Prince's Angel

Prologue

"Dangerous." Bill and Fleur both said, bluntly.

"Yes. But more than that." Gaby said. Bill shook his head again. "Gabrielle- you do realise that magic practiced by the ancients- and the House of Life- is like trapezing on a rope over a five-hundred foot drop with fire? It's volatile, and dangerous-"

"And yet there have always been witches and wizards who could do it," Gabrielle said evenly. "The wand is a European invention, and witches from Asia, the Americas and Africa have always been able to do magic without one. Or with a staff, or a sorcerer's ring."

The headquarters or First Nome of the House of Life, lay in Heliopolis, which had been concealed from any Muggles and unwelcome outsiders. The Chief Lector eagerly complied and answered all their questions (unusual since they did not usually permit outsiders to see their wonders), but throughout the meeting, his eyes kept shifting back to Gaby. As if he saw something.

Just as the acolyte was about to lead them away, the Chief Lector grabbed Gabrielle's arm. "Remember, child." He whispered. "When Winter approaches and the Long Night comes, the Dragons will be reborn in fire and blood. When all hope seems lost, let this be your protection." He placed an amulet in her palm.

It was a curious thing. A dragon of silver, in different style and design than what she had seen and read about in most cultures, including Egyptian, curling itself as a chain so that it would coil comfortably around her throat, holding a carved red jewel like a huge drop of blood, from which another dragon framed it.

Dragons, Gaby thought.

Bill's younger brother worked with dragons- and adored them. She rarely ever saw him, but on the occassions that they met, he did his best to answer every question she had about rearing, breeding and training dragons, as well as healing their various ailments. She had written down every word he said and memorised everything. She even learnt how to brew dragon tonic- by combining one feather from an eagle owl, three feathers from a peacock and three warts from a giant purple toad in a cauldron. 

But why did he give her this amulet?

She stared at it throughout the tour of the tomb. It was better than seeing the grotesque skeletons of tomb robbers hit by various curses, jinxes and hexes.

The Chief Lector said that that would be her protection- and salvation- whatever he meant by that. 

It was dark in the tomb. It was dank and it was nasty. The stone-cold smell of damp, heat and death filled her nostrils, and Fleur kept a strong hold on her children. It was too dark.

Then suddenly, a strange sound emerged. 

Gaby curiously looked away.

"Did you hear that?" She asked Fleur in French. Fleur looked at her strangely. "Hear what?"

Gabrielle frowned. "It sounds like... Hissing."

Fleur looked at her even more strangely.

"We have snake-repelling charms, so don't you worry about it." She replied, brushing it off, though Gabrielle could easily see her uneasiness.

Gaby frowned further, but decided against it. Still, the hissing was loud. And she couldn't help but feel as if she was being... Watched.

She tried to shrug off the feeling.

Victoire and Louis tried to chat amicably with their father, who attempted in vain to keep their spirits up. Dominique snuggled closer to her mother. And Gabrielle... Gabrielle still felt uneasy.

"The tomb's that way." Bill pointed his lit wand up ahead. 

Fleur frowned in the darkness. "Just how deep does this go?" She asked, peering in the dark.