Harry Potter and the War of Souls

Chapter 21

Inferi Attack

Harry's question was answered at the end of that week as he was walking outside, just trying to clear his head. Hagrid came up to him, completely out of breath. "There yeh are, 'arry. We've got ter talk."

"What's going on?"

"I saw a merman a few days ago, and asked him what you said ter ask, about gettin' past the Inferi. He said he'd talk to his people and get back ter me. Well, I just talked to 'im. Turns out the merpeople don' want the Inferi in the lake at all, and if yer wantin' ter help, they're in."

Harry eyed Hagrid carefully. "You aren't going to try to talk me out of this?"

"I know yeh," Hagrid said. "Yer goin' to do this whatever I say, so I figure I can either help yeh do it as safe as possible or stay out of it and yeh'll do it anyway. Listen, meet me in one hour by the lake."

"One hour?" Harry asked. "So soon?"

"They're not wantin' ter wait, now they've decided. If yeh want their help, it's now or never. Will yeh be there?"

"Yeah. See you in an hour."

Harry ran up to the common room and found Ron and Hermione snuggled up together in a chair.

"The lake. We've got to do it now!"

Hermione shot up straight. "No, Harry, we don't even have a plan!"

He leaned in to them. "If we go now, we have the merpeople's help. I think we need that if we're going to be successful."

"Hermione's right," Ron said. "Even with their help, we're not going to be successful if we don't have a plan."

"If the merpeople have agreed to this, then I assume they have a plan," Harry said. "Now listen, the water's going to be cold, but with the gillyweed, it's not going to affect us too much. Just wear something you can move in."
"This is crazy, Harry!" Hermione said, but she was already standing up.

"Since when has that ever stopped us?" Harry asked. "Now c'mon."

Harry and Ron were waiting when Hermione came downstairs with Ginny.

"No," Harry said, stepping forward.

"I'm not asking permission," Ginny said. "Let's go."

"Harry's right," Ron began, but stopped as his sister's eyes began to blaze.

"Try to stop me and you'll face a bat-bogey hex that'd make Voldemort run in fear," Ginny said. "Listen, I've been there for every major fight before. You're not keeping me back now."

There was no time to argue and she was right in that she'd not only been to the past battles, but had done well in them. "C'mon then," Harry said, leading the way to the lake.

Nobody said much as they walked. Harry had already described to them the effects of gillyweed and shared with them every possible workable spell he knew, but since he didn't know what to expect, he could hardly prepare them for what was coming.

When they were about halfway there, he turned, hearing a sudden argument flare up between Ron and Hermione behind him. He heard Ron say, "Krum" and looked off to his left where he saw Krum in workout clothes jogging near them.

"You're not asking him to come," Ron said.

"Can't you put away your jealousy long enough to get that box?" Hermione said.

"Can't you be honest about why you really want his help?"

Krum must have noticed everyone was looking at him because he waved his hand and turned in their direction. Ron and Hermione quieted their fight as he stopped near them. He nodded at Hermione then said, "Hello."

"Hello," Harry said awkwardly. He glanced back at Ron and Hermione. Hermione was staring pointedly at Ron, who suddenly seemed to be very interested in studying his shoes.

"You go for swim?" Krum asked, pointing to the towel around Ginny's neck.

"We're just going to spend some time by the lake," Ginny said. She grabbed Harry's hand and began pulling him along. "We'd better get going, though."

"Viktor, we-" Hermione began. But then she looked back at Ron, whose attention now seemed consumed with his fingers. "Well, never mind. Enjoy your run."

"Enjoy the lake." Krum nodded at them again then continued on his way.

Harry and Ginny began walking forward again but it was impossible not to hear the conversation going on behind them.

"He could've helped," Hermione said.

"He might've hurt things too," Ron said. "You're letting your feelings get in the way of what we're trying to do."

There was a long pause, then Hermione said, very coldly, "My feelings for him or my feelings for you?" She sighed, then almost under her breath muttered, "Maybe it's not going to work between us, Ron."

Harry swerved around. "Can you two stop fighting for once? We're here for only one reason and it's not to work out your relationship!"

"Sorry," Ron and Hermione replied in unison, then Hermione added, "You're right, Harry. We're together on this."

"Yeah," Ron added.

And although they stopped arguing, Harry noticed they didn't say another word to each other the rest of the way to the lake.

"What? The lot of you?" Hagrid asked minutes later as he saw them approach. "'arry, they only agreed to you."

"We all have to come," Harry said.

Hagrid shook his head. "That's not their plan."

"What is their plan, then?" Hermione asked.

Hagrid pointed off the shore to where the giant squid was lazily floating just beneath the surface of the water. "He's givin' Harry here a ride, a straight shot down. The merpeople will cause a stir, hopin' ta pull the Inferi away. Yeh should be back up in five or ten minutes, I'd guess."

Harry looked at his friends. "Well, okay then."

"You and I will go together," Ron said, stepping up to where Harry stood. "The squid can take us both just as easy as you."

"No," Hermione said. "Oh for goodness sake, Ron, don't look at me like that. It's nothing to do with you, but they're not a race that likes surprises. If they're just expecting Harry, that's all we should give them."

"But what if the Inferi aren't distracted?" Ginny asked. "You can't fight them all."

"I took care of that." Hagrid pulled a jar of thick red liquid from his coat and unscrewed the lid.

"What is that?" Harry asked.

"Dragon's blood o' course." Hagrid dipped his finger in the jar, then wiped a streak of blood across Harry's forehead. "Don' need much to make it work."

"Make what work?" Hermione asked.

"You didn' think I'd send him into Inferi-infested waters without protection?" Hagrid spoke as if he was somewhat offended. "Inferi don' like dragon's blood. Blood is life and the dragon has a strength they're afraid of."

"I've read everything there is on Inferi," Hermione said. "But I haven't read a word about this. I've checked every book in the library, for Merlin's sake."

"Not everythin' there is to know is found in books," Hagrid answered. "The blood will keep them away. Just hurry back, Harry, before it washes off."

"How long do I have?" Harry asked.

"Dunno. When they start headin' for you, it's worn off."

"You're going to wear your robes in?" Ron asked as Harry started toward the lake.

"I've got to. I want a place for my wand, and I'm bringing extra gillyweed this time. Besides, if the squid's pulling me, the robes won't get in my way."

Harry nodded at each of his friends, then swallowed a mouthful of gillyweed and dove into the water. It took him a few agonizing seconds before he felt air returning to his body and saw the webs form on his hands and feet.

His wand was already in his hand, but as Harry began swimming toward the giant squid, he paused. There was something hard in the pocket of his robe. He felt for it quickly and groaned. It was that stupid fake backfiring wand Fred and George had given him for his birthday.

"Harry Potter," a merman said, swimming up to him. "We cannot distract those beings for more than a few minutes. Remove the object you seek and we hope with its absence, so will the Inferi also leave."

"I'll try," Harry said.

"The squid knows where this box is that you seek. Hold fast to him and he will deliver you there and back."

Harry wrapped his arms around one of the squid's wide tentacles and immediately felt himself being pulled like a rocket through the water. Very far from him, he thought he could see the beginnings of some sort of commotion. There were shapes below him in the water that were quickly moving toward where the merman had spoken to him.

It took perhaps another ten minutes of spiraling downward before the squid began to slow its pace and finally stop at the bottom of the lake.

Harry released his grip on the squid's tentacles and began looking for any area of the ground that might indicate where the box had been buried. The lake floor bore the ridged lines of wave marks. It looked exactly the same here as it did if he turned in any direction. Little light made it down this far, and because of that and the thick seaweed, it was impossible to determine where the box might have been buried years ago.

He aimed a digging charm at the sand, but as a hole opened, more sand would instantly fill its place. He didn't dare do more powerful magic, though. There was too much risk of drawing attention to himself. He finally decided upon a Ferula spell that produced a long stick for him. He took the stick and punched it into the ground, hoping if there were a box down there, the stick would find it. It was difficult work, however, and after several minutes he found he was slowing down. He needed another spell, another way to find the box.

Suddenly he felt a cold tug on his leg. He turned and saw an Inferius trying to pull him back and more shapes were on their way in the water. Hagrid may have underestimated how long that dragon's blood would last.

Modify the Incendio spell, Harry thought, remembering Bill's words. But he had no idea how it would be done. He saw a handful of other Inferi swimming towards him and cast a Petrificus Totalus at each of them. They froze and landed, but more were on their way and coming.

He turned back to the lake floor and on a whim, pointed his wand at the ground and yelled, "Accio goblet box." For a moment, he thought nothing happened, but several feet from him, he saw the dirt beginning to stir itself up. He began to run forward, then felt himself being pulled back again by his legs.

"No!" he yelled. He swerved around again and yelled, "Erupto Inferi!"

The Inferi holding onto his legs were suddenly thrown from him, but Harry felt an immediate drop in his energy. Each stroke forward in the water for him suddenly became like swimming through thick syrup. But the Inferi were keeping their distance, almost as if they too were counting the minutes until the effects of the spell expired.

He pushed forward and saw the box. It took him some time to completely free it from the sand, but once he got it out, he saw a thick lock on it.

Time was running out for him in another way, too. He began gasping at the water and realized with a quick touch at his jawline that the gills were fading. Had it been that long already? He thrust his hand into his pocket, but in his hurry could not remember where he had put the extra gillyweed. Unless he found it, there was no way he had enough air to get himself back to the surface.

He heard a movement in the water again and saw the Inferi beginning to move toward him. There were several behind him as well. As tired as he now felt in the water, he wasn't sure how he would get past them and back to the squid.

"Alohomora," he said, aiming his wand at the box. The lock unsnapped and he yanked the lid open. An Inferi grabbed at his cloak and he felt himself being pulled at.

He opened the lid and even in the dim light, saw a small gold cup with a handle on each end. There was an engraving on its face that seemed to be that of a badger.

He cast a blasting spell at the Inferi which knocked it away, and a Relashio curse at several who were coming down on him from above, but there were others behind them, coming to take their places. He wanted to cast another curse, but the gills were gone now and for Harry to verbalize a spell would mean a mouthful of water. He concentrated on a nonverbal spell, but there was too much else happening. Harry grabbed the cup, hoping to find a way through the Inferi, but instead, he felt a familiar tug at his navel as he was yanked from the water and pulled so quickly away that he couldn't tell whether he was still in water or air.

He landed with a hard bump inside a room that could only be described as a dungeon in which he was locked behind thick metal bars. It was cold and damp and a quick test of the bars showed themselves to be impervious to any spell he knew for breaking through. Harry cursed and threw the Hufflepuff cup against the wall. That had been Voldemort's trap. It was a portkey. Which meant wherever he was, it was no place friendly to him.

"Ickle Harry Potty?" a voice said, emerging from a dark stairway.

Harry turned and narrowed his eyes. Pulling out his wand, he said, "Hello, Bella."