Albus Potter, Friends and Foes

Ch 18 Behind Closed Doors

No one knows what went on behind those closed doors.

*

The eight beings looked at each other, and slowly shut the doors.

Galadriel swore in Gobbledygook.

Albus swore, "Bloody hell. It looked like chaos in there, chaos and ... death, except we saw dead beings but it didn't exactly smell like death. What was it like for you?"

"It felt like, not death exactly, but the absence of life," Cleo pondered, looking at the other seven beings. "What did you feel? What did you feel when we opened the chamber?"

Galadriel thought, "It felt like the chamber had been sealed for a very long time, longer than anything I have ever felt. I was in China when we went into areas sealed over two-thousand years ago. This felt older, much older."

"I cannot tell you why I know," Thorin added, "but I am sure that the chamber has been sealed for a very long time, and that it holds, or did hold, secrets. I wonder if we will ever find out if the chamber was sealed before, during, or after the battle that obviously took place there?"

"We need the bodies preserved, and autopsied," Albus suggested. "My father will know how to examine the bodies of the Magi. What do we do about the Elf bodies?"

"Over the last few years we have made a tremendous amount of progress in Elf healing. That includes healing Goblins, one of the things that is helping to get the Goblins on our side," Galadriel told the Magi. "The best Elf medicine, the most advanced, is that the Elves at Mayo Magical Medical practice. Their main branch is in North America, but they have a branch here in Switzerland.

"I know we have Elf, and Goblin, healers, that can do autopsies. We really did not know much about how Elfish bodies were made or worked until recently."

"The mobiles will not work deep in this tunnel," Albus noted. "Let us go to where we can call, and then I will get in touch with my father."

"I have several beings I need to get in touch with as well," Galadriel. "We need a team here to document everything when we open the chamber again. Elves and Magi. Having opened the chamber, we need to do it again as soon as possible!"

*

Albus contacted his father and asked to meet with him, Mr. Richter, and maybe someone from the Prophecy department, about the area that they were attempting to enter. He did stress that it was urgent. A short time later Albus, Cleo, Jesus and Ginny were led to a secure room in the castle. Harry and Gerhardt Richter were there, along with Nausicaa Scheria and Valerie Bushman.

"Mrs. Bushman has studied more of the history of the Magi than I have, Albus," Nausicaa told the young Magi, explain why both of them were there.

"Were you able to open the doors?" Harry wondered when everyone was there.

"Yes, but we closed them right away," Albus replied. "It was like a crime scene, or the end of a battle with everyone dead and no one doing anything but somehow freezing everything in place and closing the doors."

"I know that once you uncover something hidden and preserved it can begin to decay right away," Ginny volunteered. "Is that what you are worried about?"

Albus and Jesus nodded 'yes.'

Jesus added, "Thorin was sure the chamber had been totally sealed for a very long time, since, I guess, whatever happened in there happened. Like there was nothing living in there, not even the things that cause bodies to decay."

"It wasn't just the bodies," Albus explained. "There was some destruction. I think when we go back into the chamber, we need to be very careful, both for our safety, and to document where things were found. I thought I saw some parchments or parts of parchments and broken things. I didn't get a good look at everything, but it is a mess in there."