The Talisman of Monguk

Chapter 21: The Catacombs of St. Meliflua's

As the month of May wore on, the members of the Order grew increasingly concerned over the looming war. The talisman weighed oppressively on everyone's mind. Death Eaters still guarded the public entrances to St. Meliflua's Cathedral. Tonks had made several visits to the church to search for hidden entrances, but without success. Finally, at the end of May, she found a secret passage by means of a serendipitous accident. While exploring the north transept of the cathedral, she stumbled and fell into a carved panel behind the statue of St. Meliflua. The panel pivoted and dumped her into a passage behind the wall. She followed the tunnel to its end behind several vending machines in the Underground station.

Finally, having the access that they needed, the members of the Order of the Phoenix prepared to retrieve the talisman. Eight members volunteered for this mission: Tonks, Kingsley, Mad-Eye Moody, Lupin, Angela, Paul Hawkins, and the Weasley twins, Fred and George.

It was late one evening in early June, when they all assembled in the Waterloo Underground station. They arrived in pairs from different directions to avoid suspicion and met in front of the vending machines. They dressed in Muggle fashion. Fred and George wore lightweight jackets with bulging pockets. Mad-Eye stared, fixing his magical eye on them. He noted that their pockets were stuffed with joke shop merchandise.

"What's all that for?" he growled.

"Just a few things that we thought might come in handy," answered Fred with a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

"I'll be keeping my eye on you two," Moody remarked, flashing them a dubious look.

When Tonks arrived with Kingsley, Paul perked up, immediately gravitating to her side. Tonks greeted this development with an exasperated sigh. She rolled her eyes. Angela watched the proceedings with amusement, half expecting Tonks to screw up her face and change her appearance to something truly hideous. But Tonks merely eyed her unwanted suitor with a look of annoyance. This, of course, did not dissuade Paul in the least. He continued to hover by her side. And Angela realized that her usually protective brother would not be guarding her today with Tonks around to distract him.

Angela glanced over at Lupin. He too was watching the interaction between Paul and Tonks. Then he looked over at her with that same wistful stare that she had seen so often on his face these past months. She was aware that her own face must have registered the same yearning look. His eyes abruptly turned away to stare off down the corridor of the subway station, his expression businesslike.

"Right then, we'd better go in," said Lupin. "We'll attract too much attention if we stay around here much longer."

Glancing around to make sure that no one was watching, he slipped behind the vending machines. "Dissendium!" he uttered and an opening appeared in the wall behind the change machine.

"Come quickly," he urged.

They filed into the passage with wands drawn. The tunnel descended steeply. They reached the end of it in short order. Kingsley, who had gone in first, pushed open a panel and they stepped out into the north wing of the ancient gothic church.

St. Meliflua's cathedral was silent and still. The light from hundreds of floating candles cast eerie shadows on the stone floors. Their footsteps echoed in the now empty church. From their perches on the pillars high above, the eyes of several dozen gargoyles followed their movements. Angela glanced up at the stone statues and shuddered.

Lupin led them to the crossing and behind the elaborately carved screen that hid the altar. They entered the choir and found the entrance to the catacombs behind a large stone ossuary. Lupin knelt down and opened the trap door leading to the crypt. Inside, there was a ladder to the tunnels below.

"We'll need two volunteers to stay up here and guard this entrance," said Lupin.

"I will, if Tonks will stay with me," volunteered Paul with a hopeful glance at Tonks.

She shot back a disparaging look that let him know that she was not at all interested.

"Fred and I will stay," said George with a sly grin.

Moody surveyed them and fixed his magical eye on their stuffed pockets. "We should really take the two of you down with us," he groused. "But I don't want any of those dungbombs going off down in the catacombs. There's precious little fresh air down there as it is."

"Fine, then it's settled," replied Lupin. "Fred and George will stay."

"Then you're going to need this," Moody remarked, handing the boys one of his communicating mirrors. "I'll have the other one. If you run into trouble, just call my name into the mirror and we'll come to help. All right?"

Fred took the mirror and tucked it into his already bursting pockets. Lupin climbed down the ladder into the catacombs. The other five climbed down after him. One by one they uttered "Lumos!" and their wands emitted blue flames to light the darkness before them. They glanced around at their surroundings.

The catacombs were a seemingly endless maze. They were standing in what appeared to be its main hub. There were tunnels radiating from this central hub in all directions. They could see several side passages off of each of these tunnels. Kingsley looked around and let out a low whistle. It echoed endlessly down the many passages.

"Which way do we go?" asked Paul, glancing around at the tunnels with a bewildered expression.

"The map will show us the way," said Angela.

Lupin pulled a gold ball, the map to the talisman, from his pocket. He pointed his wand at it. "Wingardium leviosa!" The ball separated at the seams and sprouted little wings. It fluttered up into the air and hovered in front of them, glowing with a bright green light and awaiting their instructions.

A puzzled look appeared on Kingsley's face. "That map may tell us where to find the talisman," he said. "But how are we going to find our way back out of here?"

Lupin wrinkled his brow and replied, "I hadn't thought of that."

Fred and George, who were listening to the conversation from above, stuck their heads down through the trap door.

"We did!" Fred chimed.

"You can use these," George added, passing down a joke bag.

Tonks took the bag from his hand, reached inside, and pulled out a handful of self-sticking badges that flashed insults and swear words. The words glowed red in the dark tunnel and were visible even from some distance away.

"That'll work," replied Moody with a chuckle, eyeing the boys with a new appreciation.

They each grabbed a handful of the badges and Tonks pocketed the empty bag.

"Are we ready then?" Lupin asked, glancing at the others.

There were murmurs of agreement. Then Lupin pointed his wand at the map and said "Deducio nobis!"

The map made a whirring sound and flew off down one of the passages. It moved with a quick jerky motion and then hovered, waiting for them to follow. It went straight down one passage and then turned abruptly to the right. A short distance later, it turned again. The passages narrowed. They trudged on after it through the tunnels, stopping every now and then to stick another badge to the wall to mark their way.

The tunnels were dank and cold. Angela shivered and pulled her light cardigan tightly around her. She wished that she'd thought to wear something heavier. On and on the map lead them through many twists and turns, until they were deep in the heart of the crypt and almost out of badges. Then it stopped and hovered in front of a blank wall.

"What's this?" grumbled Moody, his magical eye spinning. "Another dead end?"

"There must be a door hidden here somewhere," suggested Lupin with a frown.

The six of them held their wands up to the wall and searched it, but found nothing. Moody tried several spells, but to no avail. Kingsley stepped back from the wall, looking very discouraged. They were all weary and frustrated. Tonks sat down on the cold stone floor and buried her head in her arms. Paul sat down next to her. Lupin ran his hand through his hair and stood staring at the wall, thinking.

"Blasted map!" griped Moody.

"There's an idea!" Kingsley suggested, half-seriously. "We could blast the wall."

Still the map hovered in front of them, whirring and waiting expectantly. Angela stepped over to the map to examine it more closely. As she did, she heard a crunching sound under her feet. Her eyes scanned the floor and saw that she'd stepped on the bones of some small animal. She lowered her wand to take a closer look and, to her surprise, saw markings carved into the floor.

"Down here," she exclaimed, kneeling down and brushing away the bones with her hand.

They all gathered around her, their wands illuminating the spot. There, carved into the stone floor, were markings similar to those on the map, but with a small circular indentation in the center. A look of understanding flashed across Lupin's face. He grabbed the map in his hand and tapped it with his wand. The wings retracted into the globe. Then he inserted the map into the indentation. It fit perfectly.

The tunnels around them began to shake and rumble. Dust and pieces of rock shook loose from the walls of the passageway and tumbled to the ground before them.

"Get back!" yelled Moody with alarm.

In panic, they scattered and dove for cover. Angela bolted down the tunnel, fleeing the scene. She heard footsteps right behind her. Her head turned to see Lupin. His hand reached out and pulled her into the shelter of a side passage.

"Get down and cover your head," he yelled above the din.

She crouched down in the passageway, shielding her head with her arms. Lupin knelt beside her. She felt his arm brush against her shoulder.

Angela heard an ear-splitting groan, the sound of stone scraping against stone. Her hands clamped over her ears, trying to block out the grating noise. Her eyes squeezed shut. She grimaced, thinking that her eardrums would burst from the thunderous cacophony.

As suddenly as it began, the grinding noise stopped, its echo sweeping over her and down through the tunnel. The shaking ceased. Angela heard the plinking of a few pebbles hitting the stone floors. Then silence fell over the crypt once more.

She glanced over at Lupin. She could see his face illuminated in the dim light of his wand, solemn and careworn. He nodded to her. They scrambled to their feet and retraced their steps.

The others ventured from their hiding places and reconvened in the passageway. They stared with dumbstruck looks in front of them. What once had been a wall of solid rock was gone, revealing the chamber that had been concealed behind it.

Lupin stepped over the rubble into the chamber, his wand clutched in his fist. He brushed aside the cobwebs with his arms. His footsteps sent up clouds of dust, as he approached the stone dais in the middle of the chamber. His eyes scanned the pedestal and the golden chest perched upon it. The small box was covered in gold leaf, inlaid with gems, and carved with ancient runes like those on the map.

The others followed Lupin into the chamber and gathered around the dais. Moody waved his wand over the box, uttering incantations and checking for hexes. When he was satisfied, he nodded to the others. Lupin's hand reached for the lid, his steely gaze fixed upon the chest. Circumspectly, he raised the cover. Six pairs of eyes peered into the box to see a circular golden charm with an enormous ruby in the center, surrounded by ancient Goblin writing. They had found the Talisman of Monguk!

Caught up in the moment, Tonks let out a whoop of triumph. Moody hissed. His hand clamped over her mouth, but it was too late. Her cry reverberated throughout the caverns ominously. They tensed, waiting with wands drawn. Their expectation was met by silence. One by one, they let down their guard.

"We've been far too careless," Moody growled, his magical eye still spinning.

"I agree," Lupin whispered, glancing toward the chamber opening. "We'd best get out of here. The sooner the better."

"Remus, you take the talisman," Kingsley suggested with a nod to Lupin. "I'll take the box. If we're attacked, I can draw them off with it, while you escape."

"Good idea!" agreed Lupin.

He took hold of the amulet, wrapped it in his handkerchief, and placed it carefully in the inside breast pocket of his overcoat. Kingsley picked up the golden box, and tucked it inside his own coat.

They picked their way through the rubble out of the chamber. Then they retraced their steps through the catacombs, removing the markers as they progressed. The journey back out seemed even more endless than the trip in. They walked cautiously, casting furtive glances down every side tunnel and passage, expecting an attack around every corner. Finally, they reached the central hub and the ladder to the cathedral. The trap door was still open. Paul climbed up first, followed by Tonks.

"Hey," Tonks whispered with a puzzled expression. "Where are Fred and George?"

The choir seemed oddly deserted. Fred and George were not in sight, but an unexploded dungbomb and a couple of other joke shop goodies lay scattered on the floor near the trap door.

"Perhaps they're out in the main part of the cathedral deploying some prank of theirs," suggested Paul, eyeing the dungbomb.

Kingsley jumped up out of the crypt and stood next to Paul. He had his wand out, expecting trouble. Moody's head emerged from the tunnel after him. Moody paused, his magical eye scanning the room. He spotted the mirror that he'd given the boys, laying on the stone floor near the carved screen. He frowned and his eyes narrowed. He waved a warning to Lupin, who was still inside the catacombs.

Angela approached the ladder to follow Moody, but Lupin grabbed her and held her back. In an instant, he extinguished both their wands and pulled her with him into the shadows, out of sight. Moody climbed out of the crypt and closed the trap door, leaving Angela and Lupin down in the pitch darkness.

"What's happening?" Angela whispered with alarm.

"Hush," Lupin whispered back. "Just listen."

Her eyes struggled to focus in the blackness of the catacombs, but it was useless. Her hand reached out and fumbled for Lupin in the dark. She found his arm and grabbed hold of it. He pulled her into a protective embrace. She leaned against him, straining every nerve to hear what was happening in the room above them.

As soon as Moody had closed the trap door, eight hooded Death Eaters emerged from the adjacent statuary. They surrounded the four with their wands drawn.

"Well done!" drawled the cold voice of Lucius Malfoy. "Now, we'll take the talisman, if you please."

Moody rose to his feet and faced the masked Death Eater.

"What have you done with Fred and George?" he growled, fixing his magical eye on Malfoy with a menacing glare.

"Let's just say that they are tied up at the moment," Malfoy sneered.

"They'd better be unharmed," snarled Moody.

"I should think that the Weasley's would be happy to have two less mouths to feed," drawled Malfoy cruelly.

Several of the other Death Eaters sniggered. One cackled with a high-pitched mirthless laugh.

"Why you...I oughta," sputtered Moody, drawing his wand and jabbing it toward Malfoy's chest.

"Tut! Tut! Such a temper!" Malfoy replied, lazily brushing Moody's wand aside with his own. "The boys will be returned unharmed, if you hand over the talisman."

"We won't give it up so easily," blustered Moody, with his good eye trained on Malfoy and his magical eye spinning. "You'll have to take it from us."

He aimed his wand at the dungbomb. It exploded with a bang! In the smoke and confusion that ensued, the four drew their wands and dueled with the Death Eaters.

Down below in the crypt, the smoke and stench from the bomb filled the passage. Coughing, Lupin lit his wand. Then he opened the trap door and climbed up into the mayhem. Angela followed right behind. They dashed toward the archway to the nave, sending curses at the unsuspecting Death Eaters around them.

To their surprise, they found three Death Eaters stuck in a large brackish puddle near the main entrance to the cathedral, struggling to extricate themselves from a tar-like substance. Long, black, elastic bands extended from their limbs and robes to the puddle below. Their attempts to lift leg and limb proved futile, as the rubbery substance stretched and then contracted with a snap, encasing them further in the mire.

Fred and George stood bound to one of the marble columns near the nave. Their Death Eater guard was flailing his arms, trying to get rid of a bat that was attacking him. Lupin sent a Stunning Spell at the Death Eater. The guard slumped to the ground, the bat still fluttering about his face.

Lupin was about to free the boys, when George managed to cut through the ropes himself with a crescent-shaped object. George waved the object at Lupin and flashed him a mischievous grin.

"It's one of our newest inventions," George yelled. "Blasted Boomerangs!"

George gave the boomerang a lethal flick. The object soared through the air straight at the three Death Eaters in the pit. They ducked to avoid it, getting even more ensnared in the muck. The boomerang changed direction before hitting the back door and soared up toward the ceiling. It nicked one of the pillars, sending a shower of sparks onto the floor below. The gargoyle on the pillar flapped its wings and glared down at the boys.

Meanwhile, Fred grabbed their wands from the prone form of the Death Eater and ran to join the duel. As he passed Lupin, he shouted, "So how do you like our Tar Pit?"

"Brilliant!" Lupin replied, chuckling.

By now, all the duelers had emerged from behind the screen and were in the main part of the cathedral. Two Death Eaters rushed forward, engaging Lupin and Angela in battle. Kingsley took on two opponents at once, his wand a blur.

Moody took a hard hit to the chest in his own battle with a Death Eater. The impact of the curse sent him smashing into the wall. His magical eye popped loose and rolled across the smooth marble floor. His opponent stepped on it and fell, his legs flying out from under him and his arms spinning like windmills. The Death Eater landed flat on his back on the marble floor with a groan.

"Hey!" yelled Moody as he scrambled after his eye. "Watch where you're stepping!"

Paul stuck close to Tonks, trying valiantly to protect her, although she hardly needed it. However, one spell got past her defenses and knocked her backwards. In retaliation, Paul sent a hex directly at her attacker that hit its mark.

Just then, Fred and George set off several dungbombs and hurled them about the cathedral. In the chaos that followed, Lupin saw his opportunity to escape. He aimed a spell at his Death Eater. "Confundus!" His opponent faltered and stared back at him with vacant eyes. Lupin grabbed Angela's hand and they sprinted for the statue of St. Meliflua.

Seeing their flight, Angela's opponent started after them. Then Malfoy, who was dueling Kingsley, caught a glimpse of the golden box under Kingsley's coat.

"Let them go!" Malfoy ordered. "It's a trick! The Auror's got the talisman!"

"They won't get far anyway!" a high-pitched female voice added with a wicked laugh.

All the Death Eaters closed in on Kingsley. The other five members of the Order rallied around the muscular Auror to defend him. Lupin and Angela disappeared behind the panel.

With the talisman still tucked under his coat, Lupin led Angela down the hidden passageway. Minutes later, they emerged out from behind the change machine into the deserted Underground station. They looked both ways and dashed for the stairs up to the street.

Suddenly, Angela felt an impenetrable cold that cut through the warm spring night, chilling her to the bone. One...then two...then a dozen creatures in black hooded cloaks descended the stairs, blocking their escape. The creatures hovered just above the ground, like vile specters. Rattling noises emanated from the dark holes under their hoods. They closed in on their prey.

Lupin turned, grabbed Angela's hand, and ran for the other exit. They skidded to a halt, as more dementors appeared to block their path. Angela's head spun, looking for another exit, but there were no others. They were trapped in the hallway. Standing side by side, they drew their wands.

"I'll take the ones on the stairs," Lupin instructed. "You take the others. Remember, it's 'Expecto patronum!'"

His face wore an encouraging look, but she could see doubt in his blue-gray eyes. He turned away, now fixing his gaze on the nearest dementors.

"Expecto patronum!" he shouted, sending a silvery form in the direction of the stairs.

The first few dementors stopped and stood, unable to move past the silvery guardian. But seconds later, they were joined by others. The silvery cloud could not hold them all back. A scaly clawed hand emerged from under a dementor's cloak and swatted the silvery substance aside.

Angela struggled to find a joyous memory, as feelings of despair enveloped her. This was much harder than in the hallway at Grimmauld Place. She summoned her courage and focused her thoughts on her summer in Italy. "Expecto patronum!" A thin wisp of silver emerged from her wand and hovered before her. She panicked. Desperately, she tried to gather her thoughts. The chill bore down on her, rolling over her like waves and sweeping all her happy memories away with them.

The dementors were closer now. Her eyesight clouded over in a fog of white mist. The rattling breath rang in her ears. She was transported to her father's funeral, his face pale with death in his casket. Her mother was weeping, heartbroken at his side. Waves of misery swept over her. She felt her knees give way.

Instinctively, her arms reached for Lupin to stop her fall. She took hold of him and clung to him for support, too weak to do anything else. He put his arm around her and pulled her to his chest.

"There are too many," she heard him utter. And then with steely determination in his voice, he cried out, "No! I will not let it end this way! EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

Her eyes opened to see a silvery wolf emerge from his wand and charge the dementors closest to them. As Angela clung to him, she felt the warmth of his embrace, banishing the cold. She pressed her face to his chest, listening for his heartbeat and feeling the strength of his arm around her. Her hope rekindled. For an instant, her mind cleared. She lifted her head, raised her wand, and uttered the incantation with an inner strength that she never knew she had.

A silvery hawk flew from her wand tip straight for the dementors on the stairs. She saw them stop and retreat as the hawk attacked. Then her strength failed her. She lost consciousness and remembered no more.