by Alice I » Tuesday 22 June 2004 10:12:32pm
This is the first part of Chapter 17.
There is a character in this section that is supposed to speak with a heavy Scottish accent so any Scotts out there who would like to set me straight on his lines please feel free to.
I am still writing the rest of this chapter but it will go up as soon as I can get to it.
My daughter is taking an enormous amout of my time right now with her being so totally dependant.
Chapter Seventeen - Part 1
Azkaban
Even with the protection charm in place Harry and Dobby were cold and buffeted by the strong winds that routinely pound the coastline. This rugged terrain showed no signs of habitation and Harry flew only a few dozen meters above the rocky cliffs so that he could see to follow the coast line in the hazy, grey, early morning light. He found himself fighting to stay on course against the strong winds and could barely hear himself think over the howling wind and the screechy calls of the thousands of sea birds nesting in the cliff face.
Dobby had Harry in a vice grip around his waist like a terrified chimpanzee clinging to its mother. After forty-five long minutes two jagged pinnacles of rock reaching some two hundred feet above the boiling waves came into view. These triangular spires of layer upon layer of rock jabbing skyward were an impressive and terrifying spectacle to see close up. A strong gust of wind threatened to smash them into one of the towers of rock and Harry had to veer off toward the cliff face of the mainland to avoid a collision with the giant sea stack. He was getting very tired fighting the gale force winds in this rugged land and was relieved to see the lighthouse come into view and landed quickly, fearful that some muggle might see him in the predawn light.
Once they had landed Dobby let go of Harry and dropped to the ground shaking. "Are you alright Dobby?" Harry asked him concerned. Dobby who seemed to relax a little looked up and Harry could just make out the end of his pointy nose under his hood said in a squeaky voice "Dobby is happy to be on the ground Harry Potter sir." then he got up and beckoned Harry forward. "The gate is out in front of the light house sir."
Harry who wanted nothing more than to rest a while almost objected but held his tongue. He would rest later; now he must stay focused on the task at hand, so he followed Dobby to a large rock a hundred meters from the lighthouse. "Dobby, won't someone from that light house see us?" Harry asked looking back anxiously over his shoulder. "No Harry Potter sir, no muggles stay in the lighthouse. It needs no care taker." Harry looked back and said "You mean it's automated?" Dobby stopped and stared at Harry for a moment and replied from under his hood "It needs no caretaker sir, Dobby does not know automated."
Dobby stepped up to the large rock and touched its surface. "The gate is here sir, you must touch the stone and say 'Adaperio' but only a witch or wizard can open the gate." Harry looked down at Dobby and frowned "You can't open the gate Dobby?" Dobby shook his head and said "House elves would either go with their masters or just go directly to the prison." Harry placed his hands on the stone and said "Adaperio" and as he said this his hands sank into the surface of the stone like sinking through liquid glass. He turned instinctively and took Dobby's hand and pulled him through the stone with him.
When they emerged from the other side they were looking out at the sea and the wind had died down quite a bit. It wasn't still but it no longer whipped at them. When Harry turned around to look at the lighthouse he could no longer get a clear view of it. He could tell that a building lay in the distance but it seemed veiled somehow as if only a ghost or a vision unclear to the waking eye. Harry turned back to the view out over the cliff face and saw a railing leading to a winding and rather rickety looking staircase clinging to the cliff face. Far below at the bottom of the stairs was a dock with a ferry moored to it in remarkably calm water compared to the churning seas plainly in view from the top of the cliff. The climb down the stairs looked long and treacherous and Harry was sure that the person running the ferry would see them approaching if they started down now.
He was exhausted and Dobby looked terrified of the decent so he turned to the little elf and said "Let's find a place to stay, and come back after the ferry leaves. I don't want to be seen climbing down." Dobby did not argue and as they passed back through the barrier Harry stowed his broom and shouldered his backpack "Which way Dobby?"
Dobby led them past the lighthouse to a long and winding road that headed off to the west and away from the cliff out into the moorland. Before they had gotten very far Harry looked to his right and saw a sight that was both terrifying and remarkably beautiful at the same time. A huge cleft bitten deeply into the cliffs, where hundreds of thousands of sea birds nested, opened before them; the earth simply dropping away abruptly. Harry veered off the path to get a closer look at this marvelous natural sight. He felt slightly uneasy looking down into the chasm cut into the cliff face hundreds of meters down. He had the sudden sickening thought of someone wandering to close to this at night and falling into the gorge; someone who was unfamiliar with the area, someone like himself. Harry backed away from the Geo and resumed walking along the well trodden path with Dobby who had not approached the cleft in the earth.
Dobby led them to the small town of John O' Groats about a mile and a half from the lighthouse. The sleepy little community had not risen yet and the streets were deserted and quiet. Dobby led them to a place called ‘The Last House and Museum’. Harry was confused by this, as the establishment was clearly a muggle tourist attraction. There was a large car park to the front and side of the building and a well trodden foot path behind the structure running along the cliff face looking out over the sea. The front doors were clearly locked and the building looked dark.
"Dobby where are you taking us?" he asked. Dobby did not answer him but led him around the building to the rear where there was a small storage room attached to the main structure. Then Dobby did something that made Harry gasp; he began to take his clothes off. "Dobby what are you doing!" Harry exclaimed more loudly than he had intended. "Shh… Master, Dobby must enter the inn as your servant." Harry looked around mystified "What are you talking about Dobby! What Inn?" Dobby had removed his parka, boots and pants. As he took off the heavy sweater and handed it to Harry he shivered visibly. "Dobby you are going to freeze!" Harry said as he stuffed the clothes into his backpack. Dobby then took Harry's pack and broom and touched the wall of the storage room. It shimmered slightly and suddenly a door was revealed. Dobby opened the door and Harry followed the little elf dumbstruck. Inside was a very roomy single story Inn.
There was a good sized fire place in the far left corner near a small bar in front of the kitchen. Over to the right was a dark hallway that Harry assumed led away to the Inn's rooms. The large common room had several tables scattered around and there were actually a few patrons already seated here and there. Dobby marched right over to a table near the right side of the room and set Harry's belongings down indicating that he should have a seat. Having already gone through this once with Dobby, Harry automatically reached under his shirt and took several coins from his money belt and handed them over to the elf.
As Dobby approached the bar a harried middle aged wizard came rushing out of the kitchen behind the bar carrying a large tray laden with plates of food. Dobby quickly stepped aside as the wizard paid no notice of him and nearly stepped on the elf. After the wizard had handed the plates of food to his customers he headed back to the kitchen but stopped abruptly at the sight of the house elf. He looked around quickly and noticed Harry sitting in the corner. The wizard turned back to Dobby and said "Two galleons a night for a room, one galleon a day for all your meals. Payment must be made at the beginning of each day."
Dobby nodded and handed six galleons to the wizard and said "I will bring my Master's breakfast to him in his room." The wizard took the gold and stepped behind the bar. He took a copper key from a drawer and handed it to the elf. He eyed Harry suspiciously, for out here it was uncommon to have a servant make arrangements for a stay, and to pay in advance for the next day. The inn keeper couldn't get a good look at him for he had chosen to sit in the far corner away from the illumination of the torches scattered around the room or the fireplace which in itself was also suspicious. The inn keeper could only tell that this stranger was quite young with dark hair and glasses but that was about all he could make out. With the breakout from the island over the summer and all of the traffic lately that had passed through his doors he made note of the young wizard in case any aurors had questions, but did not approach him personally.
Dobby led Harry down the dark hallway to the room at the end of the hall. There were only five rooms total and this struck Harry as somewhat odd. Once they had entered the room Harry turned to Dobby and said "Dobby, there are only five rooms here but there were at least eight people in that common room. How is it that we were given a room?" Dobby said "Harry Potter sir, there were nine people in the common room and they were mostly aurors and guards that work at Azkaban."
Harry paled at these words. He couldn't believe that he had been sitting in a room full of the people who might be the ones looking for him. Dobby saw Harry blanch and said "Master the best place to hide is in plain sight. They work at the prison and would not be looking for you sir." Harry brightened up a bit then "That's right Dobby, and even if they were looking for me, no one knows that you are with me. They would be looking for one person not two." Dobby's ears quivered slightly and he said "I will go now and get you some breakfast Master. The ferry will leave in about an hour. We will have just over two hours before it returns with the guards leaving the island."
Harry took out his cauldron and set it aside then he took the wash basin off the dresser and placed it on the floor. He started a small fire in the basin then placed his cauldron on top of it using a hover charm to keep the cauldron from smothering the fire. He then added some water and dropped in three Alihotsy leaves. The water turned dark green for a moment but as it heated the color slowly faded. Dobby arrived with a plate of eggs and sausage, a side of wheat toast and orange juice for Harry and a small bowl of porridge for himself. Harry ignored the food for a moment as he was watching the water in the cauldron. Once the fluid looked like clear water again he scooped out the sodden leaves and dropped them in the waste bin. He removed the cauldron from the fire and placed it on the floor to cool. After he put the wash basin back on the dresser he sat down to eat. The fact that he was ravenous surprised him, for usually when he was rack with nerves his appetite abandoned him. He remembered the times he had gone off food before the first two tasks of the Triwizard Tournament and what he was about to do; (break into Azkaban Prison and use veritaserum illegally on one of the prisoners as well as using a knockout drug on other prisoners and probably a guard as well); would defiantly qualify as nerve wracking. He was astonished that he was even able to look at his breakfast let alone finish it.
When the Alihotsy water had cooled to room temperature, Harry asked Dobby how much to add to the Slowfax solution. "You need five drops to the full vial of the Slowfax Harry Potter sir." Harry took out the vial of blue liquid and opened the stopper and put five drops in. The slightly blue color turned a sickly yellow for a moment then faded to clear. Harry stoppered the vial and placed it carefully in his pocket along with the Veritaserum, then stepped over to the door and opened it slightly. He could still hear voices coming from the common room and checked his watch. They would want to leave in about an hour; that should give the guards time to descend the stairs and leave on the ferry. Harry turned back to Dobby and said "Wake me in an hour and we will go to the gate.” Dobby nodded and Harry lay down on the bed and was asleep within moments.
Max started looking for Harry in Diagon Alley because Professor Dumbledore had found out that the Knight Bus had taken Harry to the Leaky Cauldron; however Tom told Max that he had seen no sign of Harry at all. Max lowered his voice and asked Tom where one might go when trying to hide and Tom directed him with a grimace to The Brigands Burrow. "I hate to think of the lad in such a woe begotten hole! He shoulda' known he could trust me! He shoulda' come to me first!" Max shook his head "Would you have hidden him from the people looking for him who care about him?" Tom hung his head realizing that Harry would not have stayed at the Leaky Cauldron when he was running away. "I just worry fer the lad that's all." Max told Tom that he would find Harry and bring him home safely then thanked him for his help before heading off for the Brigands Burrow.
The proprietor of the Brigand's Burrow seemed extremely nervous when Max asked him about a young wizard traveling with a house elf. "I don't know what yer talkin' about. An even if I did, I don't talk abou' me customers ter strangers." It took Max nearly two hours to finally get this toothless old wizard to admit that Harry had indeed stayed there. The old man had pay a dubious healer ten Galleons to have a silencing charm lifted from him and he was terrified that Max was going to use a severing charm to remove his tongue because he had talked.
Max left the Brigands Burrow just a little mystified by this young boy who seemed to be acting completely out of character from what he had been told about him. Could this sixteen year old be clever enough to pass himself off as a dark wizard? He certainly seemed to have convinced the proprietor of the Brigand's Burrow, a seedy place that is frequented by dark wizards. This boy had managed to frighten the old proprietor into keeping quite about his stay there, he had planned on using muggle transportation to make it more difficult to track his movements, he was using the house elf to pay for his room and meals to avoid direct contact with other wizards and Max found himself beginning to develop some respect for young Mr. Potter.
Max had taken the photo that Ginny gave him and bewitched it to look as any muggle photo would and proceeded to Kings Cross rail station. He had seen Harry at around ten thirty yesterday morning in London and he had left the Brigands Burrow at twelve thirty so he would have not gotten to the station until around one in the afternoon. Max pulled out a badge that he had acquired for use with muggles when investigating the where-abouts of the wizards he was tracking. He stepped into the public restroom first and took a suit and tie out of a knapsack he carried and changed his clothes, then made sure his ponytail was tucked neatly inside his suit jacket. He put a small microphone in his left ear that had a white coiled wire leading down inside the lapel to complete the look. Upon inspection of himself in the mirror he noticed that the suit was a bit wrinkled so checking first to see that he was alone in the bathroom he took out his wand and pointed it at himself and gave it a sharp flick. The suite straightened itself out and now looked as though it had been freshly pressed. With a satisfied smile Max replaced his wand in his jacket and left the restroom. After stowing his knapsack in a locker he proceeded to the ticket window. The young lady behind the glass was quite impressed with Max and his FBI badge all the way from America. When Max asked her to escort him to the station manager's office she was only too happy to escort this tall handsome agent from the states.
The station manager was a middle aged balding man with a very pleasant disposition named Mr. Waxmeyer. He looked over Max's FBI badge carefully though before indicating that he should take a seat. "How may British Rail be of service to the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation today?" he asked rather primly. Max pulled out the photograph of Harry and Ginny and handed it over to the man. "This boy has gone missing. He is the son of a United State's Senator who is here on vacation. We have good reason to believe that he may have taken a train from here yesterday afternoon to northern Scotland. I would very much like to take a look at your surveillance tapes to see if he was here and purchased train tickets."
Mr. Waxmeyer was still looking at the picture of Harry and Ginny frowning slightly when he looked up at Max. "You said tickets; do you believe this boy to be traveling with someone else?" Max raised an eyebrow and looked at this man appraisingly. He was surprised that he had picked up on that little slip. He would have to be very careful with this fellow. "There is a slight possibility that this boy may be traveling with a companion. We are unsure if this is the case so I would greatly appreciate your digression in this matter sir." Max leaned closer to Mr. Waxmeyer in a conspiratorial fashion and lowered his voice "There is a possibility that he is being coerced in some manner… but we are not considering this a kidnapping… yet." Mr. Waxmeyer sat back with wide eyes and said "Of course Agent Howe, I will not speak of this to anyone. If you will just wait here for a moment I will pull the tapes from yesterday." He turned back to Max and asked "Is there a time frame that you wish to view?" Max smiled inwardly but in a rather business like tone said I would be interested in seeing everything from 12:30 onward to start with sir." The station manager nodded and left the room.
It took Max only about half an hour of viewing the surveillance tapes to spot Harry. He knew what Harry’s parka looked like so that was actually quite helpful. As he and Mr. Waxmeyer sat in front of a bank of televisions playing the tapes from the seven different cameras Max spotted him coming into the station at just past one o'clock. "There he is." said Max indicating Harry's entrance seen on one of the screens. He proceeded to the large map of the train routes throughout England and Scotland. After a few moments they watched him walk over to the ticket counter. "Can you stop the tape there?" Max asked and Mr. Waxmeyer froze the image. "The time stamp on the tape is 13:34. I would like to speak with the ticket agent that worked that booth yesterday."
Mr. Waxmeyer said "That would be Sheila, the young lady who brought you up to my office; I'll go get her for you." Max took the tape off hold and watch as Harry purchased his tickets. He followed him out of frame and looked to see him from one of the other camera angles. Unfortunately for Max, Harry and Dobby had chosen to sit in the only spot in the entire terminal waiting area that was just out of sight of the cameras. Max wondered if this was just dumb luck on Harry's part or if he was looking for a very clever runaway. Indeed Max's opinion of Harry was increasing with the chase.
Sheila looked at the picture of Harry and Ginny and smiled brightly up at Max. "I remember him agent Howe. He was kinda' cute but he seemed pretty nervous to me. I remember wondering why he wasn't in school." Max asked her "Do you remember what ticket he purchased?" She smiled again and looked dreamily at Max "Oh yes sir, he bought two tickets for the number 854 from London to Wick. It left at 3:00 yesterday afternoon and should have gotten them to Wick by 6:00 o’clock this morning." Max frowned and looked at his watch; it was already past noon. He looked at Sheila and asked "Did you see his traveling companion?" She frowned now and thought about it "I'm sorry sir; he left the ticket window and disappeared into the crowd. It was fairly busy at that time and I didn't see where he went. I'm sorry" Max smiled warmly at her "That is quite alright Sheila, you have been most helpful." Shelia got up to leave and looked back at Mr. Waxmeyer and Max "He will be alright won't he? I mean he seemed like such a nice young man." Mr. Waxmeyer patted Sheila on the shoulder and said "I am sure that he will be just fine. Agent Howe will find him very soon and bring him home."
Once Sheila had left the office Mr. Waxmeyer turned to Max and said "I can contact the train staff and see if anyone remembers him or the person traveling with him." Max got up and headed for the door, "That won't be necessary; I will have our agent in Thurso pick him up now that we know where he has gone to." Mr. Waxmeyer was not so easily dissuaded though. "But if this is indeed a kidnapping wouldn't you need to know what the kidnapper looked like to catch them?" Mr. Waxmeyer was now looking suspiciously at Max. "As I said we are not calling this a kidnapping yet sir. As you saw yourself on the screen the boy purchased his tickets without anyone standing over him. Indeed he seemed to enter the station alone. There are aspects of this case that you know nothing about, but suffice it to say that we are fairly certain we know with whom he is traveling. The Senator would appreciate your digression in this matter and thanks you for your assistance." Mr. Waxmeyer nodded curtly but realized that if the American FBI were involved then he should mind his own business. He showed Max out to the main terminal and wished him luck in finding the Senator's son yet followed him with his eyes all the way out of the station.
Max left Kings Cross and wanted to head straight for Wick but he wanted to retrieve his knapsack first. He stole around a corner into a deserted and dark alley, and then with a loud pop he was gone. Max appeared at his aunt's flat the next moment to find Ferrus having a game of cribbage with Rae. "Hello Max, back already?" Max handed a key to Ferrus and told him where Kings Cross was. "Please go get my bag from this locker. I am afraid the station manager might find it somewhat suspicious for agent Howe to be taking a knapsack out of a locker at his terminal after the conversation we just had." Max then used his aunt's telephone to make a long distance call to a friend of his in the FBI. After a heated conversation Max came back into the living room to find that Ferrus had already returned with the bag. "You making trouble for Barney again?" Max looked at Ferrus and said "He owes me a favor, and in a couple of months he'll owe me another. That's the way the game is played Ferrus, you of all people should know that!" Ferrus raised his hands and shook his head smirking "I know Max, I just love giving you a hard time." Max took the bag and left the room. After only a few minutes he came back, dressed in jeans, a heavy sweater over a turtleneck and a heavy parka. Ferrus just looked at him "Did this mark run off to the artic?" Max smiled slightly and said "Northern Scotland in November can be pretty darn cold or so I'm told." He bent down and gave Rae a kiss and said "I'll only be a day or two." and with a loud pop he was gone.
It seemed to Harry that he had just closed his eyes when Dobby shook him awake. It took him a moment to gather his thoughts and shake the sleep from his mind but in a few moments he was up and stowing his invisibility cloak in his robe pocket. "Dobby I can't apparate but I can fly to the lighthouse. You must put the parka and boots on at least. If you want to just meet me in front of the light house that should be fine. At this distance it will take me about five minutes to fly it.” Dobby nodded and put the boots and parka on and with a snap of his fingers he was gone. Harry took the ski bag and slung it over his shoulder. He made sure to pull the hood up around his face before he entered the common room that was now deserted except for the inn keeper behind the bar, who followed Harry all the way to the door with his eyes.
When Harry stepped out into the cold morning air he looked around cautiously. It was still hazy and he could see no one around. He stepped behind the building facing the walking path and the cliff edge then looked left and right before taking his Firebolt from the ski bag. He stuffed the now empty bag in his cloak pocket and looked around once again for signs of movement. He mounted and kicked off hard shooting straight up into the foggy sky. The sun had come up and while the day was still obscured by grey clouds and some left over early morning fog he would still be much more visible, so he took off northeast at top speed for the lighthouse. The wind was still quite strong but not as much as the trip along the eastern shore line and he saw the lighthouse come into view after only four minutes of flying. He dropped down so quickly and suddenly that Dobby squealed in fear.
"Harry Potter sir! Dobby thought you had lost control, Dobby thought you were going to crash! Harry Potter sir you must be more careful. Dobby knows you are a very good flyer sir but this part of the country has terrible winds and seas. You could be blown into the cliffs or out to sea where you would surly die!" Dobby was wringing his hands and his large bat like ears were quivering madly. "Dobby relax, I flew so fast because I wanted to get here and on the ground before any one saw me." Harry opened the gate and they went through.
The climb looked as difficult and dangerous as it had previously but there was nothing for it except to begin their decent. Much to Harry's surprise the stairs leading down the cliff face may have looked rickety but they were far from it. They had a very solid feel to them and the decent was no where near as bad as it looked to be. About halfway down the cliff face Harry noticed a small cave some ten meters from the stairs. There was a narrow ledge just on the other side of the railing that went right to the cave. On an impulse Harry hopped the railing and started along the ledge toward the cave. "Harry Potter sir, where are you going!?" Dobby asked in a frightened voice. Harry said "I want to see that cave."
Once he reached the entrance to the cave he only had to duck a little to get in. Ten feet back from the entrance was a small rock tunnel leading into the cliff. Harry got down on his hands and knees and crawled through. The tunnel was only two meters long and when he reached the end he pulled out his wand and said "Lumos". The tunnel opened up into a large cavern that went back several meters. Harry smiled to himself and looked around. Suddenly a small high pitched voice cried "What is it? Why have you come here Harry Potter?" Harry looked around at Dobby and said "Plan B" Dobby looked at Harry as though he had lost his mind "Plan B sir? Dobby does not understand." Harry smiled and looked over at Dobby "If we have trouble, if someone tries to catch us, we have another place to hide. We can also watch the ferry from here as well as who is coming and going! This is actually great Dobby. Maybe we should…" Harry looked around again and noticed how cold it was in the cave and realized that they had very little of the dried travel food left. "Never mind Dobby, we had better get back to the stairs. I want to be down at the dock hiding before the ferry gets back."
Once they made their way down to the dock the wind had picked up a little. Harry and Dobby sat down behind a stack of barrels on the dock to wait for the ferry to return. "Dobby when the ferry leaves I want you to go directly to the island. I don't think we will both be able to hide very well under my cloak especially with my broom." Dobby looked at Harry and said "Why didn't Harry Potter hide his broom in the cave?" He turned to Dobby and said "I'm taking it with me Dobby; I need to be able to get off that island quickly if we get caught." Dobby nodded and said "Dobby should take Harry Potter's broom to the island for him. I will take it to the back of the island by the waste pipe that comes from the cistern room." This had not occurred to Harry. It would be much easier to sneak onto the ferry and off again at the island if he wasn't trying to carry his broom as well. Harry was once again struck by how glad he was to have Dobby with him.
After nearly an hour of shivering behind the stack of barrels the ferry returned to the dock. It was run by a tall imposing looking man with grizzled hair and beard. He spoke with a heavy Scottish accent and seemed easily irritated by the guards getting off his boat. "Hey you there, watch it laddie!" he growled at a young wizard as he was leaving the ferry for he had knocked over a barrel of white powder. Harry was not please about this either, for the invisibility cloak wouldn't hide his footprints. "Ye ern't goin' no wheres till yea clean tha' up" The young wizard looked very tired and whipped out his wand and casually waved it at the spill. The powder swept itself off into the water and the Ferryman approached the wizard menacingly. "Ye'll no make a mess o' me firth boy!" The young wizard looked up into the sea worn face of the Ferryman and with a hard swallow he pointed his wand at the water now frothing whitish grey with the powder and with a complicated wave and an incantation that Harry couldn't make out the churning water became clean with no sign of the contamination.
The wizard looked up at the Ferryman and said in a not so steady voice "Your Firth? Since when does a squib lay claim to these waters?" If the Ferryman had looked imposing before it was nothing to the way he looked then. He towered over the wizard and said "When ye kin navigate the savage seas o' the Gates o' heck with a bunch o' snot nosed mainlanders to the island an back without crashin' into the stacks or cliffs; then ye kin call her yer Firth too." The Ferryman did not raise his voice but it held such a tone of fury that the young wizard backed up and tripped over the barrel he had tipped over. He got swiftly to his feet as the Ferryman stared hard at him. Once the young wizard and the other passengers from the island had started up the stair, the Ferryman snorted derisively at their departing backs and turned the barrel upright, then went into the wheelhouse of the boat.
Harry waited for a few minutes before turning to Dobby "Take the Firebolt and go now. I will hide on the ferry and make my way to you when it comes to the island." Harry, covered in the invisibility cloak, snuck onto the ferry and hid behind two large barrels to the side of the wheelhouse. After fifteen minutes or so a small group of wizards stepped onto the ferry from the dock. They were speaking in hushed tones too far from Harry to hear. Harry was about to come out from behind the barrels to get closer when the Ferryman stepped out of the wheelhouse. He walked over to the group and held out a huge crusted hand and each in turn dropped two gold coins into it. He raised an eyebrow at them and turned to look out at the water. "The tides er thunderin' through the Firth just now, low tide'll be in an hour."
A portly wizard with graying hair stepped forward and addressed the Ferryman "I am given to understand that you are the only captain that can navigate the Firth at high tide. We wish to go to the island now as we have a matter of great importance to discuss with the warden." He dropped three more gold coins into the Ferryman's hand and smiled politely up at the large Scott. The Ferryman eyed this wizard for a moment then pocketed the gold and said "I'll be roping me barrels down before we set out. The Firth at high tide is no place for un-stowed gear." The wizard took out his wand and conjured tight ropes around all of the barrels and boxes on the ferry and looked up to the Ferryman "We are in a bit of a hurry sir." The Ferryman stomped into the wheelhouse and after a moment called out "Ye better come in here if ye' don' want to be swept overboard!" Harry felt panicky and tried to come out from behind the barrels but they had been tied to the side rail pinning them down and he couldn't budge them. The wizards disappeared into the wheelhouse and shut the door. As the ferry started out into the Firth, Harry tried to use his concentration exercises to calm his fear but it proved useless as the ferry left the cove where it was docked and entered the open water.
The Pentland Firth is the stretch of sea that runs between The Scottish mainland and the Orkney Islands connecting the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea. Four times a day at high tide the currents from the Atlantic and the North Sea rip through this narrow channel transforming the water into a tumultuous torrent of wind and crashing waves that would make the heartiest sea captain shudder. There are only one or two captains that can pilot a vessel across the savage waters of the Firth at high tide but it is nothing short of suicide to venture the crossing at high tide in a storm. None alive could do this except the Ferryman and he had only accomplished this untold feat but once many long years ago. It wasn't storming when they ventured out into the Firth but a storm was brewing and that churned up the waters providing for a rollercoaster ride for the occupants inside the wheelhouse not to mention the ferry’s hidden occupant trapped behind the barrels out on deck.
The ferry was tossed about like a toy in the crashing waves as the wind, whipping through the straight at nearly 30 miles per hours, set itself against the tide of the Atlantic pouring with thunderous abandon into the North Sea. Harry found himself clinging for dear life to the ropes that bound his makeshift prison as huge frothing waves drenched him when they broke over the sides of the boat. Half way through the journey he felt sure that he would drown before they arrived at the island and found himself gasping for breath after every torrential swell engulfed him.
The cloak became caught in the ropes as he clutched them or he would surely have lost it as the boat rocked precariously draining the water over the side and threatening to take him with it. By the time they had left the thrashing waters behind them Harry was weak and limp holding the ropes binding the barrels to the rail. He coughed salt water from his lungs and his hands were painfully numb from the freezing water.
Once the Ferry entered the relatively calm water, (in comparison to the open waters of the Pentland Firth), of the cove at the island he fumbled in his robes with fingers that didn't work, but finally found his wand. He pointed it at the ropes croaked "Diffindo!" between coughs and the rope split and broke. Harry pushed the barrels aside, and keeping the cloak wrapped around him, made for the back of the ferry. As soon as they came close enough, he jumped to the rocks below as the ferry continued on to the dock. Drenched, freezing and coughing uncontrollably Harry got up and made his way as quickly as he could to the back of the island away from the ferry and the front gates of the fortress that towered above him.
Even though he could not see him Dobby heard Harry coming because he was still coughing the salt water from his lungs. "Harry Potter sir! Over here!" he shouted in the direction of the sounds. Harry spied Dobby but took the cloak off only when he came so close to the prison wall that no one looking out a window would see him. He was drenched and freezing and his lips were blue and his hands and feet were numb with cold. "Hhhow ddddoo wwee ggget iiin?" he asked through violently chattering teeth. Dobby looked very worried for him and said "Harry Potter sir, you are freezing, you will get sick. Come, there is a pipe we must crawl through to get in." Dobby led him to a pipe coming from the side of the fortress. Harry looked at it dubiously for it was obviously a drainage pipe that was fairly narrow. Dobby would fit but it would be a tight squeeze for him. "The pipe is not too long; if we hurry we can get inside before it is used again."
Harry just looked at Dobby shivering violently as the implications of that last statement sunk in. What would happen to them if the pipe was in use while they were inside of it? Harry didn't want to think about it and started to crawl up inside. The climb was slippery and risky and he couldn't feel anything with his hands but pushed his arms against the sides for leverage anyway. After what seemed forever in the narrow smelly pipe Harry saw a dim light just ahead of him and scrambled frantically for it. He grasped the edges of the pipe with unfeeling fingers and hauled himself up and out dropping in a crumpled heap on the floor of the waste water basin of the cistern room in the bowels of the fortress.
Harry looked around the cistern room and saw that there was a three foot high chain link fence surrounding a large piston type pump that supplied the fresh water. At the end of a small corridor in the room was a gray cabinet on the left and some shelves straight ahead filled with cleaning supplies. The residents on the island were allowed 250 gallons of potable water per day. The cisterns were sounded daily and a record kept insuring that the fresh water supply wouldn't run out. There were two cisterns, each holding 25,000 gallons each with all waste water draining out of the pipe that Harry and Dobby had just climbed through.
Harry lay shivering on the floor and Dobby came over to him. "Harry Potter sir, we must get you warmed up and dry. Please come with me sir." he squeaked. Dobby led Harry out of the cistern room and down a dark narrow corridor to the left down to a large room filled with wash basins and a large sunken water pit. This was the prison laundry and Dobby started to take Harry's soaking clothes off of him then brought over a large terry towel to wrap around Harry while he cleaned and dried Harry's clothes. Harry leaned back against the wall wrapped in the towel as a fresh wave of coughing wracked his exhausted body. Dobby kept casting surreptitious looks at Harry as though he were going to keel over any moment. Harry realized that he was in a very compromising situation and that his plan for gathering information was now seriously jeopardized. 'How could I have gotten myself into such a bad situation? What am I doing here?' he thought to himself as he drifted off in a semi sleep while Dobby bustled around the laundry room.
He was flying around the quidditch pitch with Ginny playing cat and mouse. The sun was setting and its golden rays were reflecting off her fiery red hair making her face glow. A thestral suddenly shot up from the forest, and for a moment Ginny and the beast were silhouetted together. Harry heard a high pitched laugh that chilled him to his bone and he turned quickly to see Voldemort floating in mid air pointing his wand at Ginny. "You can not save her Potter, you can not save yourself!" Then he pointed his wand at Ginny and shouted "Avada Kedavra!" and a green light shot from his wand. A horrible rushing sound shot past Harry toward Ginny and Harry tried to fly to her first…
"Wake up Harry Potter sir, wake up!" Dobby was shaking Harry and slapping him in the face. Harry's eyes shot open and it took him a moment to focus. "Ginny!" Dobby gave him another shake and said "You were dreaming Harry Potter!" Harry looked around and finally seemed to clear his mind and realize where he was. Dobby handed him his clean and dry clothes which felt wonderfully warm to him. He had stopped shivering and his lips were no longer blue. He could feel his hands and feet, and once he had gotten dressed again Harry felt ready to move on. He looked down at his wrist watch but it was no good. It had become so water logged on the ferry ride that it had stopped working. "What time is it Dobby?" Dobby, who had been checking the corridor for signs of movement, turned back to Harry and said "It is just after eleven thirty Harry Potter."
Last edited by
Alice I on Wednesday 3 November 2004 2:26:27pm, edited 3 times in total.
Just thought I'd let ya know...
, I suppose we´ll be seeing more of the Hunters Guild in the next chapter. Can you venture to give a date for chapter 17? 
