Chapter 15 - The Apex Faction
For much of the next day Harry didn't see Hermione or whatever she was concocting with the fake Horcrux locket. She locked herself in one of the upper bedrooms with a stack of books, her cauldron, candles and many assorted trinkets and ingredients that she had gathered from Harry knew not where. There were occasional bangs and puffs of smoke seeping out from under the door but after one heavy scolding for asking if she was alright Harry thought it best to leave her to it.
Luckily Ron came around at noon to catch up on what was going on. He likened the minor explosions emanating from Hermione's location to Fred and George's bedroom at the Burrow, a comparison that Harry was comfortable with at all. Ron pointed out, though, that if Hermione was working then she was in her element and it was best to get out of her way.
`You know what she's like,' he said. `She's a little bit dangerous at times. Too much magic for her own good, I say. But she must know what she's doing and you'll only put her off. She'll come to you when she's good and ready.'
`How are things at home?' asked Harry.
`Quiet,' said Ron. `Bill and Fleur have gone away on honeymoon to somewhere exotic; Dad's hardly ever out of the Ministry and Ginny's back at Hogwarts. All in all it's a bit weird there.'
`What about you? Been to see Luna recently?'
`Well I can't, can I?' said Ron blushing into his red hair. `She's in school, isn't she? Not like we can meet up at lunch times or anything.'
`You know, that sounds quite weird,' said Harry. `She's still in school, you're out in the big wide world. Makes you sound like a cradle snatcher.'
`Eh, shut up,' said Ron throwing a pillow at Harry, who ducked away laughing. `You went out with my sister and they are the same age.'
`Yeah but I learnt from that and went for the more mature woman,' said Harry.
`Eventually,' said Ron.
`Well I had to wait for your little coup-de-tar on my love life to end before I could make my move,' said Harry.
`Make your move!' Ron snorted. `Your moves with girls are about as good as your moves in chess!'
Harry had to agree. They continued talking about each others failures with the opposite sex until they had lunch, which consisted of some excellent pasties Mrs Weasley had sent with Ron for she was convinced Harry and Hermione were starving under their own devices. It was about one o'clock when the kitchen door burst open and Hermione came in. Harry couldn't help but feel she looked so cute; her fringe and eyebrows were singed and black, her face scarred with soot and dust, her cloak smoking in places.
`I know where he is, Harry!' she said excitedly.
`How?' he asked.
`A locator spell,' Hermione explained. `I saw it in one of the books we took from Hogwarts. I knew whoever had put the locket their must have touched it so his fingerprints would be on it. I had to get through the ones one there too; there were yours and Dumbledore's and both came up on my map.'
`Then where is he?' said Harry.
`Egypt,' said Hermione breathlessly. `He's in Egypt, Harry. And they have a special place you can Apparate to, I've already found it out.'
`Then what are we waiting for, let's go,' said Harry jumping up.
`We will,' said Hermione looking serious. `But first, I have to have a bath. Won't be long!'
And with that she left the kitchen humming all the way up the steps.
`Do you think that spell's addled her brain?' asked Ron. Harry just shrugged.
Hermione was ready in half an hour, which Harry thought was a pretty good time for a girl. She showed both he and Ron the place on her map where they'd have to Apparate and explained where it was.
`It's in the Valley of the Kings,' she said. `Where all the tombs are. There's one there that doesn't appear on normal maps. It's hidden by magic I expect. We Apparate to a site on the side of Rameses III's tomb and go straight across. It sounds fairly simple.'
Harry couldn't help noticing that Hermione didn't seem to believe her own words. Nevertheless he donned his cloak and followed her into the breezy afternoon air. They crossed to the high walled alley that was perfect for Apparition and on the count of three performed the act. It was the furthest Harry had ever travelled by this method and the sensation was uncomfortable. He disliked Apparition at the best of times but having that feeling elongated was not something he wanted to do on a regular basis.
Eventually they did rematerialize and in a place as different from the one they left as it was possible to be. A rolling wasteland of golden sand interspersed with rocks and boulders and replaced the crummy housing of Grimmauld Place, but each was as stark as the other. Looking to his side Harry saw the imposing sides of a great tomb and an entrance sunk deep into the sand held up by scaffolding and lit by electric lights. It seemed an odd juxtaposition to the age of the place.
`I think we should go across there,' said Hermione.
She was pointing to a small building opposite. It was aged but not nearly as much as the ones around it. The stone of its walls was a deeper shade, as though the mud bricks it was made of were much newer than those of the tombs everywhere else. Harry strode out across the sand and reached a small door, which was open, underneath a stone awning.
`Well, we didn't come all this way for nothing,' said Harry and stepped through the shadowy doorway.
Harry stalked slowly through the tangle of dry moss and cobwebs hanging from the roof of the entrance corridor. It was narrow and dark and was slightly higher on the right side than the left, giving it something of a lopsided feel. Harry could feel Hermione right behind him, her quick breath blowing against his neck. Somewhere further back he could hear Ron muttering, `I really don't like this,' to himself; big cobwebs, Harry thought, must equal big spiders, especially for Ron.
The corridor opened into a larger chamber. By the light of his wand Harry could just about make out the roof and the sides of the room. It was dome shaped and sparse with little more than a few jagged rocks, which looked as though they had fallen from the ceiling, and the damaged figure of some Egyptian deity that dominated the centre of the room. There were also several doorways with deep shadows leading off the chamber to hidden horrors that Harry could hardly bear to think about.
`Harry, I'm really not sure about this,' said Ron as the three of the stopped to consider the place.
`Calm down, Ron,' Harry replied. `You've been to Egypt before; you knew there might be spiders here. Didn't you bring your can of RAID?'
`Very funny,' said Ron as Hermione chortled in the dark. `You wouldn't like it if you were as scared of them as I am.'
`I bet I wouldn't,' said Harry. `There must be something we could do about that. Maybe some Felix Felicis, or maybe Hermione could brew -'
`Ssshhhh!' Hermione hissed. `Did you hear that?'
`Hear that? H-hear what?' Ron stammered. `Don't tease, Hermione.'
`Be quiet, Ron,' said Hermione imploringly.
`What was it?' Harry whispered, taking a firmer grip on his wand.
`Movement,' Hermione whispered back. Harry could see her eyes shining by his wand light as they scanned around. `It was like a scuffling. I think there are people here.'
Attention pricked, Harry looked around the dark chamber. It was as silent as Harry had ever experienced; the breathing of both he and Hermione, who was clinging to his robe sleeve, was all he could hear. He flashed his wand towards the opposite wall. There, suddenly, a figure darted behind one of the rugged boulders around the place.
`Expelliarmus!' Harry yelled.
A cacophony of noise exploded around the small cavern in response. It was like an orchestra of cannons as both Ron and Hermione took Harry's lead and fired blindly into the dark, and someone fired back. Or more than one person; Harry counted at least two separate spell streams fly in his direction. He darted out of the way but was distracted as he heard Ron give a squeal and fall to the floor behind him. Harry took aim in the direction that felt best, but then a voice sounded out in the darkness.
`Wait!' It was a boy's voice, perhaps not too much different in age to Harry. `Show yourself!'
`No chance!' Harry yelled back. `You show yourself.'
`How about we show ourselves together?' the voice asked. `Come into the middle. No spell casting.'
Harry heard movement in his direction and, though slightly dubious at what he was doing, got up and made for it. Three different sets of footsteps stopped nearby and Harry went to re-light his wand but thought better if it in case it was seen as an act of aggression.
`I'm going to perform a spell,' said the boy's voice, closer now than before. `It's just to give us some light. Okay?'
`Okay.'
The boy spoke a few words in a language Harry didn't recognise at all. A bolt of white light flew up from the darkness and just hung in the air for a few moments. Then it began to expand, growing into a ball of light about the size of a bus. The whole chamber was thrown into stark relief by the new light and for a few seconds Harry was blinded. When his sight returned he found himself staring down the length of a brilliant golden sceptre being pointed at him by the boy who had spoken in the dark.
He was tough looking, rugged but handsome in the way that Cedric Diggory had always been seen. His eyes, narrowed by the globe of light, gave him the look of both predator and prey and his features gave Harry the sense that this boy looked a lot older than he actually was. Strangely, Harry saw a lot of himself in this boy, as though this is what he would look like if he'd been fighting Voldemort actively since he was old enough to hold a wand.
But this boy wasn't holding a wand. Clenched comfortable in strong hands was a sceptre, the kind of thing Harry had seen kings holding in pictures in fairy tale books. It was about as long as his forearm, exquisitely decorated around with rings and carvings around the handle and holding a sphere at the tip facing Harry. This sphere was most unusual; it looked to be made of spun glass and filled with silvery mist being criss-crossed by electric charges of many colours. For a reason he couldn't be sure of, Harry felt very afraid of this weapon.
`Hurt him and you'll die!' said Hermione suddenly. Harry glanced to see her rigid, her wand pointing straight at the boy with the sceptre. Behind him, however, another boy and a very pretty girl were raising their arms. The boy was carrying a short sword with many inscriptions along the blade; the girl, on the other hand, was holding two bright white wands crossed in front of her.
`Touch him and you go next, got it?' the girl said to Hermione.
`Hold on,' said the boy with the sceptre. `Before we go blasting each other into little bits let's find out who we are. Let's start with you. Who are you?'
Later on Harry would remember feeling very odd about this question. It was the first time he could remember someone not knowing who he was. It created a sensation of being normal that he wasn't used to at all.
`I'm Harry,' he answered. `Harry Potter.'
`Well, Harry, Harry Potter,' said the boy. `Welcome to Egypt. We have, of course, been expecting you.'
He lowered his sceptre and smiled for the first time. It was a cheeky sort of smile that made him look his age for the first time.
`You're scruffier than I imagined,' he continued. `Don't be offended. I like it. Shows you're not a prima donna, which would be easy for you. And you're skinnier than I thought.'
`Yeah, enough of spelling out my faults,' said Harry, affronted. `Who, exactly, are you?'
`True enough, I haven't introduced myself,' said the boy. `I, exactly, am Ryan Powell. This ape behind me is my mate Dylan.' The sandy haired boy behind tipped his sword by way of a greeting. `The girl there is called Enola. Keep your eyes off her, though, she's my girl.'
`Got it,' said Harry. `What are you doing here?'
`Oh, yeah, sorry about the ambush and all,' said Ryan apologetically. `Security, you know. It's what we do.'
`Who's "we"?'
`We represent a group known as the Apex Faction. A secret society if you like. We provide protection for wizards who find us and hire us. Magic people who like to disappear, you know. No questions asked as long as they've got the gold.'
`But you're just kids,' said Harry. `No offence but how can you protect people from adult wizards? There are some bad ones about.'
`Like your friend, Voldemort, I suppose?' said Ryan. `Truth is we don't do that much of the field work but we are useful because of our age. No-one suspects us and we can move around easier than the adults sometimes. There are adults involved, of course, loads of them. It's because of one of them that you're here.'
`What do you mean?'
`One of our high risk clients,' said Ryan. `He works for us but he needed to be protected, too. He was the one who contacted you.'
`Contacted? No-one has contacted me,' said Harry.
`A message was sent from one our clients to someone who might be able to contact you,' said Ryan. `It was weird, actually, `cause he sent his message to a portrait. First time that's ever happened. It was a picture of the uncle of this particular client.'
`Regulus Black works for you?' said Harry.
`Not so loud, please. Secrecy is of the highest priority here. Try to abide by that. Follow me.'
Ryan guided the globe of light towards the doorway on the left hand wall of the cavern. He led the way towards it and Harry turned to beckon Ron and Hermione, whose wand was still drawn, to follow him. Dylan and Enola took up the rear of the party and they all made their way through the doorway. The globe of light shrank and floated along in front of them down a passageway as dark and cramped as the one which led into the tomb.
`Aren't you going to introduce your friends?' Ryan asked as they walked. `It's only polite.'
`Oh, er - yeah, course,' said Harry, slightly surprised at being corrected in his manners by someone his own age. `That's Ron and this is Hermione. You'd better keep your eyes of her, because she's my girl.'
`Touché,' said Ryan, smirking.
`Do you mind me asking how old you are?' Harry asked.
`Wouldn't matter if I did because you already have,' said Ryan. `I'm not sixteen yet.'
`So you're fifteen?' said Hermione, who was now walking alongside Harry with Ryan just in front of them.
`Yeah, I'm fifteen. But nearly sixteen sounds better I think. Mind the step here.'
The path sloped right and eventually opened up into a tight little room that had barely enough space for all sixth of them. The globe of light had shrunk to the size of a beach ball but its lack of light was being compensated for by several powerful torches burning brightly in brackets all around the walls. Ryan beckoned Harry, Ron and Hermione to one side of the room.
`Dyl,' go and tell Mr Black his guests are here,' said Ryan. `Set up the pool table while you're down there. It's about time I gave you a whipping.'
`Not a chance in hell,' said Dylan grinning. `I didn't notice the pigs flying today. Tell you what, though, I'll play left handed and with a patch over my eye, just to give you a chance.'
`I'll remind you of your cheek when you're crying into your cue later on,' Ryan retorted. Dylan just laughed, pushed through a brick in one of the walls and went through the door it opened up. Ryan turned to Harry. `We'll wait until he comes up. He shouldn't be long. He's been hopping up and down waiting for you.'
Harry had the strange image in his mind of a younger version of Sirius hopping around an Egyptian cave waiting for him. The pretty girl, Enola, wandered over to Ryan and stood very close to him. There were looking very intently at each other and though he couldn't be sure Harry felt as though they were communicating somehow. He could see the sparkle of Enola's vibrant eyes in Ryan's and it was as if there was a language there. He looked at Hermione to see her watching him with a sad expression on her face. He got the impression she was upset with him, though he couldn't work out why. He took her hands in his and gently smoothed them, as though trying to develop the sort of communication skills that Ryan and Enola clearly shared. To his surprise Hermione smiled and he felt himself quickly put at ease.
The grinding of a stone door broke Harry from his reverie. He looked up to the source of the sound and saw Dylan standing in a doorway opposite where he was sitting.
`Mr Black will see you in here,' said Dylan. `More comfortable, or something. Come on then, Ry', you little fart. Get ready to make it twelve losses in a row.'
`I play the winner,' said Enola. `You boys need to be shown how to lose and I'm just the girl to do it.'
`To be honest, Ennie, I'm more wary of you than Ryan,' said Dylan.
`Funny that, isn't it?' she said winking at Ryan. `He does have so much on his mind, maybe that's why he's so bad. He is pretty, though.'
`That's a matter of opinion,' said Dylan.
`Come on, get to it,' said Ryan. `Loser makes the tea.' He turned to Harry and the others. `It was nice, sort of meeting you. I hope we get another opportunity.'
`Yeah,' said Harry, surprised by how much he meant it. `See you again.'
`Yeah. Ron, Hermione. Beautiful name, that. Is it Greek?'
`I-I don't think so,' said Hermione flushing. My mum and dad are dentists.'
`Never knew that was a nationality,' said Ryan grinning. `Good luck doing whatever you're doing. Bye.'
And with that he disappeared after Dylan and Enola and was gone. Harry led the way cautiously through the open doorway and into a dimmed room, lit by soft blue lights set in high shades against the ceiling. The place was full of squashy armchairs and pouffes and didn't seem to belong in this place. The stonework of the walls and floors was covered by paintings and tapestries and a soft black carpet respectively. The three of them crossed the floor and were just about to settle down into chairs when they were startled by a voice from the shadows.
`Harry Potter, it's true what they say - you really are a spitting image of your father.'
`So I've been told,' said Harry. `Don't bother telling me I've got my mum's eyes when you get closer, I've heard that a million times as well.'
`I never knew your mother,' said Regulus moving into the light. He looked thin and haggard, not too unlike his brother as Harry remembered him. `Why so aggressive, Harry?'
`Sorry but you were a Death Eater,' said Harry. `Hardly the easiest person for me to trust.'
`I understand,' said Regulus. `To own the truth, I expected resistance from you. But I hope the importance of what you are trying to do will enable you to see past that for now. It isn't a period of my life I look back at with fondness.'
`What do you know about that?' asked Harry.
`Destroying a Horcrux leaves a mark, Harry,' said Regulus sitting down. `Not too unlike that scar on your head. After I destroyed one I felt it if anything happened to the others.'
`How? Dumbledore said that Voldemort couldn't sense if anything was happening to them, so how could you?'
Regulus had flinched at the sound of Voldemort's name, something Harry thought might be a rouse to endear him to them.
`I don't know how, I'm not the cleverest of men,' he said.
`That much is obvious,' said Harry sharply.
`Working for Him was a mistake of youth, but I did manage to destroy one of his Horcruxes so I must have had some brains.'
`How can I believe you?' said Harry. `How do I know you destroyed it?'
`That's the reason I've called you here,' said Regulus. `Of course I can't show you the remains of the locket. It was obliterated.'
`Then you have no proof!' Harry cried. `For all I know you didn't destroy the locket - or couldn't.'
`I did, and the only way I can prove it is by telling you what he replaced it with.'
Harry stopped his planned rant dead in its tracks.
`Replaced?' he said. `What do you mean, "replaced"?'
`He knew that I was on to what he was trying to do,' said Regulus. `Somehow he worked out from the note I left him that it was me. He decided to leave the locket as a decoy, a safeguard in case someone else managed to get onto his case. He tracked me down, sent loads of his men after me. It was only when I managed to get into Syria that I was partly safe. It's so volatile there that it was easy to slip underground. That's when I learnt about the Faction. I spend all the gold I have on their services.'
`But you said you knew he had replaced a Horcrux?' said Hermione. `I didn't even think that was possible.'
`A wizard can split his soul into the tiniest pieces he wants,' said Regulus. `But the Dark Lord always wanted seven just to have the magical power of that number. When he knew I had destroyed his precious locket he had to replace it. I think it was the post difficult splitting of them all.'
`How did you know what it was?' asked Harry, now seated.
`He liked to collect things,' said Regulus. `His Horcruxes had either personal or universal value. They were blue chip items in his magical world. The items belonging to the Four Founders were his personal favourites, as any surviving relics of theirs are so rare and valuable. I knew that when the locket was destroyed he would go for something else belonging to Ravenclaw. Something that would serve a dual purpose.'
`Get to it,' said Harry impatiently.
`I knew it when I was given a copy of the Daily Prophet. They were reporting all the people going missing. I didn't pay much attention until I read about one wizard. It was when they took Ollivander that I knew.'
`Ollivander?' said Harry and Hermione together. `The wand maker?'
`The wand maker,' Regulus echoed. `He kept his prised possession on display in his shop window. Stupid, really, for something so valuable.'
Harry though hard back to his first day in Diagon Alley. He pictured Ollivnder's creepy shop and its dusty windows. Then it came to him.
`It was a wand,' said Harry. `On a velvet cushion. Purple velvet.'
`And who is purple associated with at Hogwarts?'
`Ravenclaw!' said Hermione. `It's on their crest.'
`Rowena Ravenclaw,' said Regulus. `It was her wand; there was some family connection there if I remember right. The Dark Lord would have seen that as an easy target.'
`Didn't you say something about a dual purpose?' said Hermione.
`I did. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't Harry's wand have a particular connection with the Dark Lords?'
`Yeah, they're brothers,' said Harry. `How do you know that?'
`The Dark Lord doesn't often find himself matched in a duel,' said Regulus smiling. `Word gets around. He can't rely on his wand against you in case you manage to meet his spell with one of your own again. But if he has another wand, especially a powerful and old one like Ravenclaw's, then it removes that problem. The power of Ravenclaw's wand will also balance out the oddity that a wizard never achieves such good results with a wand that isn't his own.'
`Great,' said Harry. `So now not only do I have to deal with Voldemort's power but also Ravenclaw's too. Great. Fantastic.'
`Does he keep the wand with him?' asked Hermione.
`I would expect so,' said Regulus. `If only for when he meets Harry.'
`So it's all going to be decided in the end,' said Harry. `If I can't destroy the locket, because it's already destroyed, then I'll have to try and take the last three Horcruxes together. I'm right in thinking his snake is one, aren't I?'
`Very astute,' said Regulus. `And the easiest one to destroy I think.'
`Really? How's that?' asked Ron, surprising Harry who had forgotten he was there.
`Well it's a living creature, it can be killed like anything else. The objects required sacrifice to destroy. There are many ways to kill a living thing; poison, destroying the body, finding the enemy of the snake in the animal world and let it do the job for you. There's a decent list.'
`Just so long as I can avoid Voldemort long enough to do any of them,' said Harry sarcastically.
`I'm sure you'll find a way,' said Regulus. `You've done well enough so far. Just remember that he sees you as his nemesis. He was wary of Dumbledore but more so of what he could teach you, knowing that you were the real danger to him. You were the baby who thwarter him, after all. He's as reluctant to meet you in battle are you are of him. He suspected that Dumbledore could beat him, but he knows that you can. It's an advantage you'd do well to remember, because its one no-one else has had against him.'
There then seemed to arrive a finality about the meeting. After several minutes of awkward silences and idle chit chat Harry rose and said they had better be going. Regulus got up and led them back to the door.
`I'm sorry I asked you to come all this way only for information that you think is useless,' he said. `But I thought you'd want to know so you wouldn't go on wild goose chases after things you think might be Horcruxes.'
`Yeah, thanks for that,' said Harry with a passable level of civility. He was about to open the door when Regulus grabbed him by the arm.
`Harry - my brother, how did he die?'
Harry swallowed hard before answering. `Valiantly and with courage. Fighting Voldemort, doing the right thing. Shame more of his family chose the easy path instead of right one, the one Sirius chose.'
Regulus nodded glumly and let go of Harry, who shook his sleeve and left the room. Back in the little reception they found Ryan waiting for them.
`Hello,' he said cheerfully. `Get what you came for?'
`Not really,' said Harry.
`Hmmm, shame,' said Ryan. `Bit of a trek for nothing. Come on, I'll show you out.'
They made their way back along the narrow passage, Ryan leading Harry and Hermione with Ron pulling up the rear.
`How did the pool go?' Harry asked.
`Not well,' said Ryan evasively. `It's the cue's fault. It's a dud. Bias is all wrong the base…'
Soon they were back in the domed cavern crossing towards the exit corridor. Ryan stopped at the doorway and waited for them to pass him.
`Well, this is as far as I can go,' he said. `It's a straight path out, just like on the way in really.'
`Thanks,' said Harry.
`Here, take this,' said Ryan thrusting a small card into Harry's hand. `It's the number of box at the post office, Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley branches. It's how our international clients get in touch with us. 100% safe. If you need anything, drop us a line.'
`I'll keep it in mind,' said Harry. He slipped the card safely into his cloak and made his way along the little chamber and into the evening air thinking that maybe the trip to Egypt hadn't been such a waste of a journey after all.
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