A/N: On to...
Chapter XXII: Hellene
Harry and company were tense and alarmed when they were told what had happened on the peak just above them. None had noticed the apparition of this being, much less his exchange with Regulus and the rest.
"It is the same being," Ron was telling Harry, "I'm certain of it."
"Yes, but why would he help us?" Regulus asked for the consecutive time. "If he's a he, or a she, I don't know - but if he's in cahoots with the other side, why are we implicated?"
"You want to call it a good Samaritan?" Otto said with a hint of irony. "I think it's a miracle we got out of there in one piece."
"I didn't feel it had any malicious intent," Regulus replied thoughtfully. "If that were the case, we wouldn't be sitting here to talk about it."
"You think so?"
"I don't think our magic would have been very helpful against it," Regulus reasoned.
"Well, we got what we came for," Otto shrugged. "Time to move on, I say."
"What if he comes again?"
"If that happens again," Harry said, "one of us will be there to handle it. From now on, you tell me or anyone else in the Order about any plans you might have, and if we think that they are too involved, we will do it together. Going by yourselves, running into strange beings - that's too dangerous."
"I agree with Harry," Ron nodded. "It is too dangerous."
Whereas he might have normally rebelled against the parental intrusion into his affairs, this time Regulus found it sensible to agree. "I guess so."
"I'm going to go see how Holly is doing," Otto said, "Albus is with her, apparently."
"I'll come with you," Regulus also stood up; he gave Harry a brief, but significant, glance, as he departed with Otto.
"I still don't know what we're up against here," Ron was thinking out loud. "The Unspeakables, we know about, but they have support, that is now helping us. How is that possible?"
"Whoever, or whatever, it is that is making them powerful, might be stronger than them or us," Harry raised a concern.
"Well, what of it then?"
"It could lead anywhere."
***
"Two down, one to go," Draco was upbeat for some reason. "The sooner we get it over with, the sooner we go back to England."
The border with Greece was not far and the news of the recent encounter had managed to stir everyone to a degree.
"We'll leave soon enough," Ginny told the love of her life yet again, "just be patient."
Preparations were indeed being made to move as soon as possible. There was an unspoken worry among them all that the visitation might expose their location to the Unspeakables and a midnight raid could end badly for them.
Regulus had not ventured far - he understood the risk of doing so. Instead, he quietly helped with packing, did not talk much to Andromeda or the others and kept replaying the scene in his mind's eye. Silent anger at himself kept welling up. He had his wand trained on the strange visitor, but he could not do anything. It was as if his mind was frozen, unable to grind back into action, despite at the same time feeling awake, alert and teetering on the edge of engaging the most powerful offensive spell he knew. It was indeed an odd feeling. Yet, the lives of five more people were depending on him at that moment, and he ran the very real risk of failing them. The scathing voice in his head kept reminding him of the fact and would not give him peace.
"Are you okay?" Andromeda put a hand on his shoulder - her touch made him jump slightly.
"Yes."
"You've been quiet all day. What's up?"
"Absolutely nothing," he gave her a ghost of a smile.
"Sure?"
"Yes."
She didn't press him. When he was this quiet, there was usually a reason - if only she could read him better, she might know what it was, but his expression remained as inscrutable as ever.
Draco and Ron had left later in the morning to keep an eye for any welcome guests, Unspeakables and strange beings materializing out of thin air, among others. Harry had promised to let them know when they were ready to go and he thought that the packing was going ahead of schedule. He made sure the edelweiss was safely put away beside the dog rose, so nothing would happen to these essentially vital ingredients.
Outside, Draco was pacing back and forth, twirling his wand in one hand and flicking a cigarette in the other.
"You think they might show again?"
Ron was about as calm as Draco. "I hope not. Gimme a light, will you?"
He took in a long drag and closed his eyes for a moment. It relaxed him momentarily.
"How's it going?"
Luna had come out, accompanied by Ginny. Both women had not been far away, keeping an eye on their husbands amid a tense conversation of their own.
Ron took another long drag. "Good." He threw another glance in the direction of the trees.
"You know, we're almost ready to go," Ginny said with a hint of a smile. "Change of scenery will help things."
"Scenery is fine," Draco looked around wistfully. "It's Unspeakables I don't like."
"Go back inside," Ron said. "Two targets out here are enough."
"I'll check with Harry again," Luna gave him a pointed look.
"You do - Protego!"
The unidentifiable spell slammed into the shield and almost brought Ron down to the ground from the sheer force of the impact as it veered off into the air.
"Incarcerous!"
The ropes shot out of Draco's wand at a blinding speed and took their attacker by surprise. Moments later, the masked man was roughly dragged out from behind a nearby grove of trees, bound and gagged by the ropes.
"Make sure he has no other buddies," Draco turned to Ron as he temporarily stunned their new captive.
"Back me up, and let's go take a closer look," Ron told him. "You two keep an eye here, eh?"
Ginny and Luna had had their wands out the moment the shield had gone up. "Not a problem."
"It's not safe here anymore," Ron said. "We have to go."
Draco severed the undergrowth in the grove with a slash of his wand and when the leaves and debris settled, they were met by no resistance.
"Look around."
With the odd chirp from the birds up in the trees, there was nothing identifiable as a threat. Draco and Ron waited, fingers twitching to disable the first opponent that -
A shadow flittered a hundred yards from Ron.
"There!"
Draco immediately turned to where Ron was pointing. Both of them could identify the silhouette of a running figure.
"Stupefy!"
Both spells found their target.
"Was he chasing someone else?"
"Keep an eye out."
They approached the collapsed figure cautiously, but again, the surroundings were deceptively silent. He was clad in the distinctive black robe of the Unspeakables. Two significant knives were protruding from the sides of the high leather boots. His right hand was heavily tattooed with unrecognizable symbols up to the elbow. He groaned as the spells were beginning to wear off their effect.
"Tie him up and let's get him back to camp," Ron said. "We're not leaving quite yet."
"Might have to take it in stride," Draco argued, "who knows how many more ferrets are out here."
"It's probably not worth the risk," Ron came around to his point of view.
"Of course not. I think it's best we keep them subdued until we get to Greece."
"Yeah, before they kill themselves like last time. We don't have any Veritaserum, do we?" Ron wondered.
"You know I have a vile on me at all times," Draco smiled almost condescendingly. "It will be enough for these two."
Why he was running remained a mystery, as Draco and Ron were not flagged down, attacked or forced to fight by any other intruders. It seemed he was chasing something or someone and that prey made a successful escape.
They returned with the second prisoner, bound up as tightly as the first, and effectively subdued by magical means. In a twist of fate, they needed to keep them both alive.
"He hasn't been any trouble, has he?" Ron indicated the first unconscious Unspeakable.
"Not at all," Ginny said. "Luna gave him a potion to keep him sleeping for the next 2-3 days."
"Good, we could do the same for this one," Draco dropped the other one on the ground, before stupefying him again. "Soon. I don't want to keep doing this every ten minutes."
"I'll be right back," Luna jumped to her feet; she had been looking closely at the face of the Unspeakable for some reason only she knew.
"Why does getting three simple ingredients for a potion have to be so difficult?" Draco expressed his frustration rhetorically.
"Harry says we're all set to go," Luna came back out with a small bottle in her hand. "You two should get ready."
**
This time the journey was longer, as the destination was Argos, all the way south into the Peloponnesian peninsula. The hope was that the distance would make them difficult to track and they would be able to guarantee a short-lived break from the Unspeakables. Through the contacts of Charlie's friend, the Bulgarian Ministry of Magic had dispatched a modest detachment of three specialized wizards to accompany them clandestinely for additional security.
They were apparating from point to point along the western coast of Greece to minimize the chances of being followed. There was no trace of the Unspeakables, but nobody was willing to enjoy the scenery and wait for them to show up.
The last sough-after ingredient was the violet flower. Hermione had been sidetracked while they were in the Rila Mountains with looking where the violets, specified in the potion recipe, grew most abundantly. Coming up with Argos in the Peloponnese had been fortunate, because it was far enough to give them the peace they needed to look for it.
While the duration via apparition was not long, the method of doing it repeatedly drained a wizard significantly. Regulus had to side-along Albus at one point and Andromeda performed the same favour for Holly. The crack team of three paid almost no attention to their troubles, as one went ahead, one stayed with the party, and the last trailed behind as the rear guard. Fortunately, the arrival in Argos was free of incidents.
Overlooking it from a hill above, the ancient town was peaceful and quiet. One and two-storey, white-washed houses with vivid red roof tiles lined the streets among the ancient ruins of the city's long history. Several churches were visible among the remains of ancient roads, temples and the imposing amphitheatre at the bottom of the hill they were standing on. Citrus tree farms were visible on the outskirts and in some of the backyards of the white-washed houses. The weather was rather warm too, with a blue sky and not a single cloud marring the beautiful day.
"Let's not get comfortable," Harry said.
"Anybody see the damned violet around here?" Draco always became edgy when he was tired, and apparition had taken its toll.
"Look, I got a better idea," Ron offered, "most of us can go look around for this flower. While that's going on, we have a chance to get anything we can out of these two." He motioned to the two prisoners, still unconscious and bound and lying next to one another.
"This might actually not be a total waste," Draco was growing ever more cynical. "I guess I can have some fun with these good-for-nothings."
"That's the spirit," Harry told him ironically. "Andromeda, how would you and the rest of the gang like to go find the flower? Charlie and the others can come - there's safety in numbers."
"The sooner we get out of here, the better," she scoffed. "Let's go people!"
The lack of argument surprised her a little. Regulus marched right up and fell in step beside her. Albus and Otto flanked them and Holly and Jane followed almost immediately. Charlie, Ginny, Hermione and Luna fell a little further back, keeping a wary eye for any conspicuously black-clad wizards with ill-intent.
"Why are you so edgy?" Regulus chanced to ask Andromeda.
"Nothing," she told him off tersely.
"It's obviously something," he did not back down.
"It's not fair."
"What?"
"This whole thing."
"Going to find three stupid flowers and having the odd adventure? I don't see the downside," he cracked a small smile.
"We're getting fired at and running into aliens," she said. "How fair is that!"
"Aliens?"
"What else could that thing we ran into be?"
"A wizard on magical heroin? I don't know," he shrugged, but did manage to get an involuntary smile from Andromeda.
"I don't know either," she looked down. "But it does not feel right."
He had some idea of what she meant. "What I want to know is how they managed to track us all the way to Romania."
"Using any magical means of transportation can be easily tracked," Andromeda shrugged. "Didn't we portkey to Romania?"
"Yes."
"Well, there you go," she said. "the activation of a portkey is among the easiest things to pick up."
"That would explain quite a bit then," Regulus said.
"They keep attacking us, though," Andromeda raised another point, "if they have this alien with them, why don't they just eliminate us outright?"
"Maybe they have no interest to do so," Regulus replied after a moment's contemplation. "Waiting it out until we get back to England, maybe. It just means we have to be doubly careful about what we say and do."
"You don't see the darned flower anywhere, do you?"
"No," he swivelled his head left and right. "You?"
"Nope."
They had not been walking for very long, but the warm day was making the search progressively difficult. No Unspeakables to speak of had been spotted, so that was indeed a temporary relief that allowed a relatively straightforward mission to be more so and less fraught with occasional battles, interesting encounters and incessant vigil.
"Look, there!"
Holly was pointing at a clearing between the trees, not too far from them, in which a grove of violets huddled amid the grass.
"Finally," Regulus breathed a sigh of relief. "We can finally go back to Hogwarts."
"Just wait," Hermione spoke up from the rear.
"What?" Regulus turned at the unexpected warning.
"We need to know it's not a trap."
"We haven't run across anything or anyone the entire time we've been out here, mum," Andromeda reasoned, with a hint of impatience permeating her own tone.
"Hermione is right," Ginny supported her nearly lifelong friend, and fell in stride beside Hermione as the two of them proceeded ahead of everyone else down to the clearing.
"We're all grown up, you know," Albus muttered into Regulus' ear to avoid being heard.
"Yeh, yeh," Regulus replied almost cynically. "Don't expect them to see that."
"We faced an alien alone," Andromeda joined the silent rally.
"Doesn't matter," Otto cut across the rising sentiments, "let's get the damn flower and get out of here."
"I'd love to come back for a vacation, though," Holly brightened up the exchange a little.
"That's not a bad idea at all," Jane changed the course for good. "Otto, will you take me when this is all done and over?"
"Maybe," Otto smiled devilishly. "Or I could take the guys and we'd chase sirens while we're out and about here."
"You wouldn't dare," Jane was sadly not amused by his crack.
"Fine, you can watch," he pushed it over the top. It earned him a glare and a punch in the arm.
"Mind your mouth, mate," Regulus told him. "We make these plans when the girls are not around."
"Luna, how many flowers do we need?" Hermione's voice carried from the clearing.
Luna took out a piece of parchment out of her pocket and consulted its contents. "Five!"
"We'll take the whole grove," Hermione said and with a flick of wand, the small violet colony came up by the roots with the soil around them.
"Here," Ginny conjured a pot and beckoned Hermione to place the flowers in it; then she shrank it with her own wand and placed it protectively inside the purse she was carrying.
The return trip did not offer any significant excitement either, positive or negative. They emerged back to their starting point, with Harry, Ron and Draco all huddled around the two prisoners, paying close attention to what the captives were saying.
"Hi!"
Harry turned around quickly. "Welcome back," he relaxed almost immediately when he saw who had returned. "Success?"
"Yes," Ginny showed him the purse. "How is it going over here?"
"Good," he nodded approvingly, "and not bad at all. Veritaserum is doing the trick. Ron and I are keeping them subdued, since the potion can't quite manage that on its own."
"Interesting," Hermione said, "is there anything useful coming out of it?"
"They're saying a few things of consequence, yes," Harry shook his head in the affirmative.
"Who sent you?" Draco had conjured up a quill and parchment and was attentively preparing to take down the answer he received from the captive.
"Anu," came the deadpan answer.
"Who is Anu?"
"Kamm's Leader."
"Why Kamm's leader?"
"He is Kamm's Leader."
"It's a he," Draco turned to Harry and Ron. "Where is Anu?"
"I don't know," the unfocused eyes turned back in their sockets, revealing the whites.
"What does Anu do?"
"Alien leader."
"Why is he here?"
"I don't know."
"When did you speak to him last?" Draco was showing signs of frustration with the uncooperative prisoner.
"I don't know."
"Forget it," Ron said. "Let's do the other one."
"Fine," Draco pushed the first one away. "Sit him up."
Carefully, the last of the Veritaserum was administered to the second Unspeakable.
"Who are you?"
"Fighter number seven."
"What's your name?"
"Fighter number seven."
Three pairs of eyebrows rose sceptically. "Since when does Kamm get this creative with naming his lackeys?"
"Great Lord Anu named me," came another deadpan answer.
"He's a Great Lord now?" Draco said. "I'd love to kick his arse."
"He is the Great Lord Anu."
"Why did you attack us?" Draco resumed his interrogation, quill tight in hand.
"To eliminate Harry Potter."
"Why do you want to eliminate Harry Potter?"
"Herr Kamm's orders."
"What does this Anu want with Harry?"
"To eliminate Regulus Malfoy."
"What?:
"To eliminate Regulus Malfoy."
"What are you talking about?"
"I don't know."
"Tell me the truth!" Draco was visibly angrier now that his son had been implicated.
"He has only to touch Anu and he will die."
Unable to hold his anger back, Draco stood up and released the frustration with a punch to the Unspeakable's face.
"Do you know anything else!"
Despite the bloodied lip, the second prisoner showed no signs of stirring, but something else happened entirely - his eyes became peculiarly focused and while someone might have said that he was in control of himself, there was the distinct impression that his eyes were notably empty.
"For the sake of humanity, unite with Kamm."
"Wha-"
At that moment, both Unspeakables burst into flame, forcing Harry, Ron and Draco to jump back in shock and surprise. Not a minute later, both had been reduced to smoking piles of ash, surrounded by the burnt remains of the ropes.
"What in the blazing hell happened?" Ron had trouble gaining his wits about.
"I don't know," Harry's jaw was set and his mind was racing. "But we have to leave, right now."
"Charlie, come with us," Ginny said. "It will be safer for you and your wife for the time being."
"Especially with a child on the way," Hermione added, taking out the portkeys from her knapsack. "Portus," she tapped each object with her wand.
They left the pristine surroundings one after another, with Charlie and his wife taking the lead. Regulus felt the familiar pull behind his navel, as the ruins, the blue sky and the trees merged into an unrecognizable blur and he was on his way back to England.
The stakes had been raised. Someone wanted him dead and he had the strange feeling that his personal encounter was connected to the fact - it had been Anu, and he realized he was lucky to count himself alive.
A/N: First update in a ridiculously long time. I'd appreciate a review, tell me what you think!
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