Based on the Harry Potter Series By J. K. Rowling
Chapter 35 “ From the Cave to the Heavens
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While Fred and Patty were enjoying an atypical date in Dover, Hermione Weasley was sitting with Keric Albemarle in London going over the translations she had worked on earlier. After a busy week in London, Keric was looking forward to a quiet evening at home, reading, for the umpteenth time, Homer’s Iliad. Seeing Hermione running towards his office, holding a small pile of paper, Keric sighed and sat, waiting for the inevitable. Hermione’s enthusiasm is admirable, I wonder if she’ll even knock…
“Keric!” Hermione skidded to a stop just inside the office doorway.
“Yes Hermione, come in. I saw your very energetic approach; shall I assume you and Patty found something interesting?”
“Yes, the runes, we…”
“Hermione, close the door,” Keric pointed to the office door, reminding her of the sensitive nature of their situation.
Realizing that she was speaking loudly, and in a non-secure area, Hermione apologized and closed the office door. Keric drew his wand and placed three silencing and security charms on the office and then sat back down to listen to Hermione’s information.
“That translation quill you lent us helped immensely, thank you. We’ve translated pages seventeen through thirty-one and I can scarcely believe what I’m reading. This document claims to be Merlin’s autobiography, written in the first person. Page seventeen picks up his life around the time he was thirty. I haven’t finished reading everything, but I’ll come in over the weekend to do more.” Keric was not used to Hermione’s “speed talking,” but he got the gist of her message.
“No, Hermione, I don’t want you or Patty to touch this over the weekend,” he said with a tone of authority.
Hermione looked like she was about explode with protests. She was sitting on possibly the greatest story in the Wizarding world and her boss was telling her to do nothing.
“Now just wait a minute and hear me out, Hermione, we still have to deal with whoever it is that killed Fudge over these documents. They don’t appear to be on our trail, yet, so let’s not tip them off. I appreciate your enthusiasm but next time just walk the information to me like you were putting in a requisition for more tea. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir. Sorry, I didn’t look at it that way. I guess we were lucky no one was around this evening.”
“Well, don’t worry, no harm done. Did you finish making copies of the other documents in that lot?”
“Yes, they’re locked up in the clean room.”
“Excellent. Now Hermione, please remember that Alastor Moody and I suspect Rufus Scrimgeour is somehow involved in Fudge’s murder. We believe he thinks you are still researching Hogwarts historical information so let’s not give him a reason to think otherwise. With the school closed we may have to pull you both off this for a while.”
“Oh, I hadn’t thought of that. We could make copies of the rune trans...”
“No, Hermione. Make no more copies of anything. Monday morning I’d like you and Patty to report to work here, not Dover. We can send you back there every other day or so, that shouldn’t arouse suspicion.”
“Patty is living in Dover now and has no way to travel back and forth to London unless she Floo’s from the Dover facility.”
“Hmm, all right. Does she know how to Floo? She’s a Squibb, isn’t she?”
“Yes, I’ve shown her some of the basics. I could stop in Sunday and show her how to Floo herself.”
“Very well, but be sure you both sign in and out of the facility. I don’t want a record of you two being there all day. Now, I’m going home to a warm fire and a good book. Let me have the translations and you go home to your new husband. I’m sure there are things you two would rather do than fool around with this stuff.”
Hermione handed over the fifteen translated pages and watched Keric lock them in his office safe. She did not tell him that the original Latin translations and quills were back at Dover.
Arriving back in Hogsmeade about an hour after she left Albemarle’s office, Hermione entered the front door and was met with a delightful aroma in the air. She looked into the kitchen to find a large quiche sitting, cooling, on the range. Based on the number of dirty pans in the sink, the quiche was probably loaded with Ron’s favorite ingredients: Broccoli, onions, and more broccoli.
“Ron? Are you home?”
“Yeah, up here, be right down.”
A minute later, as Hermione was putting away the Latin documents and the translation quills, Ron came up from behind and wrapped his arms around her. “I missed you today. It’s bloody boring around here without you.” Nibbling on Hermione’s ear started her giggling.
“Why, thank you, Ron.”
Hermione turned herself around with Ron’s arms still holding her. “The food smells wonderful. Let me guess; quiche with onions and broccoli, right?”
“Right on. You hungry?”
“YES! I didn’t have much for lunch, we were busy with translations today. We made a lot of progress.” Ron was still holding Hermione, listening to the recap of her day at work.
“Well, let’s get you fed.”
Sitting at the table a few minutes later, Ron tried to pull more information out of Hermione about her day. She appeared unusually excited about what she had been doing, but refused to give him any details. “Ron, I need to talk with Harry about this, he may have some ideas. Would you mind if Harry and Ginny came over early tomorrow?”
“And it’s nothing I can help you with?” Ron knew the answer but had to make an effort.
“No, sorry, it’s confidential. The only reason Harry knows about it is because he was on the staff at Hogwarts. Not mad are you?”
“No, just bored. I’ll let them know to come over around three. Say, have you seen that Muggle sport called Rugby? I was thinking about trying it while the season is off.”
“I’ve heard of it, but never seen a game.” Hermione was glad to be off the subject of her job. “How did you find out about it?”
“Dad learned about it from Gerry Fairling and told me. It sounds like American Football without the protective padding and helmet.”
“So it’s like twenty two men running as fast as they can towards each other, trying to rip a ball out of someone else’s hands? Nice, Ron. Go for it.”
Merlin appeared to Peter as if he had aged since the last part of his story. His facial hair was already white, but Peter noticed that Merlin’s movements were decidedly slower and at times he appeared to be in pain when walking. Snape might have been able to see the differences also, though he had not been with Merlin as long as Peter.
“Shall we finish the story now?”
“Merlin, if I may, just one question before you begin?” Snape asked. “Why do you refer to all your magic as curses? Today we distinguish between curses, spells, charms, potions, hexes, and so on.”
Merlin’s eyes flared with anger as he answered the question. “All magic, where ever it exists, is a curse against nature itself.”
It was the first time Merlin had truly become angry with either Peter or Snape. “This was one of my most terrible mistakes, to think that I was above nature because I was from nature. It cost me everything I have except this wretched existence you see here. If I had shown more respect for nature I wouldn’t exist in this state, and many other things would have been different. Now listen and then we are finished.”
Seeing Peter and Snape nod, Merlin began to tell the last part of story.
“We moved into the cave when the boys were ten and the girls eight. This compromise met with the nurse’s approval and I dismissed them for their service of the past seven years. Providing transportation back to their homes was my final contact with the two wonderful women who had helped me when Maris died. My family now began to live the life I had wanted for them; a life of ease and personal exploration. And I was about to embark on my own journey as well.”
“My first task was to convert the cold, damp cave into a home fit for myself and my children. I planned and drew sketches for the children, asking what they wanted in their new home. When the plans were set, I took the children away from the site and began to make changes. As I had come to learn the last time I was living here, my mere thoughts would change my desires into reality. In just one day the cave had been turned into a comfortable home. Heat was provided by the many fireplaces. Clean water was plentiful and supplied through the springs in the walls of the cave. Our furnishings were meager, but that was common for the time, and we all had beds and tables plus other luxuries that few at that time could boast. Then I began my plan to mold my children.”
“Over the next eight years I tested the powers of my children, offered them more curses, and taught them to understand my wishes for the world. But how quickly had I forgotten the lessons of my own adolescence! Though they were totally dependent upon me for their life and safety, they returned little of the love I showed them, and even less appreciation. Their behavior towards each other was equally reprehensible. The girls got along fine between themselves, but they had no interest in being around the boys. The boys were even worse; they hated each other. By the time they were eighteen and the girls sixteen I had given up hope for a family life that included love.”
“Stefen left us shortly before his nineteenth birthday. I kept track of him for a number of years until he disappeared into the Middle East. Hannah and Renae left home together and traveled to the cold Scandinavian mountains. Renae returned many years later but I was gone by then; I never heard from Hannah again. Galen remained near me, living in the small village where we first moved on our trip north, but we had a difficult relationship. Galen wanted no part of my life, though he did not hinder my personal activities until the end came.”
“So here I was, in my early fifties, alone again for the most part, and an unsuccessful father, husband, priest, and sorcerer. I was immensely lonely; few would venture near my cave even when I came out to see the sun and the stars. The only thing I felt I had left was my enormous power and a nearly empty cave. I practiced magic here for a number of years, random, meaningless magic that did nothing to raise my spirits. I began experimenting with curses to freeze or slow down time. As I expected, stopping time was impossible and slowing it down nearly as difficult. Since I had no wish to live forever, I abandoned this aspect of my powers and focused on others.”
“I came to learn the ways of the Druids, though I did not practice their religion. In spite of the hostility I still felt toward Jesus, I desired His way of life above all others. From studying the Druids I came to remember the beautiful gift Osiris Olivander had given me many years before; the lovely woven yew branches. I began to incorporate his gift into my incantations and found that many of my curses were magnified when channeled through the wood. Among the few friends I had in the area the yew became a symbol of my power, though I did not need it for much of my magic.”
“Years passed for me now like the growth of tundra grasses; slow, imperceptibly slow. I was disappointed to see the failure of the Roman Empire in Britannia, but by the late fifth century the empire had become so corrupt and unwieldy that its fall was inevitable. Along with the retreat of the Roman Empire went all order, law, structure, and culture in my land. Wars returned, plagues abounded, and civilization stagnated. All but one.”
“I began to hear of a new “Empire” from Rome, not the mighty, conquering one I had known for seven centuries, but rather the Christian Church that I had known of many years before. In the past half century I had not seen any priests in my area and I had begun to wonder what had happened. Rumors were fragmented by hundreds of miles and months of travel. Still, I found that my old beliefs were alive. The leaders of the Faith had established themselves in Rome and were trying to reconnect all the various part into a universal church.”
“This is the point in my life where I chose to abandon my secret cave, return to the outside world, and carry out a plan to unite all Christians. It was the same plan I had devised years before around a winter fire. My powers had become almost painfully strong, as had my desire to succeed at something important in life. Therefore, I set out to Galen’s village to try, one more time, to be successful for Jesus. Unlike my other attempts, however, this one carried with it not just a promise of happiness in the future, but proof of it here and now. I would show heaven to the faithful, not merely talk about it.”
Merlin stopped talking for a moment; he looked exceptionally tired, as if telling the story itself was taking the life from his body. Snape and Peter looked at each other with concern. As far as they knew, Merlin was their only possible way out of the reality they were in. Snape stood and walked to Merlin’s bowed form.
“Merlin, can we help you?”
Turning to Snape, Merlin smiled in thanks and shook his head. “For me there is no help, my friends, my time is nearly over; but I am happy I could share my story one time. I’ve lived this lonely existence for sixteen hundred years, and as wonderful as it is, I’m glad I chose mortality. Look around you. This is what I promised those who would come with me to follow Jesus, but so few chose to join me... so few.”
Merlin was now clearly on the verge of collapsing, and probably dying, Snape guessed. He and Peter helped lay the aged wizard down on the soft grass.
“Would you like a drink?” Snape asked. Immediately, and to his amazement, a goblet of cool water appeared in his hand. The two visitors raised Merlin up and gave him a sip of the water, though most ran down his face and onto the ground.
“You are kind. Let me tell you the last few bits of my life in your world. Then you will make your choices.”
Snape and Peter were about to ask what that comment meant, but Merlin had started his deathbed confession.
“I created a world, this world, like the Garden of Eden. I prepared it with all my powers and cursed it to last forever. Like the story of creation, I created animals and beasts of every shape and size; and plants unheard-of in the world of man. I preached of eternal life, and drew my new followers to me, moving them through my mind into this new reality; but it wasn’t enough. The village elders began to interfere with me, and Galen would use his own powers to stop many from joining me. I begged and pleaded with the people, showing them the fantastic plants and animals they would never see in their world. Magical animals for a magical land, where we would all live in harmony and peace.”
Merlin was now gasping for breaths more frequently.
“I promised peace and beauty…and love with me. My world would be their goddess, Venus…but they were choosing hate and war…where they stayed. They chose Mars, the god of war and destruction.”
Rising onto his elbows, Merlin’s eyes were opened wide and as black as midnight. He was reliving a terrible scene of his past and his frail body could not take much more.
“I promised them powers! I gave them powers they never knew, all they had to do was join me. ME!
Letting himself slowly return to the ground, on his back, Snape saw the signs of death approaching. The pained look on the withered face, beads of sweat, fast shallow breaths. It can’t be much longer. Peter touched Snape’s shoulder. Is there anything we can do? was the message he was giving Snape, Peter did not even have to say the words; Snape shook his head. Merlin rested for a few minutes in silence, and then told of the final piece of his life.
“Galen appeared one day as I brought followers to my world. My obsession with this plan of mine had failed. I had done it again. Forgetting the words of Joshua, ‘Me’ was all I had thought about. As I brought people forward and captured them with the golden threads spun in my mind, my own son approached me with his knife drawn. He yelled at me to stop, he threatened me with the knife, but I didn’t stop. In his disgust he threw down his knife and charged into me, knocking me down and ending my plans forever.”
“Crushing my chest and puncturing my lungs, the end I had sought for so long began to conquer me and I was seconds away from death. I then made my final wish, with all the power I knew, with all the power I possessed; I wished that I could do something to make up for all the obtuse and selfish actions of my miserable life. As my powers died, and I along with them, I found myself here, in my own personal purgatory, waiting for the end.”
“Now...my friends...isss time...I go,” Merlin was quickly fading and slurring his final words. “While you...are here...you will be...safe, when you...choose to leave...” Spasms of coughing wracked the old man’s body, bringing a spray of blood from his mouth turning his hand, beard, and moustache red. This was the end, Snape knew, but he suspected that Merlin had one other thing to say. Leaning his ear close to the dying man’s mouth, Snape heard the last few words of the world’s most famous wizard.
“Mr. Snape, is he dead?” Snape held up a hand, silencing Peter while he digested the words he had just heard. Finally, Snape turned to face Peter.
“Peter, it is time for you to go back now, and I need you to take a message with you.”
“How can I go back? Merlin’s dead!” Peter may have been able to keep his composure a little while longer, but when Snape raised he head away from Merlin’s mouth, the tears in his eyes were just too much. Peter sat back and curled on the ground, sobbing for Merlin, but mostly for himself. Snape let the boy cry for a while; he himself was having trouble realizing the magnitude of Merlin’s last words. However, he knew exactly what Merlin meant and what needed to be done.
“Peter, look at me.”
Calming himself down, Peter looked up to the strange man he’d met only a couple hours before.
“Peter, do you wish to go home now?”
“Yes.”
“You are not expected to understand everything you heard here, but I need you to take a message. This is very important, Peter, can you do that?”
“Aren’t you coming back, too?” When Snape shook his head Peter became frightened, but promised he would do his best.
“Very good. This is what you need to do.”
Harry and Ginny Floo’d into Ron and Hermione’s house for dinner Saturday afternoon. Hermione had asked that they arrive early; she had to talk to Harry about something important. Ginny was a little miffed that she would not tell her what it was about, but when they arrived, and after Hermione dragged Harry outside, Ron told his sister that he didn’t know what it was about either.
Well, if she’s not telling her husband I guess I shouldn’t worry too much, either.
Harry, for his part, was beginning to find these “emergency” walks with Hermione amusing. He tried to start a conversation but Hermione was not even acknowledging his words; she had the look on her face she wore when thinking about a complicated spell. Taking her hand and trying to get her attention that way, Hermione finally spoke up.
“Harry, we should go to Hogwarts, Moody may need to hear this. Oh, I’m so confused.” Now that she was talking, Harry told her to continue, they could always repeat it for Moody.
“Ok, ok. Harry, Patty and I translated the first few pages of the runes I told you about. I took them to my boss and he told me to stop looking at them and put the work away for a while, he even made me give him the part I had already translated. But, but, Harry, I kept the copies of the Latin text and spent today translating them. Harry! This isn’t any old text, this is THE text, the original ‘Story in the Runes’ as told by Merlin himself.”
Hermione has just said so much so quickly Harry was wondering how anyone could think and talk that fast. “Hermione, slow down. I know about the story, we read it in our first year. I thought it was pretty lame. Half of it sounded made-up.”
“Yes Harry! That’s why this document is so important. I read the story, too, and it’s not like this document at all. One of them is a fabrication, or a horrible misinterpretation. Harry, this document shows us where magic came from, and, and...” Hermione was hyperventilating. “Harry, it tells us how it ends.”
“Aw, come on, Hermione, you’ve got to be kidding. There’s always doomsday predictions showing up somewhere.”
Ron was the second person not to believe the story. After Hermione had told Harry, he turned her around and dragged her back to the house instead of going on to Hogwarts.
“You can’t just turn magic on and off like a light switch, can you?”
“Ronald, how would you know? How would any of us know? I’m telling you that this document is so hot that Keric is trying to hold it back. Imagine the panic it would cause if the word got out.”
“Yeah, Hermione, I think we can see exactly the kind of panic we could see.”
“RONALD WEASLEY, Don’t be an ass. And you, too, Harry. Look at what this says!”
Now Harry was getting angry. “NO HERMIONE, don’t show any of us that translation. Do you know how many laws you’ve broken? Even you and I had agreed not to tell anyone about this so just calm down. Can you imagine what all the Christians in the world would do if they suddenly found out that the Bible was a fake?” Once again Harry found himself losing his temper with Hermione. This whole time Ginny had been sitting quietly on the sofa.
“Harry, Ron, Hermione’s right,” she said softly, almost in a whisper. That got everyone’s attention.
Ron looked dumbstruck at his sister. “Oh, come on, Ginny, don’t stick up for her because you’re both girls!”
Harry and Hermione knew those were fighting words with Ginny, Ron remembered that fact a little too late. Drawing her wand, Ginny swiftly moved towards Ron, pointing it at his head. “Bats or Slugs, Ronald? You choose.”
“What? Get out of here, Ginny. You’re mental, both you and Hermione.” Ron’s words showed a different level of courage than his voice.
“Fine, you’ll get both!” Harry and Hermione were about to yell “no,” but it was too late. Faster than they had ever seen, Ginny called out the incantations for the Bat Bogey Hex and the Vomiting Slug Charm and stood back smiling at her brother. Ron was flailing wildly at his head and Harry had jumped up to find a pail for the slugs, but it was Hermione’s voice that stopped everyone.
“Wow! Ginny, when did that happen?”
Harry and Ron both shouted together, “What?” Then taking account of the situation, they both noticed that Ron was neither sprouting bat wings nor vomiting slugs.
“Oy, VERY FUNNY, Ginevra. Is that out of the Gilderoy Lockhart book of trick spells?” Ron was getting madder at his sister by the minute.
“Oh, stop it, Ron. Ginny just proved my theory to you.”
“What theory?” Ron and Harry asked together.
“Oh, so you want to hear it now? How about you, Harry?”
As everyone was about to sit down to hear out Hermione, they heard a whoosh from the fireplace and saw George’s face appear. "Uh, Ron, Harry, I guess all of you. Can you come to St. Mungo’s right away? We’re in Percy’s room.” Before they answered, George was gone.
“It’s happening again,” Ginny said quietly. This time, Ron and Harry paid closer attention, but Ginny Floo’d out first and they would have to wait for later.
“Well, your first attempt wasn’t very successful, what will you do this time?” The voice was angry, dangerously so.
“I’ll make it a little more personal this time. She’s not as strong as Potter, and she doesn’t have his reputation to back her up.”
“Get out! And make it work this time.”
The visitor left with a smile on his face.
The room at St. Mungo’s that had been the home to Percy and Peter these past four months was crowded with twelve visitors and hospital staff. The Healer on duty that afternoon and evening had notified the Weasley’s when Peter Martin had regained consciousness in the hope that Percy might also. This was the event that caused George Weasley’s face to appear in Hogsmeade and summon Ron, Ginny, Harry and Hermione.
As the four entered the room they saw Peter sitting up in bed with his parents holding him. Every time his mother kissed the fourteen year old he blushed. For his part, Peter looked like he was ready to jump out of bed and have a good meal. The Healers, including Olga Windshine, tried to ask questions, but Peter was constantly being distracted by his parents and paid the Healers little attention. Finally Olga spoke up, silencing the room.
“Please, I need everyone out except the parents of Peter Martin. When we are finished the rest of you may come back in. Ms. Weasley,” Olga had seen Ginny enter. “Please remain also.” Ginny nodded and sat on the settee.
With a few grumbles from Fred and George, the seven extra people left; all the attending staff, except for the Healer on duty, soon followed them.
“Percy looks the same, did he show any signs of improvement?” Ron asked his brothers.
“Nah, still the same, but the boss Healer said to wait until they finished their tests. Say Harry, why is Ginny in there?” Fred’s question seemed to be the same one for a couple others.
“Er, Ginny has been working with Olga to learn some basic healing skills.” Harry didn’t want to go into many details. Hermione did.
“Nonsense Harry! Ginny is exceptionally gifted, Fred, that’s why she was able to save Harry after the final battle…oh, Harry, stop looking like it’s a big secret. Ginny told me all about your situation.”
“Well, ok, it’s true. She’s also been treating me for some…er, other stuff this past week.”
George and Fred had heard none of this and kept asking questions. “What sort of treatments, Harry?”
“Look you two gits, leave Harry alone,” Ron jumped fiercely into the conversation.
“It’s ok, Ron, I don’t mind if…”
“No Harry, I think we should all just wait quietly,” Hermione plopped plunked down on one of the sofas in the hallway pulling Ron with her.
“Cool off, little brother, we were just wondering.”
Tempers were high for everyone that evening so they just sat and waited for word about Percy.
George broke the silence a minute later. “Hey Fred, tell us about the hot date last night. You remember, the one that had you home a ten o’clock.”
Hermione looked at Fred; she had forgotten all about Patty and Fred’s date.
“Sod off, George, I had a...nice time.” Fred saw that George was about to say something else so he cut him off. “George, I said shut up.”
Hermione couldn’t wait to talk to Patty.
Inside the room, a Healer was observing Peter and performing a number of tests including reflexes, hand-eye coordination, and other motor skills evaluations. When finished, he moved to Percy and Olga went to speak with Peter.
“Peter, I’m the director of this hospital. Are you aware of how you came to be here?”
“No, not really. I was with Percy when he was showing me a memory. Then something happened.”
“Very good, Peter. Do you have any recollection of anything you experienced the past four months?”
“No, ma’am, nothing much.”
Olga looked carefully at Peter, and then turned to Ginny. “What do you think, Ms. Weasley? Is he strong enough to leave?”
Ginny knew that Olga had sensed the same thing that she had sensed. This meant she was being quizzed on her response rather than being consulted. “I think I would like a few minutes alone with Peter,” Ginny responded, quietly. Olga nodded and escorted everyone out of the room except Ginny and Peter. When everyone had exited, Ginny spoke up.
“Peter, you have a message for someone?”
“How did you know?” Peter’s question had answered the first part of Ginny’s.
Sometimes I wonder. “What do you need to tell me, Peter?”
“I need to see someone named Harry Potter. Do you know who he is?”
“Yes, I do, just a moment.”
Ginny walked to the door and opened it. Seeing Olga, Ginny spoke quietly to her first, and then called out to Harry. Surprised at the summons, Harry rose and joined Ginny in the room.
“Harry, Peter has to speak with you about something.”
Harry introduced himself and pulled a chair up next to the bed. “What’s up Peter?”
“I have a message for you from Mr. Snape.” This statement got their full attention. Harry leaned closer and Ginny was leaning on Harry.
“Mr. Snape said that you have to probe Percy’s mind right away, and you will find him there.”
Which “him?” “Harry, you know what happened to Snape when he did that.”
Peter tried to assuage some of Ginny’s fears. “Mr. Snape said that he wouldn’t be in danger.”
“Harry, please don’t do it,” Ginny pleaded.
Harry stood and turned toward Percy. Ginny was holding his arms, trying to keep his hands from touching her brother.
“No, Harry, PLEASE!”
Harry looked at Ginny and said very calmly, “See you soon, Gin.”
Too shocked to do anything else, Ginny could only watch when Harry pulled his arms free and placed his hands on Percy’s head. Instantly everything was black and Harry found himself tumbling into emptiness.