The Forging of the Bonds

LunaIsCool

Story Summary:
Arthur and Lucius, Ron and Draco... the enmity betweent the Weasleys and the Malfoys has not ended with the defeat of Voldemort. But as Michael Weasley and Elizabeth Malfoy are start their sixth year, they begin to learn more than they ever knew about the past and about themselves, with the aid of their new DADA teacher... a hero unseen in wizarding Britain since the war ended...

Chapter 42 - Teamwork Troubles

Posted:
09/29/2007
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893


Chapter 42. Teamwork Troubles.

The tree bark was rough enough to climb without assistance. Of course, it was one thing to do that ten feet from the ground and another at two hundred, but if the rest of the tree was like this, they could do it. Nevertheless, even a short climb to the top of the main branch made Mike sweat.

He made it up onto the enormous branch and took a breath. Elizabeth was still climbing. He extended his hand.

"I don't need your help, Weasley," she snapped.

Mike grabbed her hand and pulled her up level with him. "We don't have time," he retorted.

Furious, Elizabeth reached for her wand.

"We don't have time for that, either. Come on."

Elizabeth resigned and followed him up the branch, using side branchlets as hand- and footholds. So far, either of them would be able to handle this alone.

"Why was Potter there with your father?" Mike attempted to strike up a conversation again.

"I told you already, none of your business, Weasley. Why didn't you give Padma Patil the branch you wanted? We were already past schedule, she wouldn't let us debate it again."

"Because that would be dishonest and place you at a disadvantage. Would you do that?"

Elizabeth didn't answer, and Mike continued to climb. About thirty feet later, he came upon a strange growth, which didn't resemble the Graht Tree at all. But the growth blocked their way, and was covered in sharp thorns.

"Well, Weasley?" Elizabeth said.

"I've seen this plant somewhere," Mike said. "I just can't remember where."

"Oh, that's useful," she said. "Here, let me through."

Elizabeth grabbed a handhold with her left hand, drew the sword with her right... and swung. One of the stems of the strange growth, at least two inches thick, broke off and fell. Elizabeth swung again, hacking off another stem. She proceeded with this for a few minutes, until there was enough room for a person to go through.

"Where would you be without me, Weasley?" she asked.

"I'd think of something."

"Yeah. Whatever," she said as she stepped across. "Watch out, these are sharp."

She was right. The sword, instead of cutting through the stems smoothly, left very sharp spikes. Mike would not want to land on them.

A spike brushed past his leg and drew blood. The entire plant suddenly came alive and rushed its tendrils towards them.

"Fuck!" Mike shouted, nearly jumping out of the way. "Incendio! I remember now! It's the Vampiric Shrub!"

"Oh, good job, Weasley!" Elizabeth said as she blasted several tendrils with a curse. "Now, you wouldn't remember how to stop it, would you?"

Mike didn't. He and Elizabeth dueled with it, stopping the thorny tendrils from reaching them.

"Aguamenti Calorio!" Mike shouted, and a stream of steam hit a group of tendrils. They wilted.

"Elizabeth!" Mike yelled. She nodded, and doused the plant with boiling water. They quickly scrambled out of its reach before it could recover.

"Did you--"

"Remember? No. But I don't know of any plant that likes hot water. It was a lucky guess."

Elizabeth nodded. "Let's go," she said, and resumed the climb. Mike followed.

He saw that Elizabeth was a decent climber--not as good as he was, but she didn't need his help in holding on. Still, he watched her closely.

Elizabeth suddenly yelped and dropped. Mike's reflexes kicked in, and he grabbed her arm. She hung on, wand in the hand that he held, as he pulled her up.

"That's a dirty trick," she announced. Mike reached out and had to agree. The next section of the branch appeared normal, but his fingers slipped as soon as they brushed it. "Damn," he said.

"Well, Weasley?" Elizabeth asked. "Any bright ideas?"

"Wait," he said, and reached out again. His fingers slipped once more.

"We can't crawl up, we can't climb up, we have no ropes--did you take the AnywhereString?"

"No. They said it's not allowed, like broomsticks, like--"

"I get it. In that case... Incendio!" Mike lit a fire and led the small flame forward, slowly moving it at least ten feet up the branch. "Aguamenti!" He put the fire out. Then he reached out to the burned area.

"It worked!" he said. "The charcoal layer makes it rougher. Come on!" And, getting down to his arms and knees, he crawled up. His robes were getting covered with charcoal, but he didn't care. He'd be able to clean that off easily.

The slippery section turned out to be only eight feet long. Mike got out of it and, looking back at Elizabeth, extended his hand. She took it, and he helped her finish. Her face was covered with soot.

"Scourgify!" he said, and the soot vanished.

"I'm climbing first next time, Weasley," she said. "See how you like charcoal dust all over your face."

Mike shook his head and motioned to her to keep climbing. They were, judging by the fact that the climb was getting steeper, close to the place where the branch made a turn back to the center of the tree. Getting around that turn would probably be the hardest part of the climb.

But Mike quickly saw that even he wouldn't be able to do this. There were simply no branchlets that would enable him to get to the actual bend, and it was too big a risk to try climbing on the underside, up a negative incline, without support.

"What happened?" Elizabeth asked.

"I can't climb this."

"A Weasley, admitting he can't do something? This is a historic event!"

"Shut up!" he retorted. "We've got to get up there. Somehow."

"Wish that vine was here," Elizabeth said.

"What vine?"

"That one." She pointed some forty feet below. "It looks strong, long--and I know how to climb a rope."

"So do I, but--"

"What is it?"

"The vine should be moved," he said.

"But vines are attached, wrapped around branches, grow together with them. If we rip--"

"Who said anything about ripping?" he asked. "Watch." And he fired a spell at the vine.

The vine was no longer a vine. It was a long green snake.

"You are crazy. Crazy, Weasley."

"Damn, I can't control it--it's crawling up the wrong way."

"Imperio," Elizabeth said calmly. "You were saying?"

The snake crawled past them and up the branch, to the top part. It wrapped around the main branch twice, leaving the tail hanging right in front of them. Mike hit it, and the vine was back.

"After you," he said.

Elizabeth skillfully climbed the vine that had been a snake only moments before. Mike followed. Elizabeth helped him get up the branch and shook her head. "Potter wouldn't have to use the Imperius Curse," she said.

"Why not?"

"He's a Parselmouth."

"What? How do you know?"

"He told me."

"Why?"

"The same reason he was with my father at the families' meeting."

"Which is?"

"He's my godfather."

"What?"

"Well, he is."

"Okay, Elizabeth." He shrugged.

"Well, you wanted to know."

"I guess it makes sense..." he finally got out. "Well, godfather or not, he won't help us now. We should--"

A group of ten small flames dropped on them. One hit Mike square in the chest, lighting his clothes on fire. He screamed and dropped his wand.