Chapter 2: Ripples in the Water
He awoke to silence. It was kind of silence that can only exist in a place entirely empty and devoid of other living things. There was a throbbing pain in his head, and he slowly opened his eyes, wincing and squinting as his vision cleared. Looking around, he swore viciously, as the realization that he hadn’t a clue where he was or how he got there struck him with the force comparable to a Bludger.
He considered the possibility that he was somewhere in the Forbidden Forest, as it seemed like he was in a small clearing, surrounded by forest. As he sat up, he could make out, in the very dim light, something that looked like two paths intersecting in front of him, both disappearing into the tree line. Near where the paths crossed, off to the side was a small pond. Draco thought that he could be in the Forest, except there was a distinct lack of the usual creepy and frightening noises that kept most students away from it.
Draco forced himself to stand up, ignoring the throbbing pain in his head, and tried to force his brain to analyze the situation and figure out where on earth he was. As he absorbed the eerie silence of this place, and the strange atmosphere about it – it felt as if it were a location that was ageless and had existed for millions of years, yet was untouched by time, as if preserved.
“Oh bloody hell, am I dead?” he muttered, as that thought passed through his head. He thought back to the last incident he could remember – Ginny Weasley’s necklace acting crazy in the corridor. With a start, he glanced down at his hand, and realized that he was no longer holding it. Stretching out his palm, he gasped in horror as he saw the outline of the pendant burned into his hand. He traced over the red and blistering skin with a finger, distinctly making out the shape of the ‘A’. “Perhaps I’m not dead after all…and that bloody badge better not have something to do with this.”
His speculations and curses were cut short as he glimpsed a stirring of light coming from across the pond. Walking cautiously towards the edge, he squinted, trying to make out the shape of something coming towards him. Looking up into the sky, he spotted the moon, full and brilliantly yellow, but it did not seem to be casting any light on his surroundings. But there was a dot of blue light beginning to move through the trees, growing stronger as it seemed to move towards him.
Draco watched in amazement as the blue light came closer, and the water in the pond before him began to act very strange. Ripples, formed at the very center of the body of water, began to swell, growing as they moved outwards to the banks of the pond. He scanned the area, searching for anything that may have caused them to form, and found nothing. There was not even a strong breeze moving through the air that could have caused that strange movement in the water.
He gasped sharply when a figure appeared out from behind the trees, across the pond. They were cloaked in darkness, but the blue light that had first caught Draco’s attention seemed to be emanating from where their throat would be. He watched with amazement, as the figure seemed to glide over the landscape, making their way towards him. He squinted in the growing harsh light, half-blinded the shimmer blue, making it impossible for him to see any of the figure’s features, or to identify them. He tried, inconspicuously, to find his wand, digging through his pockets, but it was to no avail. It had vanished.
“Who the bloody hell are you and why have you brought me here?” he demanded, when the cloaked figure had come within a few feet of him. Squinting in the light, he noticed the source of the blue light filling the small clearing, and casting a glow over the water – it was Ginny Weasley’s pilgrim badge, the shape of which was now burned into the palm of his hand. He unclenched his fist at that thought, and inspected the burn – the blisters had faded, but the skin was still raw, the shape of the ‘A’ unmistakable in his skin.
“The Pilgrim has reached a crossroad, with a choice of two paths before him. One has been walked many times before, and the path it follows will return to this crossing. The other has never been taken, and it is unknown where it will lead,” the multi-tonal voice said. Draco was struck by the sound of it; the voice seemed to possess an ageless quality, much as his surroundings, the tone of it making it seem ancient and wise. It was low and sweet; definitely the voice of a woman. But there was a quality of sadness in it that struck a chord in his memory.
“If one path always returns to this point, then if you take the other path, and it is a mistake, you won’t be able to come here and fix it by taking the other one,” Draco said, feeling compelled to speak the thought flashing through his mind.
“Unless it is a mistake to take the other path,” the figure said.
“How do you ever find out?” he asked, stepping forward, his eyes fixed on the shimmering necklace. Its light was drawing him in, much like it had done earlier in the day when its wearer was Ginny Weasley. The figure pointed its arm, out towards the rippling water in the pond.
“When a stone is cast, the first ripple in the water moves outwards. The ripples that come after that first one follow the same path; there is no other way for them. Because that is the effect of the stone, Pilgrim.”
“You’re bloody talking in riddles!” he sneered angrily. The eyes beneath the cloak, bathed in the blue light, glittered at him strangely.
“You are at a crossroads, Pilgrim. Your stone has not yet been cast; you are not bound to follow the same path as those before you. You possess a choice; to throw your stone into the water and bind yourself to the trail the ripples follow or to take the knowledge bestowed upon you by the previous pilgrims, and find the right path,” the voice spoke. Draco felt as if someone had poured ice down his back; his insides suddenly felt cold, a sensation he recognized as the effects of fear.
“How do I know which path is the right path?” he asked, looking behind him at the two roads in the forest. They seemed no different to him.
“You carry the Badge, and you seek the knowledge that failed the others before you. By learning through their footsteps, you shall see how the stone is cast, how the ripples are created,” the voice explained. Draco felt his palm burning at her words. He remembered the necklace; the Weasley had called it her ‘pilgrim’s badge’.
“You have the pilgrim’s badge – how can I carry it when you have it?” he demanded.
“Find it’s meaning – take a path, Pilgrim. You must learn by their pilgrimage before you can carry the badge of their trials.”
“How do I know which path to take?” he asked again, glancing once more at the two roads by them.
“The wrong path will take you back to this crossroad, Pilgrim. Take a path, learn from their trials, earn your badge,” the voice said again. Draco felt his temper flare as his mind tried, through his pounding headache, to work through the frustrating riddles this person (witch?) was feeding him. Before he could formulate the proper snarky response, the figure faded into the darkness, and the blue light from the badge seemed to disappear.
Which left him alone, in a strange clearing by a pond, with two paths before him. As he walked away from the edge of the pond, where that damned water was rippling madly as if to mock him, he uttered a steady stream of curses as he stepped onto the road. He looked ahead, down each of the paths, his palm still burning smartly as a constant reminder of what he believed had got him into this mess. Stupid Ginny Weasley, he thought maliciously, when I get back to Hogwarts, she’s going to wish she’d never had that ridiculous necklace.
As it was his right hand that had been burned with the ‘A’, he figured that the right path was as good as any for him to follow. With a deep breath, an enormous sense of trepidation, he put one foot forward, and started to walk down the road that veered off the right.
***************************************************
If you're feeling confused, you're supposed to be! ; )
This was a transition chapter -- the real "action" starts after this...
Some of this scene is evoking a memory of something I've read before, but I can't figure out what...if you have any idea or it seems familiar to you, let me know so I can give credit (and it's been driving me INSANE).
More to come soon-ish!
He awoke to silence. It was kind of silence that can only exist in a place entirely empty and devoid of other living things. There was a throbbing pain in his head, and he slowly opened his eyes, wincing and squinting as his vision cleared. Looking around, he swore viciously, as the realization that he hadn’t a clue where he was or how he got there struck him with the force comparable to a Bludger.
He considered the possibility that he was somewhere in the Forbidden Forest, as it seemed like he was in a small clearing, surrounded by forest. As he sat up, he could make out, in the very dim light, something that looked like two paths intersecting in front of him, both disappearing into the tree line. Near where the paths crossed, off to the side was a small pond. Draco thought that he could be in the Forest, except there was a distinct lack of the usual creepy and frightening noises that kept most students away from it.
Draco forced himself to stand up, ignoring the throbbing pain in his head, and tried to force his brain to analyze the situation and figure out where on earth he was. As he absorbed the eerie silence of this place, and the strange atmosphere about it – it felt as if it were a location that was ageless and had existed for millions of years, yet was untouched by time, as if preserved.
“Oh bloody hell, am I dead?” he muttered, as that thought passed through his head. He thought back to the last incident he could remember – Ginny Weasley’s necklace acting crazy in the corridor. With a start, he glanced down at his hand, and realized that he was no longer holding it. Stretching out his palm, he gasped in horror as he saw the outline of the pendant burned into his hand. He traced over the red and blistering skin with a finger, distinctly making out the shape of the ‘A’. “Perhaps I’m not dead after all…and that bloody badge better not have something to do with this.”
His speculations and curses were cut short as he glimpsed a stirring of light coming from across the pond. Walking cautiously towards the edge, he squinted, trying to make out the shape of something coming towards him. Looking up into the sky, he spotted the moon, full and brilliantly yellow, but it did not seem to be casting any light on his surroundings. But there was a dot of blue light beginning to move through the trees, growing stronger as it seemed to move towards him.
Draco watched in amazement as the blue light came closer, and the water in the pond before him began to act very strange. Ripples, formed at the very center of the body of water, began to swell, growing as they moved outwards to the banks of the pond. He scanned the area, searching for anything that may have caused them to form, and found nothing. There was not even a strong breeze moving through the air that could have caused that strange movement in the water.
He gasped sharply when a figure appeared out from behind the trees, across the pond. They were cloaked in darkness, but the blue light that had first caught Draco’s attention seemed to be emanating from where their throat would be. He watched with amazement, as the figure seemed to glide over the landscape, making their way towards him. He squinted in the growing harsh light, half-blinded the shimmer blue, making it impossible for him to see any of the figure’s features, or to identify them. He tried, inconspicuously, to find his wand, digging through his pockets, but it was to no avail. It had vanished.
“Who the bloody hell are you and why have you brought me here?” he demanded, when the cloaked figure had come within a few feet of him. Squinting in the light, he noticed the source of the blue light filling the small clearing, and casting a glow over the water – it was Ginny Weasley’s pilgrim badge, the shape of which was now burned into the palm of his hand. He unclenched his fist at that thought, and inspected the burn – the blisters had faded, but the skin was still raw, the shape of the ‘A’ unmistakable in his skin.
“The Pilgrim has reached a crossroad, with a choice of two paths before him. One has been walked many times before, and the path it follows will return to this crossing. The other has never been taken, and it is unknown where it will lead,” the multi-tonal voice said. Draco was struck by the sound of it; the voice seemed to possess an ageless quality, much as his surroundings, the tone of it making it seem ancient and wise. It was low and sweet; definitely the voice of a woman. But there was a quality of sadness in it that struck a chord in his memory.
“If one path always returns to this point, then if you take the other path, and it is a mistake, you won’t be able to come here and fix it by taking the other one,” Draco said, feeling compelled to speak the thought flashing through his mind.
“Unless it is a mistake to take the other path,” the figure said.
“How do you ever find out?” he asked, stepping forward, his eyes fixed on the shimmering necklace. Its light was drawing him in, much like it had done earlier in the day when its wearer was Ginny Weasley. The figure pointed its arm, out towards the rippling water in the pond.
“When a stone is cast, the first ripple in the water moves outwards. The ripples that come after that first one follow the same path; there is no other way for them. Because that is the effect of the stone, Pilgrim.”
“You’re bloody talking in riddles!” he sneered angrily. The eyes beneath the cloak, bathed in the blue light, glittered at him strangely.
“You are at a crossroads, Pilgrim. Your stone has not yet been cast; you are not bound to follow the same path as those before you. You possess a choice; to throw your stone into the water and bind yourself to the trail the ripples follow or to take the knowledge bestowed upon you by the previous pilgrims, and find the right path,” the voice spoke. Draco felt as if someone had poured ice down his back; his insides suddenly felt cold, a sensation he recognized as the effects of fear.
“How do I know which path is the right path?” he asked, looking behind him at the two roads in the forest. They seemed no different to him.
“You carry the Badge, and you seek the knowledge that failed the others before you. By learning through their footsteps, you shall see how the stone is cast, how the ripples are created,” the voice explained. Draco felt his palm burning at her words. He remembered the necklace; the Weasley had called it her ‘pilgrim’s badge’.
“You have the pilgrim’s badge – how can I carry it when you have it?” he demanded.
“Find it’s meaning – take a path, Pilgrim. You must learn by their pilgrimage before you can carry the badge of their trials.”
“How do I know which path to take?” he asked again, glancing once more at the two roads by them.
“The wrong path will take you back to this crossroad, Pilgrim. Take a path, learn from their trials, earn your badge,” the voice said again. Draco felt his temper flare as his mind tried, through his pounding headache, to work through the frustrating riddles this person (witch?) was feeding him. Before he could formulate the proper snarky response, the figure faded into the darkness, and the blue light from the badge seemed to disappear.
Which left him alone, in a strange clearing by a pond, with two paths before him. As he walked away from the edge of the pond, where that damned water was rippling madly as if to mock him, he uttered a steady stream of curses as he stepped onto the road. He looked ahead, down each of the paths, his palm still burning smartly as a constant reminder of what he believed had got him into this mess. Stupid Ginny Weasley, he thought maliciously, when I get back to Hogwarts, she’s going to wish she’d never had that ridiculous necklace.
As it was his right hand that had been burned with the ‘A’, he figured that the right path was as good as any for him to follow. With a deep breath, an enormous sense of trepidation, he put one foot forward, and started to walk down the road that veered off the right.
***************************************************
If you're feeling confused, you're supposed to be! ; )
This was a transition chapter -- the real "action" starts after this...
Some of this scene is evoking a memory of something I've read before, but I can't figure out what...if you have any idea or it seems familiar to you, let me know so I can give credit (and it's been driving me INSANE).
More to come soon-ish!
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