The Last of the Mhyrriad

CHAPTER THE NINTH

Of Dreams and Dimensions

"Welcome back from Christmas break. Today we are having out telepathy test. Don't worry," Cerise assured panicked faces, "It has nothing to do with marks. Telepathy is much like Divination; many cannot do it unless they have the inner means. When I call your name, sit at the chair behind the screen. Remember the relaxing exercises we've practiced, and project a colour into my mind. If I respond, you remain in the class. If not, I will shoot up Red sparks and you may leave."

Wry looks spread across the room. The worst would be to be sent out in front of everybody. Including a number of teachers.

"Snape, Severus." The class watched anxiously as the greasy-haired Potions professor stepped behind the red sheet hung in the corner then stifled giggles as he slumped out of the classroom.

"Minerva, McGonegall." Cheers erupted as she sat back in her scarlet armchair. Students' names continued.

"Weasley, Ginny." She stood up and after a lifetime, Cerise heard

Green

You may resume your seat. Ginny received unanimous applause as she seated herself on Draco's lap. Cerise laughed at Hermione restraining Ron from saying a few choice words. That boy would never give up.

"The final list is: F. Delacour, M. McGonagell, O. Wood, H. Adder, L. Brown, T. Boots, C. Chang, D. Creevey, J. Ennis, J. Finch-Fletchley, H. Granger, M. Karol, D. Lumier, E. Macmillan, D. Malfoy, S. O'Reilly, P. Parkinson, Padma Patil, H. Potter, C. Quentin, R. Renault, L. Turpin, T. Va'alda, F. Weasley, G. Weasley, R. Weasley, and V. Weasley. Open your text to chapter forty-four."

While giving her lecture on relaxing the senses, Cerise noticed Harry wincing, his hand rested across his forehead. As everyone filed out the door for supper, she said,

"Harry, could I have a word with you in my office please?" Warily, Harry followed her to the corner of the room she had dubbed 'her office'. She sat on the gray office chair and indicated for Harry to sit down. She opened a desk drawer and began rummaging through it.

"Harry is there anything you want to tell me?"

"Erm... no, professor, nothing at all. Why?" She closed the drawer and placed a roll of parchment and a vibrant purple quill on the desktop. Harry eyed it shrewdly.

"Yes, Harry, it's a Quick Quotes Quill. Don't worry, I'm no Rita Skeeter. I'm asking because I have... suspicions... that Voldemort is making plans. Harry, it's crucial that you tell me - any dreams, rumors from Sirius -' He sat up.

"How do you know about Sirius?" he hissed. Cerise's eyebrows knit together in a frown. With a gesture of her hand, the door flew closed and locked. She leaned forward and whispered,

"I know more than you think. Yes, I know all about Wormtail and Voldemort's reincarnation. Yes, I know the answers to the questions that even Dumbledore doesn't know. And you will find them too, when it is time. Now, about Voldemort -"

"You say his name?"

"I have little reason to fear him. Now, speak." Harry fidgeted with his glasses.

"I've been having dreams... my mum and dad... in one they told me I needed life from death - to find it. I have no idea what it means. Also, to find the fourth of the lost kingdom... Cedric told me that. Don't laugh."

"I have no intention of doing so. Continue."

"I... last night I had a dream - a nightmare. Voldemort... he..." a frown of frustration crept upon his face.

"I can't remember." Cerise reached to her waist and pulled a small iridescent swirling orb on a chain to the desk. She next took out a shallow half-clam shell. Holding the stone to his temple, above the right arm of his glasses, she said,

"It's a moon stone Harry. Created when the rising mist of Avalon Lake captures a beam of moonlight on an eclipse night. Needless to say, not many are in existence. I like to collect them. These stones are talismans - one of their many uses is in the production of pensieves. You are familiar with pensieves. Let me probe your mind, it can find things the memory is unaware of." She pulled it away and along trail of shiny liquid silver followed. She suspended the stone over the shell as the swirling material dripped in and began to form vague images.

"Are you ready?" Cerise reached out for Harry's hand. With a determined nod, he took it. She dipped a long finger into the spiraling silver...

An Empty graveyard. Mildewed stones lie scattered in the mists. The nearest reads:

Lily and James Potter

A Dream Harry reaches out to the stone, to touch it. A figure approaches him and lays a light hand on his shoulder. The Dream Harry turns around and the figure morphs into two: Harry's Parents. He reaches out to them but as he does; they disintegrate and reappear several inches from the original place. They simultaneously open their mouths and a hollow chorus says:

"Harry. The Dark Lord is rising. He gathers new allies now. His goal, to destroy the one he fears will keep him at bay. And so it will come to pass, the heir of Merlin shall give up his life for his chosen. This will lead to chaos and disruption, unless out of the chaos comes good. Good from evil, love from hate, hope from despair. Unless life may come from death, the tables will be turned."

The Dream Harry reaches out, but he falls over a hidden cliff. He lands before another figure. To his right is another tombstone - it reads:

Cedric Diggory

The figure too opens its mouth, emitting the hollow chorus.

"And so it will come to pass. Find the fourth of the lost kingdom. Among the myriad the fourth will stand. Th e liquid fire of the fourth's life flow shall provide protection, the Gift it bears as your savior. But beware of one you hold near - one who is in the dark is veiled in the light."

The shapes change. A murky stone paved room. A mahogany throne lies at the center. The walls are bare, but a large table map with carved wooden animated figures, much like those of wizards' chess stands in the middle. Three dark figures are gathered around this table. Two are cloaked and masked. The tallest of the three is unmasked and has the face of a serpent. He is unmistakably the leader. It speaks - hisses.

"Lucius, Wormtail. Why is it that the last campaign was unsuccessful?" One of the men quivers and falls to the floor. The other looks at him disdainfully. From behind the mask, a voice boldly says:

"We are not sure, my lord. The Dementors were destroyed. Your follower - the Frenchman - Jacques Mortir, we found his body in the forest. Avery and Bullstrode are now useless - "

"Dementors can't be destroyed! A good Patronus could kill three, but no more!"

"The fifty sent are all now destroyed. Strewn in parts beyond recognition. They were found alongside Mortir."

"Why was Mortir Destroyed? Why not just mindless like the other two?"

"From the imprints we've found magically from Bullstrode, a girl was there - she fronted them off. Mortir went for her - tried to stun her - but she screamed. They all disappeared, turned up in the forest three days later. Mortir is now one big charcoal briquette, the others were found in pieces. We can't explain - "

"Quiet you fool!" The writhing figure tentatively rises to his knees. The tall one strides over to the window. He mutters, in his cold, dead voice:

"Yes... but it can't be - they're gone. There was... No." He points his wand to the table. A new figure appears in front of a tall one with a beard. Its arms are pointed upwards, together holding a blossom....

Harry's head was spinning. Now he remembered. But what did it have to do with anything, it was all so cryptic. He looked at Cerise. Her eyebrows were knitted together so that you could almost see her thinking. She was pacing by the window, every so often rolling the moonstone between her hands. He ventured to ask,

"Cerise - what, I mean, where was that? The second place." She stopped pacing and sat at her desk, where she focused a piercing stare at his emerald eyes. After a long pause, she spoke.

"Harry, that was Voldemort's headquarters. It's called Castle Aquinoch."

"If you know where it is, why don't you go there and..."

"If I went, I would find a crumbling ruin. It's not in this world, Harry; it's in another dimension. This world - all worlds for that matter, have multiple dimensions. And enormously powerful wizard of witch can travel to certain ones. But others can be made impermeable. I believe Voldemort's requires a talisman of some type. I have a theory that there are many spells woven into that Dark Mark - it's more that a tattoo. One of those spells probably allows the crossing into the dimension. But no one's tried..."

"Well, why don't you?"

"Harry, there's only one current wizard with the power to dimension-hop, and that's Dumbledore. And we can't have him going into potential peril. Harry, do you know what the failed campaign was for?" Slowly, Harry shook his head.

"It's to kill him Harry. Yes, he knows. That's one reason why I'm here." Harry shot her a patronizing look.

"What do you think you can do that Dumbledore can't?" She opened her mouth, ready to fire back and answer, then closed it, like a goldfish.

"I don't know." But Harry could tell that she did, and that she wasn't telling him something. And that she hadn't said how many witches had the ability to cross the dimension lines.

"Cerise? Cerise, Love, Are you paying attention to a word I say?" Oliver was hard at work working on the list of which to owl wedding invitations. Cerise rose her head from her drowsy stupor.

"Sorry?"

"Wedding's going to be first week of June, right before exams so we don't have any baggage to worry about. Honeymoon can be after the end of term. We're inviting the school, I have all my friends and family, anyone you need to owl?"

"I told you, no. My parents are dead, like your father is. I gave you a list of my friends. Now leave me alone."

"Is this... er... about the Quidditch pitch thing? Because we can - "

"No, no, no, no don't worry. Nothing about that. I'm sorry I snapped at you, I'm just... stressed." Oliver gave her a concerned look. Crossing across the room, he wrapped her in his arms.

"Can I help at all? Do you want to talk about it?" Inside she was screaming Yes, I do. But she merely said,

"No. No, I'm fine."