The Figure Clothed in Black

Chapter Twenty-Two: Two cups of Water and Fingernails

Harry staggered as his feet slammed into solid ground. He squinted and looked around. They were standing in an alley, but that didn't give relief from the glaring sun overhead. He felt a light tap on the head. A second later he could look around without squinting.

"Thanks, Sirius. It sure makes things a lot easier."

They walked out into one of the numerous market places near the Nile River.

"Stay close," Sirius said quietly. "You never know who can be here, Death Eater or not."

Harry nodded absently, looking around at what people were selling. He was reminded of the time when he had first came to Diagon Alley, and found himself wishing he had about ten more pairs of eyes. Most of what he saw was pleasant enough, but one man was selling what looked like shrunken human, and non-human, heads.

"Are you sure we're in the muggle part?" he said quietly to Sirius.

"Yeah, why?" He pointed at the stand. "Some of their customs are very different from ours."

He was about to respond, but as they turned a corner everything suddenly fell silent. The sun still shone mercilessly overhead, and Harry didn't have any sense of real danger, but everyone was silent. There were stands set up with men and women behind them selling things in bags to people. The seller handed the customer a bag, accepted the bag, and then the customer left usually looking over his or her shoulder. Sirius gripped Harry's arm in a silent warning to stay close. He dropped his arm after a few seconds.

Harry tried to tell what they were selling, but all were made quickly. He felt someone grip his arm and assumed it was Sirius. He continued walking, thinking nothing of it until he was jerked back and fell. He twisted, trying to jerk free, but the person wouldn't let go. He turned to see who had him. He stared into the eyes of a women covered from head to toe. Time seemed to stand still. The only thing that existed was the helplessness look in her eyes.

Help me.

Harry blinked startled as the word floated across his brain, still staring into the women's eyes as if in a trance.

Please, help me. I'm trapped. Please.

He tried to say something back, but couldn't.

Concentrate. Please, you have to help me.

Harry concentrated hard. Why do you need help? Who has you trapped?

He gasped, blinked, and put his hand over his know stinging cheek. "Why did you do that?" he asked Sirius with accusation in his voice. "Where's that women? She said she needed..." he trailed off looking around him. They were no longer in the silent street, but on the side of a very noisy and busy one. "What happened?"

"I don't know what happened. Some women grabbed you and ever since then you've been in some kind of trance, and none of us get you to respond to us. I'm sorry I slapped you, but I knew that sometimes worked. Are you okay?" Sirius said hands on Harry's shoulders, concern in his voice.

He nodded, hand still over his stinging cheek. "Are you sure? You don't have a headache, or anything?"

"No, I feel fine, just confused," Harry answered looking around him. Sirius looked at him a second longer before draping a protective arm over his shoulders. Harry could feel someone's eyes on him, and looked around. He met Snape's gaze. He was giving him an unreadable look that sent shivers up his spine.

"Sirius, why wasn't anyone talking on the street with the woman?

"All of the people here believe that if you talk in the presence of someone selling drugs that you're sure to die the next day."

Harry blinked. "They were selling drugs?"

Sirius nodded. "Every kind imaginable."

"Why doesn't the government shut them down?"

"There's too many of them. There are hundreds of thousands, maybe millions, of streets like that in the country. They're also scared. The sellers know secret ways to get into any place practically. If they government shut down one part some one from some other part would come, put poison in their food, and kill them. It might not be just the government officials either. Usually only druggies go down there, but some people do if they don't want to take the long way. We went since, as you know, we have to get this done as quickly as possible. We have to back to get the clippings from Remus."

Harry nodded. He knew they had to be back soon. Snape had reported that Voldemort was planning on attacking soon, within the next month or so. They had immediately made plans to star gathering things for the potion. They were going to give Remus a tranquilizer once he had transformed so there wasn't a chance that he would flip out and try to hurt Harry. Dumbledore said he had a plan to get the hair from Voldemort. He had said he would have to do a little convincing, or blackmail, but was confident he would get the tool he needed. He hadn't told them what it was in case for some reason it didn't work.

"When you said we were riding in a car to get to the river, I thought you meant an actual car not a piece of junk," Harry said looking disdainfully at the beat up jeep that he could see a few feet away.

"It looks like that so not to draw attention to it. It's perfectly safe and very reliable. It can travel over ruff ground easily. Don't worry so much. That's my job," Sirius said smiling at him.

"Too bad Dustin couldn't come," Harry said as he climbed in the jeep. "He would love it." Harry wasn't sure why, but his older brother seemed to love beat up cars and jeeps. Kirsten and Dustin had originally planned to come along, but something had come up, leaving Harry with Sirius and Snape. Neither of them was too happy about, but was willing to at least tolerate each other for one day if it meant the end of the Dark Lord.

Talking ceased as the car rode over the sand, a lot of it getting into the car. Harry closed his eyes as a wave of sand entered and hit him in the face. He rubbed the sand of his face and fanned his shirt trying to get it out from beneath it. At least he had on a hat.

They drove for nearly and hour before coming within about 200 feet of the river band. They thanked the driver and got out of the car, dusting off.

Harry had talked to his mother not long after finding the potion, and she remembered that you had to get the water from where the river flowed into the ocean.

He blinked at the surface of the water, shimmering from the bright sunlight. He bent down and filled the water bottle he had. He stood and grinned at the two men standing behind him. "Time to go back now," Snape said and let the way back to jeep.

"Are we going to have to go back through the street where they were selling drugs?"

"Unfortunately. It'll take a day if we take the long way. Don't look any of them in the eye and stay close, understand?"

Harry nodded, surprised by the sudden sternness in his voice. "When I was in that trance, or whatever it was, the woman was asking me for help. She said she was trapped. She was almost begging me to help her. She said if I concentrated I could talk to her. I asked her why she needed help and who had trapped her, but you slapped me before I could get any answers."

"You talked to her, in your mind?" Sirius said alarm in his voice, face pale.

"Why does it matter?" Harry asked puzzled. He became even more confused as Snape handed Sirius an alcohol swab and a syringe. Sirius ripped open the alcohol swab and quickly swabbed a spot on Harry's upper arm. "Wait, why do I have to have a shot?" he asked putting his hand over the place Sirius had swabbed, muscles tense.

Before he realized it Sirius had gripped his arm tightly, and Snape had ran the needle into his arm. The car came to a stop, the driver seeing what was going on in the back seat. Harry tried to jerk his arm away, but Sirius's grip was too tight. "Stay still, Harry," Sirius commanded. Memories rose uninvited of what his uncle has done to him making seconds seem like hours.

Snape pulled the needle out, and Sirius releases his arm. Harry placed his hand over where he got the injection rubbing it, feeling a small round band-aid. "What was that for?" he asked angry. "No, you're not, ow, giving me another shot!" he said as Snape swabbed a spot on his calf and injected the needle, and Sirius gripped his leg.

Harry felt like he was five again, helpless and at his uncle's mercy. He tried desperately to free his leg, but it was futile. Harry moved his leg as Snape pulled the needle out and Sirius released him. He stared at his lap, trying to push the back the memories that had arose.

"Harry, since you talked to her she would have entrance into your mind and body. She could, and would, make you sick enough so that you died in twenty-four hours. The medicine in the shots will prevent that from happening. We had to give them to you. They shouldn't have hurt that much even though you were tense. Why did you try to jerk away?"

"I don't like shots," he answered shortly, anger evident in his voice. Sirius sighed and didn't say any more.

After ten minutes Snape told the driver to stop. "I thought we had to go back the way we came?"

"We're going to port-key from here. You're not going to be able walk very well. It swells up and it affects your muscles," Sirius said pointing where Snape had given him the injection on his leg. It was slightly red and already badly swollen. Harry scooted across the seat to get out. He stepped out and his gave way beneath him. Sirius caught him before he fell.

They all put a finger on the newspaper Snape had and landed in Dumbledore's office. Sirius guided Harry to a chair and started to tell about what had happened.

*~*

Harry had fallen asleep in Dumbledore's office after only about five minutes. Sirius had carried him back to his bed and let him sleep. He woke around dinner time.

He flinched as he saw the tranquilizer go into the werewolf, remembering his own shots. He hadn't told Sirius why he hated getting shots so much and didn't plan on ever telling him.

Snape motioned to him and he walked toward the now sleeping Remus Lupin. He quickly clipped his fingernails and left the room with Snape.

Tomorrow they would be going to the Amazon to get the petals from the Gold Flower and the three, four leaf clovers. Harry went back to his room and decided to have an early night. Tomorrow was going to be a grueling day.

*~*