Of Girls and Goddesses

Of Girls and Goddesses

Chapter X

When they reached the locked front door of the shack and stopped, Luna looked over at Harry and gave him another small smile. He wanted to smile back at her in an encouraging way, but he was too nervous to do more than look into her eyes.

Voldemort examined the door, and shook his head. "Sealed, of course, but did they think such puny seals could defeat the greatest sorcerer of all time? What fools!" He gripped Luna's arm even more tightly, and moved his wand away from her for a moment, but only a moment. Before Harry could do anything, the heavy door was opening, the rusty hinges creaking in protest, and Voldemort had his wand pointed back at Luna.

"You first, Potter," Voldemort snarled, and Harry walked into the house. It felt different to walk in this way. The entry hall was small, and the dust was still rather thick here. Harry doubted if anyone had come in this way since before Remus Lupin had left school.

They all looked around. "You should not be able to lie to me. You had better not be lying to me, Potter! Where is the casket?" asked the Dark Lord.

Harry swallowed hard, wishing someone, anyone, would come to help him. He felt terrible that Luna had been dragged into this. He finally whispered an answer.

"Upstairs."

Voldemort, holding his wand to Luna's head, pushed her up the stairs to the bedroom. The golden casket was standing at the foot of the bed, just as Harry had seen it in his dream, like some bizarre version of a hope chest. "At last!" Voldemort said, as he looked at the words engraved on the top of the casket. Luna looked at them, too, and her eyes went even wider for a moment, but if anything, she looked even more determined. "Do you understand the ancient writing?"

Luna nodded, and slowly read the words out loud, words that Harry remembered from his dream. "Eternal punishment to anyone who opens this casket, in the name of Isis, Selket, Nephthys, and Neith, who drive out evil and set their magic spells upon those who rage against the light."

"This is where you come in, my dear. I hope Mr. Potter chose wisely."

"Let her go," Harry pleaded. "I'll open it for you. You can have the scroll. I don't care about that. I don't care about myself. Just let Luna go."

"Harry," Luna said simply, "It will be all right. Don't worry about me, and don't think I would ever leave you. I'll never really leave you."

"Oh, how touching," Voldemort laughed, "and how ironic this all is! Do you know the history of the scroll of Thoth, Potter? Do you know that Isis crafted that spell out of loyalty to her lover? Now your little girlfriend is going to give it to me out of loyalty to you. How priceless! This situation would make a sphinx laugh."

He pushed Luna down onto her knees in front of the golden casket, and said, "I've waited long enough. Break the seal."

Harry watched Luna as she felt carefully along the edge of the casket. She was trying to figure out how to open it.

"Luna, don't do it," Harry begged her. "I'm not worth it!"

"Of course you are, Harry," Luna said firmly, stopping and looking at him, her wide eyes looking even more silvery compared to the gleaming gold before her. "You're worth it to me. You mean everything to me."

She leaned down once more and the bright light that Harry could remember so clearly from his dream filled the room. It was dazzling, and brilliant, and terrifying all at once. Harry knew Luna must have opened the casket, and he wished with all his might that the curse had gone wrong somehow and that she was still alive.

When the light faded, Harry found himself paralyzed. To his relief, Voldemort also seemed to be frozen in place as well. Voldemort did not move or speak. At the very least he was no better off than Harry was, and that was something to be hopeful about. Harry was also extremely relieved to see that Luna was not dead, as he had feared she would be.

Luna was standing quite calmly, looking at four women who had appeared beside the golden casket. They were living versions of the elegant statues that decorated and seemed to be protecting it. They were wearing white Egyptian linen robes, and heavy, golden necklaces decorated with brilliant jewels. They looked like the women Harry had seen sitting by the pool of water in his first dream about Egypt.

One of the women stepped forward. She had black eyes, lined with kohl, and was wearing an elaborate beaded headdress with a golden disk on it. She spoke to Luna. "I am Isis, Astet, mother, worker, queen and sister, she who walks in eternity. I have felt your presence before. Who are you?"

"My name is Luna."

"You are a priestess of the moon? I am the silver moon. Nephthys," Isis said, pointing at one of the other women, "is the dark side of the moon. I am magic. She is mystery. Which side do you serve?"

"I was named to honor both, so that neither would be forgotten."

"Who are they?" The Egyptian woman indicated Voldemort and Harry.

Luna pointed. "His calls himself Voldemort. He's a dark wizard, and seeks immortality. I think you might have heard about him already. Harry's my friend, and has been trying to stop him. This Dark Lord forced us to come here, and ordered me to open the casket."

"You understand the ancient writing. Why did you open the enchanted casket, knowing it was forbidden to do so?"

"He told me that if I didn't, he would kill Harry. I would rather die than watch Harry die. His death is the one thing I can't accept."

All four of the women smiled grimly at this. "That is something I can understand well," Isis said. "You are brave for one so small, to take such a risk for another."

Luna answered simply, "Some things are worth dying for." She indicated Voldemort once more. "He doesn't understand that. He fears death more than he fears anything else. He can't accept the renewal of the spirit, and he isn't worthy to have the power of eternal life in his present form. He has no respect for life, and besides that, if you ask me, he has an exaggerated opinion of his power."

One of the other women, who also had black eyes rimmed with kohl, but was wearing a headdress adorned with a golden scorpion, glided over to Voldemort. She looked at him carefully for a long time. She frowned, and glanced back at Isis. "This one has considerable power, it is true, but he follows the same dark path as Set and so many others have chosen to follow for hundreds of years. He is hated and feared. This name he has fashioned for himself is an abomination. He does not deserve to have the protection of life attend him like Ra, nor to have dominion over others."

She turned to Harry, and began studying his face. He felt as if she were not just looking into his face, but into his mind, and heart, and into his very soul. Her black eyes then flicked up toward his scar. "This one, my sisters, has been marked by an evil curse, but he has emerged with his eyes upon the sun. He is beautiful of birth, much loved, a living image of Amun. He strives always to attend to the protection of life."

To Harry's surprise, Luna began to recite in a sing song voice. "It is not I who utter it, it is not I who repeat it, it is Selket who utters it, it is she who repeats it."

The mysterious dark lady looked at Luna, obviously startled, and then suddenly laughed. Harry saw that her black eyes were now sparkling. It was a merry, musical laugh that gave Harry hope once more. "You are wise in the ways of ancient magic, little imp, and flatter me with familiar words that I have not heard in many a day. You are bold to call me so by name."

"I was merely pointing out that you are seeing what I've seen," Luna said softly. "Seeing this, I did what I had to do."

Isis sighed. "The fault is mine and mine alone, my sisters. You gave me counsel and I would not heed it. Instead, I drew you into a plan that was doomed to fail. I now will do what I should have done long ago. I beg forgiveness from you, my sisters, and from the earth itself for all the pain that I have caused. I will now right that wrong and ask forgiveness of the Lord of the two lands, and the Lord of heaven, who henceforth alone shall give life forever."

A crook and flail appeared in her hands, ancient symbols of the Egyptian kings. "These come to me from Osiris, the judge. Do you know what they represent, little one?"

Luna nodded. "The crook symbolizes leadership. The flail represents a duty to right what is wrong. A truly great leader must be able to do both. You can't be a good ruler if you can't remain balanced."

Isis nodded sadly. She pointed the flail at the scroll inside the chest. With a hiss, black acrid smoke appeared, and the scroll fell into dust.

One of the other women looked dolefully at Harry and Luna. "What are we to do with these children? We swore eternal torment to anyone that dared defy us, but this desecration was not entirely their choice, and this young woman is Qenu, wise beyond her years."

Selket smiled. "They would not have been considered children in our time. They are fast leaving childhood in their own time. They are already beginning to listen to their hearts. A fitting fate would, I think, be to leave them to it. Does loyalty in truth enslave? If that is so, I see them spending their lives wearing chains of their own design."

Isis looked at Luna, and smiled as well. "Then it is agreed. As the royal inheritance passed through the female line in Egypt, we have passed our power down to women through the ages. Some of that power has come to you. It is the voice that has been whispering in your heart. Take care to listen to it, even when it seems the sound is faint, and if you ever have need of me, you may call on me now without fear and I will come."

"I was never really afraid, and I'll try my best to listen," Luna said frankly, "but what about him?" She jerked her thumb at Voldemort.

"We will take him with us. He will remain in the care of the guardians of the four genii, and will feel our wrath for all eternity. When the stars stop shining, and when the sea ceases to touch the shore, he will still be in torment. You will never see his like again."

Luna nodded. "I understand what must be. Thank you!"

She sighed, though, looking down at the casket. "I can't help feeling sorry for the poor museum. They wanted to place this on display, so lots of people could come and see how beautiful it is. They had hoped that others would have been able to feel a hint of this power, but now they can't. When word gets out the casket is empty they'll all look like fools. I know they're just men after all, but they are trying to increase knowledge of the past. I wish we could do something for them."

Isis looked at her, and thought carefully. "Those of whom you speak are a worthwhile people, and do scholarly work. They miss the point of everything, since most of them do not follow a magical path, but I do have something I can give. Something that your world can learn from, and if all goes well you will learn more than you ever learned from any curse." She raised the flail again, and several sheets of papyrus appeared in the box. "Farewell, namesake of the moon! You have done us more honor than you realize."

She then looked at Harry. "Your choices have been wise ones. Your torment now has ended, and you have won peace. While on this earth may you both live together with your faces to the north wind, and your eyes ever beholding happiness. Then may your spirits unfold, leaving you one with all eternity!" She and the other women raised their right hands, and Luna waved back.

With that, the four women and Voldemort, vanished, and Harry, suddenly freed from the spell that had bound him, staggered. Luna ran to steady him.

"Harry! Are you all right?"

Harry caught hold of her shoulders. "That was amazing! You were amazing! I don't understand it all, but it was brilliant of you, Lu. How did you know that they weren't going to kill you?"

"Isis dedicated her life to love," Luna said simply. "When you're facing someone like that, danger seems very far away."

"I always thought love was very dangerous," Harry said, a bit shyly.

"We'll see," Luna said mischievously, and leaned in to kiss him.

"I really do love you, Luna," Harry said, after a long moment. "Tell me the truth. Are you sure you really love me? Absolutely positively sure?"

"Oh, fiddlesticks, Harry! Where have you been for the last hour? Did they freeze your brain, too? And to think you call Ronald dense!" Luna stepped back, shaking her head in amusement. "Let's see what they left us."

She sat on the floor beside the casket, and lifted out one of the papyrus sheets. Harry sat beside her, and waited patiently as her eyes slowly swept up and down the page. She smiled, then took out another one. Carefully reading that one, she giggled. The next one made her laugh out loud.

"What is it?" Harry asked, exasperated. "An Egyptian joke book?"

"They're love poems, actually."

"Love poems? You're kidding, right?"

Luna held up a sheet and began to read out loud. "Seek you starlight that sings? Seek you magic with wings? Would you laugh and then cry? Seek you joy? Seek you joy? Seek you love without end? Sister, mother and friend? Come with me. I will show you."

She set the sheet down and took up another. "It is your love that makes me strong. It weaves a water-spell for me. When I see you coming, my heart dances. My arms open wide to hold you."

Harry stared at Luna. "You thought those were funny?"

"No, I was just thinking about that old muggle song...what the world needs now, is love sweet love. It's the only thing that there's just too little of..."

Before she could sing anymore, Harry pressed his lips to hers. Luna might be brave and smart and loyal, but she was no singer.

About fifteen minutes and quite a lot of enthusiastic kissing later, even better than in Harry's dreams, footsteps came pounding up the stairs, causing a breathless Harry and Luna to jerk apart. Professor Croaker, Professor Dumbeldore and Remus Lupin burst into the room, wands extended, and were dumbfounded to find Harry and Luna sitting on the floor side by side with their arms around each other, as if the afternoon had been made simply for loving embraces.

Seeing that both teens were obviously very much alive, all three of them turned to the casket, which was still sitting open on the floor.

"What happened to the scroll?" Croaker asked, astounded.

"Oh, Isis destroyed it. Luna had a talk with her, and her goddess friends, and they decided it was really for the best," Harry answered nonchalantly.

"She felt bad about doing it, but she really had no choice. She finally admitted she should have destroyed it in the first place. She left you some of her poetry to make up for it," Luna added, indicating the papyrus on the floor beside the chest.

Dumbledore stared at Luna, looking as shocked as Harry had ever seen him. "You spoke to the guardians of the genii?"

"Oh, yes. They appeared when Voldemort made me open the casket. They're really lovely, you know, but I do think they wear much too much make-up. I hate eyeliner personally. It seems kind of gooey to me," Luna replied airily.

"But what happened to Voldemort? According to the prophecy, Harry had to kill him." Remus Lupin said, trying to stay on topic, never a sure thing when Luna was involved.

"They took him away. They seemed to think they could do a better job of punishing him than any of us could," Harry said. "Since they did not make me kill him, he must still be alive in some way, but he is far beyond anyone on earth's reach now."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled, as Harry had not seen them do for many months. "I think spending an eternity under the control of four such determined women would be a fitting punishment for any crimes."

Harry and Luna got reluctantly to their feet. "What happened to Neville and Ron and the others?" Luna asked.

"Mr. Longbottom and Mr. Weasley are in the hospital wing, but no serious harm has come to them. Miss Weasley and Miss Granger are with them. Indeed, I think Miss Weasley and Miss Granger are likely to be with them for quite some time," Dumbledore answered, a smile spreading across his face.

"What a neat package!" Harry said, smiling back as he slipped his arm around Luna's waist.

"Yes, I think everything is as it should be." He turned to Professor Croaker and Lupin. "You two had better return the casket to the museum. You'll think of something to tell them, won't you? After that you'd better pop off to the Ministry and tell Fudge that he can quit shaking in his slippers. Voldemort is having to answer to a much higher authority than his."

"You know, Professor Croaker, there was one thing you were wrong about," Harry said, fixing a sad expression on his face.

"What was that?" Croaker asked.

"When it comes to curses, you can't separate the romance from the reality!"

Croaker smiled at Harry and Luna. "Apparently not. You two had better run along. I'm sure you can find something to do with the rest of your evening."

"I'm sure we can," said Harry. "I'm quite sure we can."

THE END.