Ynunlle

Chapter IX

Day 5

"We have a problem, Edward." It was about 20 minutes before dawn the next morning. Edward, Remus, and Ginny walked over to the observing mirrors.

"What's the problem?" Edward asked.

"We had a visitor last night," Charlie told them. "A vampire. He left us a note.

"Luna! Tonks!" Edward called out.

Luna poked her head out from the kitchen, where the others were putting the finishing touches on lunch and finishing the prep for dinner. "Yes, Ted?"

"Come on out! In fact, everyone come out! It's important."

"A vampire left us a message. Ginny, stand in front. Luna, Hermione, you stand here. When I give you the word, press the tile to expand the tent. Charlie, you look forward, Remus back. Luna left, Hermione right. I look forward up, Tonks back. Keep looking until I tell you to stop! Harry, Neville, stand back and try to see any mirror we call your attention to. Ready?"

They were. "Hit the tile."

"Nothing?" Edward asked over a minute later.

"Nothing," the others said.

"Then I'll go out and retrieve it. Be right back."

"Keep a good eye out, everyone!" Remus called.

Edward was back in less than a minute. He and Remus huddled together to translate it. "Rough translation, 'Outsiders, we are not pleased but understand your actions. Twenty Unclean and young Dark Outsider,'" he looked at Remus. "I read that as Outsider, singular, right?"

"Right."

"'. . . young Unclean Outsider five or six miles behind you. If you can be hidden and desire, let them go past you. We will join unto you and. . . ."

"Smite them?" Remus asked.

"Seems like. Signed, the Lord of the Day, of the Old Ones." Edward thought. "No, let's get to the arch. Let me write this person a note."

"Won't these 'Unclean' just read it?" Harry asked.

"And how could there be a young Outsider trapped here? Wouldn't someone have a record of it?" Hermione asked next.

"Let me write this," Edward almost growled. "I want as many miles as we can get today. Neville, carry a shotgun. Tonks, Ginny, Harry, shoulder shotguns. You can switch off with me and Charlie. Let's go!"

Outside, Edward laid the parchment on the ground, and said a series of incantations. A monument formed over the parchment, which looked like a mix between an Egyptian ankh and a Celtic cross. "The Old Ones are supposed to be descendants of the people who built the arches and later on, the roads," Edward explained as they moved out. "If this person really is their leader -- that's who the Lord of the Day is supposed to be -- then he should be able to remove the monument."

"I never saw magic like that," Remus stated.

"It's part of the hidden magic I was gifted with in Chad." Edward growled, "I learned a lot more than how to sever someone's head, you know!"

"Do you know what I do but the rest of you don't?" Harry asked.

"What?" Edward asked, puzzled by the question.

"I know who this Outsider is that's leading the Unclean." Harry wrinkled his nose. "Unclean?"

"Ruffians from the western coast and parts of the interior," Remus explained. "How do you know who it is?"

Harry stopped, forcing the others to as well. "Dammit, Harry," Edward complained, "we have to make time! Just spit it out!"

Harry pulled his bangs back. His scar, which had faded to a thin white scar over the previous seven months, was now again red. "It's Tom Riddle Junior. He didn't die in the Chamber of Secrets after all. He must have projected himself through the arch just before his artificial body dissolved."

Ginny fainted into Neville's arms. "Neville! Take her inside the tent. We don't have time to waste! You can both come out on our first break. Let's go!"

They went. Along the way, Hermione managed to ask the question the was in the back of everyone's mind. "Could it be Voldemort instead of Riddle's echo?"

"No," Edward said firmly. "He died, I felt it; he didn't escape."

The group hadn't exactly dawdled when actually moving on their way to the cave. They had taken fairly frequent rests, however, although not very long ones, except for lunch, after they had crossed that first bridge. Now on the way back, they went much faster.

Ginny and Neville came out ninety minutes later, during the first break. Edward sent Luna and Hermione in. They were the most tired, and were starting to slow the group down. After they rejoined the group, just after the fourth hour of daylight, the whole group moved at a steadier pace. There was greater safety in numbers.

They didn't stop for camp until slightly after nightfall, which is when Harry reported Riddle's group had stopped. As best Harry could tell, they had stayed ahead of the group all day, perhaps even gaining a little at first, as Riddle had tried to solve the mystery of Edward's monument. Still, they had lost some ground in the end. If they had been six miles ahead at dawn, they were now under five miles ahead as they entered the tent.

"How far did we go?" Tonks asked, dropping heavily on the large sofa.

"About twenty-six miles," Charlie said. "We're almost back to the blueberries we saw on the second day."

"That's right. That's the same stream outside, isn't it?" Luna asked as Ginny and Neville set the table for dinner.

"Right," Charlie told her.

"Dinner in thirty minutes," Hermione announced. "Everyone take a shower. We can take turns soaking later. After dinner," she finished, looking at Edward, "we can get those explanations that we were in too big a hurry to get today."

Dinner turned out to be pizza and salad. Hermione had been planning it for a surprise, since Dobby had had to get her the pizza sauce and cheeses before they had left Hogwarts. This time, they were all in conference with Dumbledore and Carole.

"I'd hoped our last dinner would be more jolly," Hermione stated after Dumbledore had heard their basic report and he had inquired how they felt.

"It's actually worse than everyone thinks," Harry said, embarrassed.

"In what way?" Edward asked, puzzled.

"Well," Harry said reluctantly, "remember our first night, in the clearing?"

Hermione made the connection immediately. "Your headache!"

Harry nodded. "That's all I thought it was, but I guess I've already forgotten what it was like to be a the verge of a headache my entire life."

"The burned area," Remus said, looking at Edward.

Edward nodded. "Riddle must have burned it, and then set wards on it as an alarm at some point, using the death of the trees as an anchor for the Dark alarm. He must have discovered which valley was near the arch used to go to the cavern."

"That might also explain why he hasn't tried harder to catch up to us," Harry said. "They'll start before dawn, catching up at least one to three miles, and you can bet there's at least one group of his people ahead of us. They can trap us in the hedge area, at one of the bridges, or even the burned-out area."

"There's a storm coming," Remus offered. "It will probably blow over before dawn, but that might delay their start."

"Good," Ginny said in a hard voice. "We meet them all and shoot anyone between us and Riddle. Better yet, let Riddle get ahead of us in the morning, then we shoot him."

Everyone stared at her for a long few seconds. Luna finally turned to Ginny, and said, "Do you really think we should introduce Muggle weapons to this world in such a large, dramatic, traumatic, way?"

"Yes," Ginny stated firmly, crossing her arms. "If none of you will shoot the bastard, I will."

"I think we might have to do just that, near the arch, if it comes down to a confrontation," Harry said.

"A possible solution, but not likely," Dumbledore said.

"Charlie, don't most dragons hunt at night?" Harry asked.

"Yeah."

"Especially early at night?"

"Most prefer to do short hunts early in the morning or just after noon, then the main hunt just after sunset, why?"

"But not just before dawn?"

Charlie shook his head, "Not really."

"How about wyverns?"

"They generally scout in the late afternoon, and hunt in the evenings, too."

"What's your idea, Harry?" Dumbledore asked.

"I think Charlie and I should leave about an hour before dawn, leaving the rest of you in here. Except maybe for Ted, we're the best flyers, and you didn't bring a broom," he added, looking at his cousin. "We're at least eleven walking miles away from the arch, probably closer to twelve, but probably eight by air."

"You can't fly directly to the arch," Carole pointed out. "The protection wards won't allow it."

"But we can fly to any point we want to," Harry retorted. "We should be at the top of that valley before dawn. Now, the only people who should be able to access the warded area are ourselves and Riddle, not his local ruffians, right?"

"Possibly right," Carole told them. "The Unclean are scavengers and worse. They often attack by sea; their villages are mostly on the western shore. Granted, our information is limited, since they shouldn't be so far inland."

"Riddle," Harry answered. "He probably made contact with them before. If he couldn't mind-travel here, his followers could in all his incarnations."

"True," Edward admitted. "So then what do we do if there are a lot of these so-called Unclean guarding the arch?"

"We should come down on the north-east side of the mountain near the arch," Charlie started.

"The one of the north-end of the valley?" Dumbledore checked.

"Exactly. If Riddle's people came from the west, and they're expecting us to come out do the west, they should be concentrated in that area. We can wait for these Light people and see if they can help out, or we can just out-wait everyone."

"How can we out-wait. . . . Oh!" Neville understood.

"We have over three weeks of fresh food, and a couple of months of tinned goods," Harry said. "Riddle probably doesn't have that much food available. There's a good-sized brook that the little stream that comes out of the spring near the arch flows into. If we land near there, we can even get fresh water."

"Better yet, there are some springs on that side of the mountain, too," Dumbledore informed them. "If Riddle's forces are not set up at the last spring at the eastern side of the mountain, it would be an ideal place to set-up camp."

"Are the visions really that bad?" Hermione asked. "Can't we just go now?"

"They are a mixture of bad visions and your worst nightmares," Dumbledore told her. "I don't know if even Harry has seen such . . . malevolence."

"Well, then there's no reason to rush once we get there," Hermione said.

"But we should try to do something if we can," Harry stated firmly, forestalling Ginny.

"What do you mean?" Tonks asked, plainly a little puzzled.

"Remember, Riddle is an evil from our world. If we can get rid of him, we should."

"What will you do? Kill him?" Remus asked mildly.

"He looks human, but he's just a bad memory," Harry told Remus.

"A very terrified memory, if he knows Voldemort is dead," Hermione mused.

"In what way?" Dumbledore asked, curious.

"Riddle made himself into Voldemort in part because he was so terrified of death. I mean, we all are. We don't know for absolute certain if there is anything . . . long after. And if there is, if it is truly eternal or if at some time we still simply . . . cease to exist."

"But we saw Ron," Ginny complained. "There must be . . . something."

"Something," Hermione agreed, "hopefully more than just an echo. Hopefully leading to something . . . permanent. But there are no guarantees. That's what Riddle wanted, a guarantee. And this version of Riddle doesn't even have the possibilities he had in real life. When he's gone, he's gone."

"He probably counted on rejoining his real self," Harry added.

"Perhaps he still does," Dumbledore said. "Regulus was going to at least attempt to make a try for the crystal before the equinox, and next year for certain. If he knows about Riddle, then he might not have revealed that the real Riddle is dead."

"And he certainly wouldn't want to reveal the details," Edward added drily.

Ginny curled up next to Neville. Seeing this, Charlie changed the subject. "So, who are these other folks opposing these . . . well, they can't call themselves the Unclean!"

"The closest in English might be the Buccaneers or Pirates," Carole answered. "The self-proclaimed Old Ones are descended from some of the earliest permanent travelers to Ynunlle. Again, there is a great deal of magic here, but ours seems to work less well, giving the impression that we lose power over time. Still, there are apparently ways to manipulate the magic here which is different than ours. Most people here have our forms of magic, but only the Old Ones seem to know how to fully use the magic native here."

"But they aren't supposed to be here," Dumbledore said with great concern. "They rarely leave their island, which is over two thousand miles away!"

"Riddle again," Harry stated. "If he's organizing the pirates of this world, and he's part of Voldemort's and Regulus' plans, then he's probably causing enough trouble to draw them here."

"And we should help get rid of Riddle," Ginny muttered. Neville hugged her, gaining him a dirty look from Charlie.

"I agree with Harry," Tonks said. "Getting rid of Riddle isn't our top priority, but it should be up towards the top, or at least a consideration."

"What do you think?" Luna asked Hermione.

"I think Harry and Tonks are right, as long as we come up with a good plan before the confrontation. If I understand correctly, Riddle hasn't been here long enough to start losing his effectiveness." She looked up at Carole and Dumbledore as she said it.

Both nodded. Carole added, "And if the Riddle of that period could use the killing curse, it would still work." That gave everyone pause.

"So," Remus said, "are we in agreement that we let Harry and Charlie fly the habitat, with us in it? From there, we play it by ear, hoping for an advantageous situation to confront Riddle?"

Tonks and Neville raised their hands. Harry, Luna, and Hermione looked at each other, and raised their hands. Ginny did the same, followed by Remus.

"Well, I guess that's what we're doing, then," Charlie grumbled.

"No," Hermione stated. She stood and stared Charlie in the eye. "We should be unanimous. What are your objections? If they're anything more than worrying about Ginny, I know I will listen."

Charlie looked back, gulped, and raised his hands in surrender. "And you?" Hermione demanded of Edward.

"Good plan!" he said hurriedly.

Harry now stood. "Now that we know what we're going to do, I guess we should let the elders here decide what sort of message to leave this Day Lord or whatever. My only suggestion is that you tell them about Riddle's echo and Voldemort's death, and add an explanation of why we blew the cave, just in case they're angrier than they seem."

"Good plan," Hermione agreed, taking Harry's left hand.

Luna stood and took his right. "If you and Charlie are leaving an hour early, I guess we should turn in early."

"We can have breakfast after you and Charlie land, though," Hermione decided.

"Ginny, Neville, shall we all retire?" Luna asked. Charlie started making strangling noises.

Ginny gave Neville a private wink and stood, pulling Neville along. She linked hands with Luna, and the quintet managed to snake their way out of the room.

"I swear, if they don't kill me, I'll kill them," Charlie growled.

"Since Luna, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville could all out-duel you, and Harry could probably out-duel ninety-nine per cent of all the Aurors and hit-wizards there are, I have to ask, what kind of flowers do you want at your funeral?" Tonks asked.

Charlie gave everyone a dirty look, and said, "I'm going to go polish my broomstick."

"Lonely?" Remus couldn't help but ask. Charlie blushed and fled the room.

"Shall we compose our letter?" Dumbledore asked.

As the younger quintet entered their corridor, Ginny blocked the trio's way to their bedrooms. "Thanks, for everything today," Ginny said quietly. She kissed each of the trio on the cheek, and then walked with Neville to their bedroom.

"I believe there shall be some harsh discussions at the Burrow at some point," Luna commented after the bedroom door shut.

"True," Hermione said. "Still, first things first." The trio played 'Odd & Even' until they had determined Hermione would be the center of attention that evening.

Day 6

The normal wake-up alarms went off just before 10:45 at night by the Ynunlle clock. This morning, Harry managed to get up at 9:45 without waking up Luna or Hermione. He left them tangled together, and left quietly. He got dressed in his own room.

Remus came into the kitchen a few minutes after 10:00, and found Harry making a large pot of coffee. "Good idea," he managed to say.

"Where Charlie and Ted very angry after we left?" Harry asked.

Remus shrugged. "Ted still isn't used to listening to anyone, except maybe Carole, so he really wasn't angry. Charlie is more angry that Ginny and Neville are sleeping together, and worried that she might be sleeping with the three of you, than he was about anything else. And, of course, he's worried about Ginny possibly meeting up with Riddle again."

"It might be a good thing," Harry replied. "Maybe she can finally put the worst of the nightmares behind her if she actually sees him destroyed."

"Maybe," Remus agreed. "Tell me honestly, do you really think you can have both Luna and Hermione as lovers? Long term, I mean?"

"If that's how it was, probably not," Harry replied frankly. "But right now, Luna and Hermione love each other almost as much as they love me. I think seeing that vision of us living as a family appealed to both of them as much as it did to me. Luna lost her mother, and she really needs to take care of people. Hermione was also an only child. Her parents love her, but while they don't hate our world like the Dursleys always did, they don't understand it. Together, the three of us are stronger than any combination. I know, when it comes out there will be big stink. I have the money to ignore a lot of it -- we don't have to depend on anyone's liking us or our lifestyle to survive. They can hate us for defeating the Dark Lord, or being Muggle-born, or being a Seer, or for our lifestyle. Screw'em."

"Do you still plan on being an Auror?" Remus asked.

"I plan on doing the training," Harry retorted. "I don't trust the Ministry enough to work for them. I'll work as a warlock."

Remus nodded. Harry as an independent agent made more sense than a government employee of any kind. "The others should be checking the replay from last night."

"I'll bring the coffee in a few minutes."

Remus left him to it.