move, as Hermione and Ron glimpsed over the crest to let him know when he had been seen.
"Now," they whispered together, and Harry scrambled over the top and slid down between them and they waited again.
"I saw two," Ron whispered. Hermione nodded in agreement.
All three of them knew that if whatever it was that Hermione had sensed didn't kill or incapacitate the two Death Eaters they would have to run for their lives. Harry waited anxious seconds before easing himself back up to take a look. Hermione and Ron did the same.
Two men were running in the sand toward them. They had just run past the spot in the sand where Harry had seen a fuzzy pinecone. Sand flew up in the air behind the two men and something splotched yellow-brown with fur leapt at them. They were both dead within seconds.
A creature the size of a small lion was at the throat of the second Death Eater. The first one lay nearby twitching, but most certainly dead. It had a long narrow snout, short stocky legs with wide padded feet and sharp looking claws. It had a long rat like tail that had to be twice as long as its body. At the very end of its tail it had a brown tuft of fur in the shape of a pinecone. It looked up from its kill, blood dripping from its many teeth and let out a menacing, panting laugh that sent shivers of terror down Harry's spine. The next instant he found himself running along side Ron and Hermione with one thought on their collective minds - to put as much distance between that creature and themselves as possible.
Running until they dropped from exhaustion was becoming an unwelcome habit. The cooling potion had worn off but the sun was finally setting. The image of the desert beast killing two men with such gruesome efficiency was still fresh in Harry's mind. Several times after he caught his breath he started to say something about it, but the words wouldn't come out. From the looks of Hermione and Ron, they felt the same way. What they had just witnessed was terrifying and sickening at the same time. When they could finally stand without falling over, they got up and headed off again without saying a word.
▪
Harry couldn't remember ever being this tired and still on his feet. It was nearly midnight with the waning moon bright in the east sky as Harry willed each step he took. Fatigue had worn at the feeling of panic and fear of the Death Eaters and the desert beast they had left behind. They knew there were Death Eaters still following them because they had heard multiple gunshots three or four hours before. It wasn't the usual signaling of one or two gunshots. There were dozens of sporadic shots. Harry wondered if they had encountered the deadly desert beast. And if they had, whether they managed to kill it or it had killed them. The image of blood dripping from rows of sharp teeth made Harry shiver involuntarily, not the chill air of the desert night, as he trudged on.
When the moon reached its highpoint overhead, they had stopped and discussed whether it was safe enough to stop and rest. They were all desperately tired and sat on the sand rubbing their legs and feet while they talked. Hermione suddenly stopped in mid sentence and stared out into the vastness of moonlit sand.
"Death Eaters?" Ron asked.
"That beast in the sand?" Harry asked.
Hermione didn't reply. Her attention was entirely focused on something unseen. Finally, she uttered a few words.
"It's not human. I don't think it's that creature we saw earlier." She stood up suddenly. "Oh Merlin, it's hunting us." She took off running with Harry and Ron behind her.
The surge of adrenalin made the fatigue in Harry's mind disappear but hours of running with short periods of walking made it apparent they weren't going to outrun whatever was stalking them.
"Hermione, stop. We can't keep up this pace. We've got to take a stand now or we'll be too exhausted to make any defense at all."
Hermione and Ron grimly agreed. They stood in a line, their knives drawn; facing the direction Hermione indicated it was coming from.
Harry heard it, a voice from a great distance, a nonhuman voice.
"Food."
"It's a snake," Harry said with certainty and stepped forward in front of Hermione and Ron. They didn't wait long before the sound of something large and slithering on sand. When it came into sight, it paused, rearing its head high looking them over before coming closer. It was a very large snake. Bigger than the one at the Magusa.
"Stop, you will not harm us," Harry hissed in Parseltongue.
"You sssspeak to me? I will not eat you, but what of the othersss?" the snake motioned its head to Hermione and Ron behind Harry.
"No! They are my friends," Harry hissed sternly.
"I know not of friendsss."
"They are family," Harry replied gripping his knife tightly.
"Yessss, family I understand. Many seasonsss ago one of my family wasss taken by men."
"I have seen one such as yourself in a city of men. Not as big but well cared for with plenty to eat."
"I am glad, but life in the desert is harsssh. Would you be willing to part with one?" The snake once again motioned to Hermione and Ron with its head.
"No!" Harry tightened his grip on his knife even more. Then in desperation he had a thought. "There are those that follow us. Who wish to do us harm. They are in that direction." The snake turned its head in the direction Harry pointed and left.
"Mother of Merlin! Did you see the size of that thing? I'm glad you can talk Parseltongue mate."
Hermione didn't say anything. She swayed on her feet prompting Harry and Ron to grab hold on each side of her.
"I'm okay," she said. But Harry and Ron didn't let go of her. "Really, I'm okay. Maybe we should keep going until morning."
Hermione convinced them she was all right and they moved on. Harry informed them that the snake was headed back toward the Death Eaters that were still following them.
▪
▪
Sweat trickled down the back of Harry's neck. Yes, that had been everything to transpire since the ambush. Harry felt heat on his leg and nudged Hermione to move again. This was what they had done all day as their small shade moved with the sun. Harry took a tired look at the sun's position and was surprised to see it dropping low in the West. Soon there would be relief from the heat. He closed his eyes for a scant minute and looked at the sun's position again. It was now setting, half hidden behind a dune. He moved out from under their makeshift shade and stood up groaning.
"Do we have anything for muscle aches?" Harry's voice was hoarse and so was everyone else's.
Hermione found the appropriate potion and they discussed their options. It seemed too risky to try and cross the desert because they didn't know how much further it was to cross and it would still be cutting it close to turn around and go back with what little water they had left. And that was only if they traveled at night and their purifying sponges kept going. The problem with going back was the Death Eaters - if they only knew how many were left.
They talked as shadows of the dunes lengthened and the light grew steadily dimmer. Hermione stiffened.
"It's coming back. That big snake. What do you think it wants?" she said anxiously.
"You can tell it's a snake?"
"Are you sure Hermione?"
"Yes, I'm fairly sure. It's the same feeling I had last night. Different dangers are different."
"I don't think we have anything to worry about. But just the same - let's take a defensive stand."
They waited, Harry out front, Hermione and Ron behind. Hermione was right. The snake came slithering across the sand with its head up. Its dark form still clearly visible in the darkening light but something was hanging from its mouth.
Hermione and Ron stifled groans of concern from behind Harry as the large reptile came close. It stopped in front of Harry, towering over him. It set something down on the sand and hissed before leaving.
"What was that about mate and what did it leave?"
"It left three water bottles. It couldn't eat the water bottles and decided to bring them to us. It also said to beware teeth of long-tail and fur."
"The three water bottles would explain -," Hermione swallowed hard "- the three lumps in its body."
"Aw gawd," Ron mumbled turning away and putting a hand over his mouth.
"Yeah," Harry said feeling sick to his stomach. He had been closer and had seen the lumps as well.
Harry told them the snake didn't know how many were left still pursuing them, if any. However, they now had an extra fifteen liters of water. So, they decided to risk crossing the desert and pushed on.
▪
They walked the rest of that night and the next. It was becoming a routine, walking all night and then pitching shade with their brooms and blankets to wait out the day. Each passing day and night felt like a long week but they were thankfully uneventful. It had been uneventful except for the sound of a blast furnace during the hottest part of the day. Though it was brief, they had all three heard it and had no idea what it was. Moreover, it had been getting steadily hotter each day. Today it had reached fifty-four degrees.
The nights were a welcome relief but the moon was rising later every evening forcing them to rely upon Hermione and her sight even more.
'Just a few more days,' Harry thought as he and Ron walked in the darkness following Hermione. 'Just a few more days and we'll be out of this hell on earth where magic doesn't work. We'll conjure some cool water thanks to our advanced training, contact the Order, mount our brooms and head for home.' The thought of home always came with images of Hogwarts and brought a smile to Harry's face. If it hadn't been so dark, Harry was sure Ron would have wanted to know what he was smiling about. Harry's smile faded as he remembered how little water they had left. They would have to be out of the desert within four more days, five at the most.
Hermione's abrupt changes in direction were common but something about her actions this fourth night in the Jaharu seemed different and was making him uneasy.
"Is something wrong Hermione?"
"Harry's right Hermione. You're creeping me out, taking all these different directions."
"I don't know!" she snapped at them moving at a quicker pace. "Sorry, I'm just so tired."
"I know how you feel."
"Me too."
"There's something out there. It's not human, it's not a swarm of insects, it's not a snake, it's . . . I'm not sure . . . it might be that . . . " Hermione shuddered. "Whatever it is, it feels like it's looking for us." Hermione said with panic in her voice and took off at a sprint. "Come on!" she yelled. Then just as suddenly, she stopped. "No, no, back. Back the other way. Hurry!"
Harry and Ron immediately reversed directions and were now in front of Hermione. It was dark, with the moon only hinting at coming up in the East.
"Stop!" Hermione screamed hysterically.
The panic in Hermione's voice made them both stop in their tracks. Harry couldn't figure out what was wrong. It was exceptionally dark in front of them and looking down he thought he could see stars.
'No, that's not right - stars in the ground. I must be more tired than I thought.'
Hermione's shaking hands grabbed them both from behind and pulled them back. Harry was almost reluctant, still trying to figure out what he was looking at.
"What do you make of that Harry? Some kind of pit? Weird how it reflects the stars."
Ron was right. It was a large pit and the surface was reflecting the night sky. Hermione however, was not interested and swore as she pulled harder on their shirts.
"I don't care what it is. It's dangerous. And we've got a lot more serious problem. I don't want that thing that I've been sensing all evening to find us. Let's go."
They set off at a quick pace for nearly twenty minutes when Hermione stopped. Still panting she rattled off a string of profanities between breaths.
"Wow Hermione. That was impressive," Ron said with admiration.
"You've been a bad influence on her."
"It wasn't meant to be impressive," she snapped. "That thing has not only found us, it's circled around in front of us. It's fast, too fast. I - I think it's that beast we watched kill those two Death Eaters."
Ron swallowed hard and mumbled, "Oh Merlin."
Harry's mind raced frantically searching for a plan of defense. How ironic that one of the dangers of the desert they had used against the Death Eaters was now after them. Hermione seemed relatively sure of what was hunting them and it didn't help a whole lot. They had been lucky with the snake since he could speak Parseltongue. This beast was too quick and with wide padded feet, sure footed on the sand.
"I have an idea," Harry said quickly and explained what he had in mind.
"I don't like it."
"Neither do I mate. But like you said, you're the quickest."
They ran back the way they had come. At one point Hermione managed to yell that it was gaining on them and finally she told them to stop.
"The pit is about eighty meters in front of us Harry."
Now that the moon was rising, Harry could see the rim of a pit in the sand. It was bigger than he had originally thought.
"I don't like this Harry. I really don't," Hermione said pleadingly.
"Unless either of you has a better plan it's the best we've got. It's still coming right?" Harry waited for Hermione to confirm as she pointed. "Right, I want you two to position yourselves a bit ahead of me on either side. Hermione, you'll signal when it gets here. I'll let you know when it's time for us to run."
Hermione and Ron walked forward twenty meters and they waited. The plan was to have the beast chase him toward the pit. Harry would be closer and supposedly the easier target. Hermione and Ron would run around either side of the pit while Harry intended to stop at the edge. He hoped he was quick enough to dodge out of the way when it leaped at him.
Harry was very tense as he waited with drawn knife. His plan was full of holes and he knew it. What if the creature didn't take after him but went after Hermione or Ron.
'I can fix that,' he thought.
He put the blade of his knife in his left hand and squeezed lightly. The blade was so sharp he wasn't sure it had cut at first but a slight stinging confirmed it had. Plus the sticky feeling when he opened and closed his hand.
'With that long nose it can surely smell blood. I'll have to stop just at the rim of the pit. Timing will be everything.'
"It's here," Hermione yelped, anxious fear in her voice.
Harry didn't see it at first, until it moved out from the shadows and was bathed in yellow-white light, not yet silver-blue, from the rising moon. The moon was now less than full but still very bright in the desert night sky. The beast swished its too-long tail in the sand and raised its long narrow snout sniffing the air.
Harry pushed aside a grizzly memory of two Death Eaters dying in its jaws. He gave all his concentration to his plan and his training. Harry knew from Hagrid's survival training that you do not run from a predator. Its instinct is to chase prey that runs from it, which is precisely what Harry wanted it to do.
"Let's take it slow, and then we'll run," he said to Hermione and Ron.
Harry turned and moved toward the pit while looking over his shoulder. The beast moved as well. Harry took a couple of quicker steps, almost a jog, and was alarmed at how quickly the thing sprinted toward them. It was fast, too fast. It gave a panting laugh that sent a chill of terror through him. He had to make it to the rim of the pit for his plan to work.
"Run!" he shouted.
He ran for all he was worth as the pit grew in size before him. He stopped and turned with his knife to the ready but it was already leaping at him. Rows of sharp teeth glistened in the moonlight as he tried to drop to the ground and swing his knife at the same time. It was mere inches away as his knife hit something solid and everything began to move in slow motion. The bulk of the creature's body was moving by him but his shirt started to pull. Its claws must have caught his shirt. He could feel the momentum of the creature's leap pulling him, lifting him up. It was taking him into the pit with it. He frantically reached for something to hold onto. His fingers slid through loose sand as he was drug backward, the sound of tearing fabric in his ears. His feet went over the edge dropping into nothingness as his hands finally caught hold of something and the pull on his shirt gave way.
Time returned to normal and he found himself hanging on the edge of what looked like a giant glass bowl with a dark whole at the bottom. The creature was beneath him, sliding slowly toward the bottom, its claws scratching the surface like chalk screeching on a blackboard. He could hear it make an effort to climb out, the scratching intensified and stopped as it continued to slide ever slowly down.
Harry made an effort to pull himself up and found his feet had no traction against the slick surface. He made an effort to hoist himself up using only his arms when he heard a cracking sound. His heart skipped a beat as he froze motionless. His next thought was to try moving sideways, hand over hand, to a hopefully more secure spot. One hand over, so far so good. Another hand over, and another heart-stopping crack. This time though it didn't stop cracking and was getting worse. It was all around him. He could feel it starting to give way.
Two pairs of hands grabbed him by each arm and pulled him up as the piece he had been holding onto broke loose, slid past the creature, and into the bottom of the pit. There was a slight delay followed by the sound of shattering glass.
The three of them lay on the sand, next to the broken rim of the pit, breathing hard. A whimpering-panting sound from the pit made all three look over the edge. The creature made a sudden manic effort. Its scratching claws made a teeth-clenching racket that Peeves the poltergeist would have been proud of. There were three simultaneous gasps, but it wasn't from the awful racket. It was what they had seen. The creature had scored the surface enough with its claws to stop sliding. Even the remote possibility that it could eventually get out was enough to make them all jump up and run without saying a word.
They had cleared a distance of less than a hundred meters when the ground vibrated and a column of fire shot straight up from the bottom of the pit. It was such an unexpected development that they turned to look.
At first, Harry thought a snake had emerged from the receding column of fire but the head was unmistakably that of a dragon. He then caught a glimpse of small useless wings on its narrow body with a pair of short arms and menacing claws. The beast in the pit gave out a strange sound that must have been a squeal of fear and leaped high enough to clear the rim. But the snake-like dragon blasted it with fire in mid air. The beast fell, incapacitated and smoldering on the sand. The predator had now become prey to something else. The strange looking dragon sank fangs deep into its prize dragging it back into the pit. The desert became deafeningly quiet.
Ron put a hand on Harry's shoulder.
"When you went over the edge . . . I thought we lost you back there." His words were choked. He took Harry's hand and shook it. "Good show mate."
"Harry, I - . Don't ever do that again." There was a glimpse of moonlit tears on Hermione's cheek as she hugged him tightly.
"Ow," Harry groaned. Ron and Hermione let go quickly. Harry clutched at his side and torn shirt with his right hand while holding out his cupped left. Immediately Ron started rummaging through his vest looking for bandages and healing salts.
"Come on. Take off your shirt," Hermione ordered, wiping her face. "And what's wrong with your hand? Let me see." Hermione looked at Harry's open hand and gave him a quizzical look he could easily make out in the moonlight. "This looks like you cut yourself on purpose."
"Why did you do that?" Ron asked as he unfurled a blanket for Harry to sit on.
"Y-you did it to make sure . . ." Hermione's voice trailed off, her face skewed. Harry wondered if she was considering giving him a lecture.
Ron paused in thought and then mumbled something about Harry always being the hero.
Harry looked down at his bare chest as Hermione gingerly dabbed with a cool cloth. He thought it had only torn his shirt, but there were six claw marks on the left side of his chest across his ribs. Luckily, they weren't deep.
Harry suddenly swore making Hermione jump, drawing her hand back quickly.
"I lost my knife. Hagrid gave me that knife. I suppose it's not a good idea to go back by that pit and look for it?"
"Not a good idea," Hermione said firmly. "And don't feel too bad. I lost mine too."
"I've still got mine," Ron said cheerfully.
"Good, at least we're not completely unarmed. Next one's yours mate."
"Uh? Face another one of those things? Suddenly the idea of having Fluffy as a pet seems down right cheery."
With Harry patched up they moved on. The terrain of rolling sand dunes became more flat and rocky. The terror of the night several hours behind them, they were now feeling deep exhaustion from everything that had happened since they ran into the Jaharu. Hungry and tired beyond reason they considered stopping but hated the idea of losing travel time. More than anything, they wanted out of the Jaharu. They slowly kept moving forward, one foot in front of the other.
"Is it getting warmer or is that my imagination?" Ron asked.
Harry and Hermione agreed that it did seem to be getting warmer but dawn and the immense heat that followed was more than an hour away. The change in temperature was curious as Harry noticed there was more rock and less sand. They walked a little further and the terrain rolled away to a rocky valley below.
"Torches!" Harry hissed.
Everyone crouched low and looked down into the moonlit valley below. Torchlight, more than a dozen were clearly seen even from the distance they were.
"Death Eaters?" Ron asked the question on all their minds.
"I didn't think there would be that many left and how did they manage to get in front of us? Do you sense anything Hermione?"
"I - I don't know. It's strange. It's as if they're not human."
"Not human?" Ron moaned. "Great, just great. If it's not Death Eaters trying to kill us it's some nameless, non-human desert creatures carrying torches." Ron wiped his forehead. "I wonder how hot it gets during the day if it's this hot at night?"
There was a pause after Ron's last remark.
"Maybe we should get out of here."
"Put some distance between us and this place."
They left as hastily as their weary legs would let them. They were glad they didn't run into any more Death Eaters but were sorely disappointed at not finding help. However, it did get cooler once they got further away from the rocky valley and into nothing but sand. They pitched their small shade and waited out another scorching day in the desert. It turned out to be the hottest day yet reaching fifty-nine degrees Celsius by mid afternoon.
The intense heat made them delirious. Ron had been mumbling nonsense for nearly a half hour about teaching a three headed lion to play fetch and needed a bigger stick. Hermione said Harry's name before slumping over and leaning against him. Ron slumped over next, leaning against Harry's back. They must have both passed out from the heat.
It was so unbearably hot Harry didn't want either one of them to fall over outside their small shade and fought off passing out but it seemed a losing battle as the sand around them started burning. He knew that what his mind was manifesting was heat induced and truthfully, he didn't care. It was interesting and he was all for anything to help keep him from losing consciousness. He watched through partially opened eyes as a ball of yellow flame came up to him and changed color to blue.
'Pretty,' he thought.
The wind blew, kicking up sand and making their tied-together-blankets whip. A stronger breeze blew tossing up stinging sand and making him close his eyes. As soon as he closed his eyes, the battle was lost.
▪
Harry woke; face down, his cheek against the sand, the sun low in the west. Hermione and Ron were also laying face down in the sand, less than a meter away. Harry willed himself to get up and check on them both and get them to drink some water.
"What happened?" Hermione asked weakly.
"I think we had a small sand storm just after we all passed out from the heat. I don't know where our blankets and brooms are."
"Over there," croaked Ron, pointing as he gulped water.
They collected themselves and their things in preparation for another nights walk. They discovered both bad news and good news. The bad news was their sponges had gone bad. The good news was that Hermione thought they were near getting out of the Jaharu. Her perception of danger with her strange sight and solid grey eyes, gave her the impression they were a lot closer to having crossed the Jaharu. She described what she saw as a dark cloudy sky that was brighter on the northeast horizon. She refused to speculate whether they would be out in one night's walk. Harry knew they needed to be where they could once again perform magic soon. They were precariously low on water.
They sat there on the sand as the evening sunlight got dimmer. No one wanted to get up. They were tired, very tired. Harry noticed they were also an unsavory lot, dirty and grimy. None of them had taken a bath in days. They had spent most of the time either running for their lives or sweating through the heat of the day. Finally they got up groaning and stepped into the darkening desert with Hermione in the lead.
It seemed like the longest night they had ever spent in the desert. Without something chasing them time slowed to a crawl. But the pursuits had taken a toll on them physically as well as mentally, not to mention lost kilometers going in other directions besides a straight line through the desert. Toward dawn, Ron took up mumbling incoherent nonsense, which wasn't as bad as his tendency to wander away from Hermione and Harry. Harry would call him back as Hermione waited. Each time they would ask if he was all right and each time he would say he was fine.
Dawn finally came and found them resting, exhausted.
"It's not much further," Hermione said wearily. "We're really close. Maybe another kilometer or so."
"Thank Merlin," Harry mumbled.
Ron put down his water bottle on the sand in front of him.
"I've got to go," he said with a slur.
Harry and Hermione thought nothing of it. They figured he had to go.
"We could push on another hour before it gets hot. What do you think Harry?"
Harry tried to think about it but all he managed to do was notice the deep circles under her solid grey eyes.
"I don't know. I suppose we could try another hour."
Hermione hefted her water bottle sloshing the water within. It sounded low. She put a hand out toward Harry and he handed her his. She hefted the two.
"Odd I think I've got twice as much as you."
She lifted Ron's up off the sand and gasped.
"Harry, it's empty!"
"You don't suppose the fool . . ."
"Gave me all his water," Hermione finished for him. "He's suffering from dehydration. He's delirious."
They both jumped up and yelled for Ron. They took off following his tracks. They crested a dune and they could see him stumbling off in the distance. Hermione yelled for Ron again.
"Ron! No, don't go that way! Ron!"
There was a sudden shrillness in Hermione's yell that sent a chill down Harry's spine. They both sprinted after Ron.
It happened all too quickly as they came within clear sight of Ron. A giant scorpion scurried over a dune in front of him. It was as tall as a small truck and three times as wide, still managing to look squat even with its immense size. The red-yellow body of the thing was equivalent to armor plating as the tail curled with an ominous stinger high over its head. Ron looked confused and didn't move as Harry and Hermione screamed at the top of their lungs.
A lightning reflex and Ron was stung in the chest. It stung him with such force it practically lifted him up off the ground with only his toes still touching. Large pincers moved toward Ron's shoulders.
Harry and Hermione's screams of warning changed to screams of rage. They were beyond fear, beyond rage, undoubtedly a type of madness brought on by the ordeal they had been through. They had gone so far and had come so close only to have this creature attack their friend. Their knives lost, they drew out the only weapons they had left, their wands. Wands that were useless in this horrible desolate place where magic doesn't work.
Harry and Hermione circled round each side of the giant scorpion as Ron hung writhing on the end of its stinger. In their rage neither of them noticed anything-unusual happening to the tips of their wands. Harry's began to glow red hot while Hermione's was black as night sucking in the light from around it. They both screamed and plunged their wands deep into the giant insect's body. The wands should have splintered into pieces but instead had a devastating effect. Harry's side burned and consumed as Hermione's side rotted away. The giant scorpion collapsed, dead on the spot, as Ron fell backward on the sand. Harry and Hermione ran to his side.
"W-what happened? S-so cold." Ron shivered uncontrollably breathing rapidly and raspy.
Ron was dying and there was nothing they could do. Harry looked into Hermione's wide and fearful solid grey eyes. Harry felt like someone was wrenching his heart out of his chest. All he could think of was, 'No, no, no, no . . .'. Harry and Hermione leaned over Ron, their heads touching, as tears flowed unbidden - tears that flowed and combined becoming thick and pearly.
Ron's breathing stopped and Harry's mind screamed in anguish.
There was a cough, followed by a gasp.
"Phhhth, what the? What are you two trying to do to me?" Ron weakly wiped at his shirt. "Ewww."
"Ron! You're alive! But how?"
Harry helped him sit up and Hermione hugged him tightly.
"Ungh, let me breathe will ya. I feel like dragon dung."
Hermione quickly let go and pushed her water bottle at him.
"Drink something," she demanded.
"Oh, you found out." Ron looked sheepish and drank some water.
"Are you sure you're all right mate?"
"Hell no I'm not all right. I feel awful. I feel like a herd of hippogriffs ran over me. And - what - the - hell - is that?" Ron pointed at the carcass of the giant scorpion.
"That's what we thought had killed you. It's a giant desert scorpion and it stung you. By all rights you should be dead. But I don't care why you're alive. I'm just glad you are." Hermione hugged him again.
"Stung me?" Ron felt at his damp shirt finding a blood stained hole in it. Lifting up his shirt he found a circular red spot below his collar bone and above his heart, half the size of his fist. There should have been a hole in his chest where the red spot was now.
"Does it hurt?" Hermione asked.
"Nah, feels warm though. Weird." Ron pulled his shirt back down and motioned toward the scorpion.
"What did you kill it with? Do our wands work?"
Harry and Hermione each held up their wands and tried to produce sparks - nothing.
"I don't know," Harry said blinking and looking at Hermione.
"I don't know either," Hermione said flabbergasted.
"Can you get up mate? Hermione thinks we're almost out of the Jaharu."
"I feel as weak as a kitten. I'm not sure." Ron pushed with his hands and sprang to his feet, very much off balance as Harry and Hermione helped steady him.
"Huh, that's a surprise. I didn't think I could get up, let alone stand."
"Here, lean on me and we'll walk a little further, maybe an hour. I'd like to get away from this carcass before it gets hot."
"You can lean on me too." Hermione joined on the other side of Ron and they slowly made there way as the morning sun began to shine down with the promise of more scorching heat.
Thirty minutes later Harry felt strange.
"Do any of you feel different?"
Harry reached for his wand and it had a most welcome warm sensation to his fingers. With a wave of his wand he made a bathtub size pit in the sand. Hermione waved her wand and conjured it full of cool water. They hastily made their way toward it dropping to their stomachs and plunging their heads in. They drank their fill and laughed while catching their breath before plunging their heads in for more.
"Accio wands!"
Four dark skinned men dressed in desert clothes were standing around them. Harry's face was dripping with water as he let his mind relax. He wasn't going to let them be taken captive while he could still do wandless magic. Grains of sand began to blow from around Harry's hands.
"Harry, it's okay."
Quickly he turned and looked at Hermione next to him, her curly hair wet and dripping. He saw what he had been hoping to see since they had entered the Jaharu. Hermione's eyes were a wonderful chocolate brown.