Harry Potter and the Sorceress Queen

Chapter 10

It all happened too fast, faster than expected. Had not Cho been laying her head on Harry's chest, she might have noticed the dark, evolving silhouette behind the bushes. Harry, with his back facing the creature, definitely had no way to see what happened. The gigantic bird borne the two to the sky with such rapidity that Harry and Cho's screams died away almost instantly and therefore no one was alerted at Manxwell Academy.

Swish...swish...went the powerful wings of the monstrous bird. Harry and Cho looked at each other. Horror, terror, and astonishment of this sudden attack mingled together in their eyes. Harry cast his gaze downwards; they have left the Manxwell island long ago, and all he could see were the black hideous waves rolling beneath. He shuddered, remembering Professor Jenna's encounter with the Dragonfinn. But...if that's the only way to escape...Harry began to struggle madly to free himself from the bird's clutches.

"Harry, no!" Cho yelled at him.

"But we have to get out!" Harry shouted back.

"If you fall into the sea, you can't survive! It's freezing!"

That put an end to Harry's fight. Realizing there's no hope for it, he gave up. The chilly night air stung his face. He could see Cho shivering. Harry's insides churned. Where was this monster taking them? Maybe it was hunting food for its young ones. He shuddered again. Better not...

After about twenty minutes, Cho and Harry sighted a black dot on the sea in the north, which seemed to be where the bird was heading for. The dot gradually grew bigger and bigger...it was another island. The bird flew over the island, and Harry could make out a black mass below was a thick forest. Strange howls and wails came from the forest.

Something different from the nature was jutting out of the treetops. As the bird flew nearer, Cho and Harry saw a great gray castle below, with many towers and turrets. The bird started to descend, and hovered for a moment before a huge iron door.

Two large, ferocious looking hounds were pacing in front of the door. They had spiky manes and tongues long enough to reach the ground. When the beasts sensed the bird hovering above, they stopped their pacing and sat down on their hind legs. The bird screeched----a high, piercing shriek----and the immense iron door creaked and swung open...

The bird swooped in, still carrying Harry and Cho. They were now in an enormous chamber. Green tapestries hung on the walls. A crystal chandelier was suspended from the ceiling. The floor and walls were made entirely from blocks of stone. Dozens of torches burning with yellow-and-green flames adorned the stone pillars. At the very end of the chamber was a raised throne.

A woman sitting upon a large golden serpent, which was curled on the throne, stood up when she saw the visitors. The serpent slithered off the throne.

Cho and Harry couldn't help glancing at the enigmatic woman. She was tall and stately. Her hair was very long-golden-red ringlets trailed down her back and shoulders...reaching the floor. She was startlingly beautiful, but there was no warmth in her steely-blue eyes, and her skin was dead white as a sheet. She was clothed in an amethyst gown trimmed in blood red furs. A string of heavy gold beads hung around her neck. She stared at them with an expression difficult to read, but Harry noticed the corners of her mouth curl up very slightly.

"Accio!" The woman raised her left hand from a long draping sleeve and pointed a long white finger at Harry and Cho. Their wands shot out from their robes into her outstretched palm, and at the same time, the golden serpent had crawled to them and cornered the two with its glittering body. The bird released its hold on them and took off, settling itself on the woman's shoulder.

Involuntarily, Harry clasped Cho's hand and pulled her close to him, trying to shield her from the serpent. Cho gave his hand an appreciative squeeze, but instead moved in front of him. Being a martial arts master, she wasn't really afraid of the horrible snake, and she was more concerned for Harry's safety than her own.

"Welcome, my dears," spoke Madam Mysterious in a voice of cold delight.

"Who are you?" demanded Cho defiantly.

The tall woman smiled, but there was something sinister in her smile that Harry disliked; it reminded him of Tom Riddle.

"Have you not read you history books thoroughly," she commented softly, folding her arms. "I am Abigail Grindelwald...the eminent renowned Sorceress Queen fifty years ago..."

Jenna's words returned to Harry's mind. "...she mysteriously disappeared, fifty years ago..."

The words came out before Harry could stop them. "Why?"

"Why?" repeated the Sorceress Queen, her voice rising high with evident fury. "Why, indeed! Ask your dear headmaster Dumbledore! Fifty years I had to hide...hide in my little island, and therefore forgotten in the wizard world..."

She now raised up her right arm from the sleeve and Cho let out a gasp.

There was no hand at the end of the slender white limb. Where there should be five beautiful fingers instead was a stump. It looked pretty grotesque along with her dazzling apparel.

"This..." said the Sorceress Queen, looking at her mutilated arm with pure hatred. "This is all Dumbledore's treachery! My father was the greatest Dark wizard of the era, but he mistrusted his servant, who was Dumbledore's spy! When I discovered what happened, my father was already seriously injured...I tried to help, but I was too inexperienced and lost my hand...and half of my powers..."

The serpent hissed and Cho felt Harry's arm on hers tightened.

"My father managed to use his remaining strength to transport me back to my palace, and perform the Fidelius Charm to ensure nobody can find me...and I disposed every human servant we had...it was all their fault that my father had perished...and left me all alone..."

Thoughts ran through Harry's mind. Making sure that the serpent's head was tilted to another side, he asked another question, "How do you perform the charm if...if...?"

Abigail Grindelwald laughed. She patted the huge, vulture-like bird, which was still perched on her shoulder.

"Shape-shifter," she said complacently. "Brutus, when he's in human form, poses as my secret-keeper. He switches places with my other shape-shifter Gyppa, who's now in his serpent form around you. Brutus, show yourself to Miss Cho Chang."

The bird (Brutus) transformed...it began to shrink...the monstrous wings became smaller and smaller...the feathers turned into brownish fur...its beak disappeared and a pert little nose appeared...

"Chipper!"

Cho stared at the squirrel on Abigail Grindelwald's shoulder. This can't be true, the cute, greedy, dear little pet she cherished was actually property of this woman full of vengeance. Cho turned her gaze back onto the Sorceress Queen's beautiful, yet cruel face.

"Brutus and Gyppa have been acting spy for me at Hogwarts," continued the Sorceress Queen, stroking the squirrel beside her. "I had to get revenge on Dumbledore...twice I tried to assassinate him but in vain...I spent years trying to regain my powers with only one arm...later Brutus informed me about Lord Voldemort...I thought if I joined him, we could surely defeat Dumbledore and ensure the rise of the Dark Order again...but before I contacted him, Gyppa sent word that Voldemort met his downfall in you, Harry Potter...(here her gaze moved to Harry's scar) I was devastated, but first I made a potion...to make myself stay in my youth...Dumbledore will not stay young forever...finally, last year I heard Voldemort has risen again...I immediately sent a message to him, offering help of my magical pets, if only he would help me to revenge on Dumbledore..."

"But what has this to do with Harry?" Cho asked, forgetting her fear for Gyppa while she listened to the Sorceress Queen's history.

"Brutus told me about your exchange trip to Holland. Ha! Luck has finally favored me...I could get hold of Harry Potter, and turn him over to Lord Voldemort...which ensure his trust on me...and would surely help me destroy Dumbledore and his school..."

Abigail Grindelwald cleared her throat. "Initially, I was curious to see what you, Harry Potter, an ordinary little boy had to defeat Lord Voldemort, so I told Gyppa to transform into a Lady Stinger when possible. Gyppa usually is an owl living in your Hogwarts Owlery, so not to arouse attention. I was amazed, though, when Gyppa recovered, he told me that you could do nothing more than a Stunning spell, and most of the credit goes to Brutus's new mistress...how amusing! It also made me worry, if little Miss Cho comes to Holland instead of Harry Potter, so I ordered Brutus to steal Protracitasum. That poison is especially useful because it takes effect after an unknown time, making it very difficult to trace. But you came to Holland after all (shoots a look at Cho)...well...it doesn't really matter as long as Potter is now in my hands..." she smirked and tossed her head.

"So what you're going to do?" Harry spat. "Hand me over to Voldemort?"

"What else do you think I've been planning all these days?" Abigail Grindelwald now stepped down from her throne, approaching Harry and Cho. "However, I must decide how to take care of Miss Cho Chang first. Shall I feed her to my darling hell hounds outside? Or...?"

"Leave her alone!" shouted Harry. "It's me that you want! Let her go!"

"Harry!" Cho looked at him warningly.

The Sorceress Queen laughed again. "So you two are...er...very good friends, I see. Perhaps...torturing Harry Potter's lover girl in front of him...isn't that a perfect idea? Wait until Lord Voldemort apparates..."

She snapped her fingers. Strong cords sprang out from thin air and fastened themselves around Cho tightly.

Cho gritted her teeth and summoned all the inner force she had from her martial arts practice. She clenched her fists and with a huge effort, the cords bounding her fell off. Grabbing Harry's arm, she prepared to make a flying leap into the air, but sadly, she did not make it as Harry's weight added difficulty to her spring. Gyppa, still in its serpent form, lunged out and closed its long jaws on her other arm. No matter how strong she was, the poison from the serpent was impossible for her to fight against, and Cho blacked out almost immediately.

"CHO!" Without thinking, Harry reached out and tried his best to catch her falling, limp body.

The Sorceress Queen now made a few screeching noises to Brutus. The squirrel transformed back to the large black bird and flew over to Cho. Using its mighty claws, Brutus soon wrenched her away from Harry. The Sorceress Queen raised her hand and pointed at the iron door. She needed not a wand, a stream of silver sparks shot straight on the door and it swung open. Brutus, carrying Cho, swooped outside and the door slowly closed shut.

Harry was livid with anger. He at first tried to run over to Cho, but Brutus had flown high in the chamber, and Gyppa was eyeing him hungrily.

"Stay where you are," came the cold voice of the Sorceress Queen. She folded her arms and looked at him contemptuously. "I must go and send a message off to Lord Voldemort. Soon I will join his ally with my army of creatures and restore the Dark Order..." She swept away, lifted up a large emerald tapestry hanging down from the left side of the throne, and disappeared into an inner chamber.

Harry was now left alone in the huge chamber with Gyppa coiled around him. Without his wand, there was no possible way of escape.