The Arcs of Destiny

Chapter V:

Eureka!

'I feel so alive for the very first time

I can’t deny you

I feel so alive

I feel so alive for the very first time

And I think I can fly'

-P.O.D. Alive

As soon as everyone in the house was ready, the entire group left for London airport in the new company van that the Dursleys had gotten. Dudley's friend, Piers Polkiss, was coming along to Canada and he and Dudley sat in the backseat of the van looking at dirty magazines while Draco and Harry sat in the middle of the van uncomfortably. Draco had been avoiding Harry's eyes ever since after dinner. He could feel Harry's questions wanting to come out, so he ignored whatever Harry said. He just didn't want to revisit what happened back at Malfoy Manor.

Soon, the van pulled into the airport parking lot after being searched for what the Muggles called bombs. Everybody in the van got out and unloaded the luggage and put them on carts. They wheeled their carts into the airport where they went through various security check-outs. Finally, they arrived at their gate where they each gave the clerk their tickets.

After Draco gave the woman his ticket, he entered a corridor until they were inside the airplane. A stewardess ushered the group to their seats and took their jackets. Petunia and Vernon took two seats together while Dudley and Piers took another two seats leaving Draco to fend with Harry. Harry took the window seat and after a few moments, Draco announced, "I want the window seat."

"But-" Harry started.

"I want the window seat," Draco stated again.

Harry sighed and got up from the seat. Draco slid into the window seat and ignored Harry for the rest of the flight by looking out the window. As the plane took off, he began to realize that he was starting to find airplanes fascinating. He found it hard to imagine Muggles engineering such a thing as an airplane. He felt like he was on his broomstick playing Quidditch, flying above the clouds and looking down at the Quidditch field far below. Only now, Draco was looking at miles and miles of water that stretched into the distance. The sun was sinking below the horizon in the west, sending its last rays onto the glittering water.

Draco sighed and lay his head back onto the headrest. He closed his eyes and fell asleep.

*****

One vampire came out of the shadows from the mausoleum, one vampire came out from a bush, and one vampire came out from behind a tall tombstone. The vampires surrounded Hermione who immediately panicked. She had expected to fight one vampire, but not three at the same time.

"Uh-oh," Hermione whispered. "Too many."

Hermione backed away from the two in front of her and looked around for a possible escape route. Without noticing it, she backed into something solid and felt strong hands push her face-down into the ground. The cold grass chilled her skin and as she got onto her hands and knees, she felt a hand grab the back of her neck and pull her upwards until her feet were no longer touching the ground.

"You're nothing but a toy," the vampire growled into her ear. She felt the vampire throw her into a tombstone where she hit her head. Pain seared from the cut and blurred her vision. Then, she felt two pairs of hands grab her arms and pull her upwards. Her vision cleared and she found that two of the vampires were holding her while the third stood in front of her. She could see the bumpy ridges of the brow and the jagged, sharp teeth of the vampire in front of her.

The vampire in front of her slid his finger along the cut on Hermione's head. Blood stained his finger and he licked it off, smiling. "And you taste like supper," the vampire growled. He grinned even more as he hit her jaw with the back of his hand. Fresh blood sprang up on the ripped flesh of Hermione's lip. Hermione looked at him, seething, and decided it was time to live or die.

"I'm sorry, but I don't feel like staying for supper," she said, feeling ever more like Buffy now.

Using the two vampires who were holding her as leverage, Hermione did a backflip which kicked the vampire in front of her in the jaw and got her out of the grip of the other vampires. Running to a tree, Hermione broke off a branch and used it to stake the vampire that had started to follow her. He turned into dust as the second vampire ran up to her and kicked the branch out of her hand. He punched her in the stomach and kicked her down onto the ground.

Hermione turned over onto her back and saw that the vampire was standing over her. He kneeled down and held her hands as he prepared to bite her neck. Her heart racing, Hermione head-butted him and pushed him off of her. The last vampire came up then and kicked her in the ribs. She rolled over and grabbed the branch that had been knocked out of her hands and hurriedly got up.

"Now, you don't want to deal with me," Hermione told the two vampires. They looked at each other and laughed. Hermione narrowed her eyes and aimed. She threw the branch right into the mean vampire, staking him.

After the mean vampire turned to dust, it was just Hermione and the not-so-mean vampire. Hermione wasted no time and kicked the vampire in the chest. He stumbled backwards and she rushed forward to deliver a round of punches and kicks. Using the branch once again, she staked him and congratulated herself on a job well done. She took the branch with her as she walked back to the gates to leave the cemetery, then looked back as she opened a gate and went through, closing it behind her.

Her watch read 3:40 am when Hermione finally arrived at the hotel suite. She kicked off her shoes silently and yawned. As soon as she walked into her room and closed the door, she found a cute, little owl tapping at her window. She rushed over to open the window to let Pig in and the little owl hooted and flew in with a piece of paper attached to its leg. He flew onto the bed and hooted again.

"Shh, Pig," Hermione scolded as she untied the letter and stroked Pig's feathers. "We all know that you can be as loud as a pack of wolves at night." She sighed and read the letter. It was from Ginny, explaining about the dream she recently had. Hermione fished a pen out of the drawers under her bed and quickly wrote a response on a fresh piece of paper. She tied it to Pig's leg and shooed him out of the window.

Once Pig was gone, Hermione changed into her pyjamas and got into bed, finally going to sleep.

*****

Sirius Black sauntered up to the bar and sat on a stool. He greeted the bartender and looked around the crowd for anyone he might know.

"What would you like?" the bartender asked him as he turned around to face the bar.

"Scotch on the rocks," Sirius told him. As he waited for his drink, he looked up and down the bar for any sign of someone he knew, again. The bartender, Lou, plopped a drink right in front of Sirius' nose. "Thanks."

"Say, pal, who are you looking for?" Lou asked, wiping the counter.

"No one in particular," Sirius told him, trying to give him as little information as possible.

"Oh?" someone behind Sirius asked. The voice belonged to a female and someone he had known, but who it was, he couldn't tell. He turned to see a tall figure with a hood over her head, shielding her face. The woman sat on a bar stool next to Sirius. "No one in particular?"

"Not that I know of," Sirius answered, trying to peer behind the woman's hood. "Do I know you?"

"You might," the woman replied. "I have to keep this disguise since I am on the run from my husband, and stop peering around my hood!"

Sirius raised his hands in mock surrender. "Okay, okay." He turned back to his drink and took a gulp of it. A few minutes passed before the woman spoke again.

"I think I know why you're here," she announced.

"You do?" Sirius asked, doubtful.

"Yes, I do," the woman answered. "You're here to get information on that new big bad that's in town. Or, in the Wizarding World."

"New big bad?" Sirius asked.

"Not You-Know-Who, but a new evil. One who would like to conquer the Wizarding World and make it his own. He'll change it to a branch of the Underworld, where demons can walk freely."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, I'm sure of it. I've heard the rumors, the whispers of a nameless evil in our world. Voldemort looks like a little puppy dog compared to this new guy. His minions have already been sent out to destroy the fighters of good in preparation for the take-over. I have already spotted my own evil twin as well as my son's."

The woman sighed and continued. "Spread the word to Dumbledore. We are no longer fighting against Voldemort, Sirius. I just hope that my son is safe out in the Muggle world with your godson." She lay her hand on top of Sirius', who was shocked and worried at the same time. "Harry will be safe, Sirius."

"You sound like you're trying to convince yourself that your son will be safe," Sirius commented. He thought he figured out who he was talking to. "Why is Draco with Harry anyways? Don't they hate each other?"

"Yes they do,' Narcissa Malfoy answered, "but I thought that Harry would be good for Draco and teach Draco to see the silver lining in every situation. My husband, he, h-he..."

"You don't have to talk about it," Sirius told her, squeezing her hand.

"You know that the boys are going to Canada, don't you?" Narcissa asked.

Sirius shook his head. "There are a lot of things I don't know."

Narcissa shrugged. "I should be on my way. I have already spent too much time here. It was nice to see you again, Sirius."

"Yeah, you too," Sirius said as Narcissa left the bar. As soon as she disappeared through the door, Sirius paid the bartender for the drink and left the bar as well.

*****

Harry nudged Draco in the ribs just as the airplane was about to land. Some time had passed since take-off and Harry had busied himself with reading a couple of magazines. Draco had fallen asleep and was resting peacefully in the seat next to him. Now, he woke up with a start and noticed the flashing seatbelt sign in the front of the plane.

Harry put his magazines back into his bag and put his seatbelt on. He looked at Draco who was busy looking out the window at the land still far below. Harry sighed and looked up at the front. The plane dipped and then leveled. It stopped a few seconds later and all the passengers started to get up.

In the airport, the group claimed their bags (which took Harry awhile since his baggage was later on) and the Dursleys and Piers separated from Harry and Draco. The two boys went outside where a single black car was waiting in a long line of yellow taxis. The driver was leaning against his car reading a newspaper and whistling. He had sandy blonde hair and was thin, tall and young. The driver saw them and introduced himself to them as Sean.

"You two are going to Mellowside, right?" Sean asked. Harry nodded as he and Sean put his trunk into the trunk of the car. "Well, that's great! I have the right passengers."

Sean ushered the boys into the car where they sat side by side, expressionless and silent. Sean tried to lighten the mood by telling a few jokes, but only got a few smiles from Harry and the same distant expression from Draco. The rest of the ride was spent in silence.

Almost an hour and a half later, the car arrived in Summerside. Sean explained to the boys that they had to walk through the gazebo to get into Mellowside, the Wizarding town.

Harry dragged his trunk into the gazebo and with the help of Sean, carried it through the magical barrier. A noise like a vacuum erupted in Harry's ears and he felt his body move forward and drop. His feet hit the pavement suddenly and Harry lurched forward, nearly dropping the trunk on his feet. Sean steadied him and together they put the trunk on a bench in the gazebo. Soon, Draco had joined them.

"Well, I'll be leaving you two here," Sean said. "It was nice to meet you guys."

"Yeah, thanks Sean," Harry said and Sean grinned. With one last wave, Sean was pulled back through the barrier into Summerside.

Harry looked around. Mellowside didn't look any different from Summerside except for what everybody was wearing. Witches and wizards were milling around in cloaks and robes of a variety of different colours. There were no cars in Mellowside, just broomsticks and carriages. Three-storey buildings lined the cobblestone streets, their brick dating from centuries before. Trees besides the streets and in the park were decorated in tiny flame-less lights that hung in the branches.

"Let's go," Harry said, grabbing his trunk and dragging it out of the gazebo.

"How do you know where we are going?" Draco asked, the first time he had spoken to Harry since after dinner.

"I don't have to," Harry answered, spotting a tall red-haired man coming towards them in the darkness. "Look."

Draco faced the direction Harry was pointing. Soon, Arthur Weasley had joined the pair.

"Oh, hello you two," Arthur panted. "I ran all the way from the office when I found out that you had gotten here. Here, let me help you with your trunk, Harry."

With a charm that Arthur put on the trunk to make it fly next to them, the threesome trudged across the park and across the street. They turned right on Hyacinth Drive and soon, they were walking up a short driveway to a long, blue-coloured house.

"Boys, welcome to Paradise Manor," Arthur said excitedly. "Molly probably locked the side door so we'll have to use the front. Come on."

Arthur led them up a walkway that snaked around a corner to a pair of steps leading to the door. When Arthur approached the steps, a small light switched on, illuminating the walkway. Soon, small lights along the path were on, their light cutting piercingly through the darkness. Arthur opened the door and ushered the boys in.

It was a comfy home with creamy tones spreading throughout the house. Arthur lowered the trunk onto the floor and brought the boys into the open kitchen/living room/dining room. Ginny and Ron were sitting on the couch along with Molly Weasley watching-

"Television?" Harry asked Arthur. "But isn't this a Wizarding town?"

"Ah, but it's a Wizarding town in the same place as a Muggle town," Arthur began, his grin stetching from ear to ear, "which means we get free Bell ExpressVu." When Draco arched an eyebrow questioningly, Arthur explained. "It's a satellite." Draco nodded in approval.

"What are you guys watching?" Harry asked, trying to lighten all the tension in the room.

"CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," Ron answered. "Very interesting show."

"Maybe you should all be going to bed," Molly said. "It's getting pretty late and Harry and Draco may have jetlag. I think that's what it's called. I've heard Hermione mention it before."

"I slept on the plane," Draco told her, "so, I'm fine." Off Harry's look, he added, "But I guess I can go to bed if you want me to."

"Oh, dear, it's your choice," Molly said. "Have you watched TV before?"

"At the Dursleys," Draco replied. A silence fell on the group then and slowly became uncomfortable. Arthur sighed and Harry kept his eyes on the television screen.

"Well, I'm going to turn in," Arthur finally said, the silence shattering into pieces and falling on the floor.

"Yes, I think I will too," Molly agreed. She got up from the couch to follow her husband up the stairs when she turned back. "Now, I trust that you will find a good sleeping arrangement?" The group nodded. "Okay then. Goodnight everybody."

After a chorus of goodnights, Molly disappeared up the stairs and Harry sat down on the loveseat.

"So," Ron began. He thought for a minute, and then brightened. "I almost forgot. Dad's friend left us a couple of sleeping bags that you guys can use."

"Great," Harry said. "Where should we sleep?"

"Anywhere," Ron answered. "I'll go fish those sleeping bags out. They should be here somewhere."

Ron went downstairs and Harry decided to follow him. The creamy tones of upstairs gave way to dark browns. Another television set and set of couches were down in the basement and a pool table was stationed right next to them. The floor was carpeted in a coffee brown and was soft to the touch. Ron went into a room where the laundry was kept, along with shelves of storage.

"Are you sure you're okay with Malfoy being here?" Harry asked as he leaned against the door frame while Ron searched through boxes for the sleeping bags.

"I've got no choice," Ron replied, obviously furious with the idea but not showing it. "Dad says Dumbledore wants him here because of some issues with Malfoy's father. Dad doesn't quite know why he's here, though."

"Yeah, neither do I," Harry told him. "Malfoy hasn't said a word about it to me since he arrived on my doorstep."

"Don't you find that odd?" Ron asked incredulously, pausing in his search.

"Sure I do," Harry answered, "but it's not my life to mess around in."

Ron looked thoughtful. "I guess so." He went back into searching and a moment later, he yelled, "Eureka!"

Harry started and raised his eyebrows. "You yell 'eureka' when you find something now?"

Ron blushed. "Yes," he muttered.

****

When Harry followed Ron downstairs, Ginny was still sitting quietly on the couch watching TV. The tension was replaced again in the room as Draco stood by the wall, not speaking. Ginny had never known Draco to not speak like this before and it put her on edge. She thought up ways to ease the tension in the room but came up with nothing. She decided an offer would be better.

"Draco, would you like to sleep in my room?" Ginny asked. Finding this question a little odd, she continued. "I mean you could sleep on the floor, or if you want you can take my bed and I can sleep on the floor."

"Uh, you don't have to take the floor," Draco said. "But thanks. I would like to sleep in your room."

Ginny smiled and jumped off the couch. "Okay, but wait here. My room kinda got a little messy."

Draco smiled too and Ginny skipped into her bedroom. She loathed and despised Draco, so why was she allowing him to sleep in her room? Looking around the room, she chalked up her offer to being nice to Draco, for her parents. Or was it something else?

Piles of magazines were strewn along the floor and dirty clothes were hanging off of the chair at the desk. Ginny picked up the magazines and pushed them into a drawer of the desk. Then, she took her clothes into the walk-in closet and dumped them into a hamper where she heard them fall to the laundry room below. She turned and walked farther into the closet where the door to her bathroom was and peeked in. The bathroom was decorated in soft pinks and a mint green carpet sat on the floor next to the shower. Nothing was out of place in there but Ginny was sure that Draco would hate the colours. She closed the door and walked back into her bedroom where she found a tiny bird fluttering about, hooting loudly.

"Pig!" she exclaimed. Then, in a reprimanding voice, she said, "Calm down, Pig!"

"I have never seen anything that looked less like a pig," a voice said from the doorway. Ginny jumped and whipped around to see Draco leaning against the doorframe.

"I thought I told you to wait in the living room," Ginny scolded sarcastically.

Draco shrugged. "Got bored watching CSI. Besides, I heard Ron yell 'Eureka!' and thought I should get out of there."

Ginny snorted. "Well, that's Ron for ya," she said. She jumped onto her bed where Pig flew down into her lap. Ginny untied the letter on Pig's foot and read it over.

'Dear Ginny,

You're right, your dream is kind of vague. Maybe something will happen in the future where it will be a dark time for you. Something bad could happen and that is what the dark half of the hallway is all about, but what I don't understand is why you needed to walk into the dark. Was the hallway calling out to you? The bright hallway is also confusing to me. you described it as blinding, so is something in your life hard to handle? Also, do you remember what patterns were on the glass windows?

As for Draco, you hate Draco, so why would you kiss him? And you said his body was hot, heat-wise. I'm not sure about that part, but I'll work on it. In the meantime, be wary of Draco if you happen to see him. Though, I think that Draco will be the one to get you out of the dark period in your life because he gave you a white sweater.

As for the whole hallway being engulfed in shadow, maybe something will happen to the whole world. All I can think of is an apocalypse, but if you have any ideas, let me know.

The little girl could be a prophetess. You said she sings a song. She held a book in her hands and said that you were going to need it. Did you see the title of the book? It reminds me of an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer where the Gentlemen take all the voices away so that they can collect seven hearts. If the girl said 'Can't even talk' then you might not be able to speak soon. Buy a chalkboard if that happens. The song also talks about 'something coming by' and 'they'. I'll have to check on the Internet in the morning for any prophecies that seem like this. I found a great web site for it last night.

Hermione

P.S. Calling me is better. Ron has my phone number and please call when I'm awake.'

Ginny sighed and folded up the letter. She looked at Draco who was still by the door staring off into space. Ginny was surprised by the amount of emotion showing on his face. Usually, he was indifferent to everything around him and never showed any emotion except for smirking and laughing cruelly. He snapped out of his reverie when he noticied Ginny watching him. They kept staring at each other, almost frozen in the moment, too afraid to talk. Ginny was afraid of removing her eyes from his, but-

"Ginny!" Ron called from the living room.

"Coming!" Ginny yelled back. She dropped the letter on her bed and ran out of the room.