I Have a Strange Dream and Receive an Annoying Bird
HARRY:
The group seemed cheerful. They were singing songs around a campfire. This was all cut short when a red-haired girl entered the sight. The surrounding people all stared at her in surprise. She jumped off of the satyr's back and approached the big man, who appeared to be their leader.
"I was just doing the whole nature thing, you know? I happened to be in the area," the satyr explained. "That's when I received an iris message from Rachel, she asked me to take her to camp."
"Grover, thank you." The leader spoke.
"Rachel." The man stepped forward. Well, a half-man at that. The leader was a Centaur. The great centaur stood before the red-haired girl, who seemed tiny in comparison. He sent off a feeling of power, which made him seem all that much bigger. Yet, his calm expression and soothing, deep tone was like Dumbledore himself; who even in situations of great despair, still managed to continue pursuing his expression of tranquility.
"Chiron." The girl was growing paler by the minute.
"You're supposed to be leaving camp for school along with the others. Have you received word of a prophecy?" The calm Centaur seemed desperate, but determined not to show it. The only thing that gave it away was the expression in his eyes, which seemed like they would pop out at any second. In those eyes, you could tell the man had witnessed a lot, good and bad.
The girl had a solemn expression. People ranging from children to young adults were gathered around the sight. It appeared to be a Camp of some sort. Ah, yes. Each camper had similar orange shirts, each reading the same phrase: Camp Half-Blood. A blazing fire sat in the middle of the sight. A camp fire.
All wore that shirt, expect for a tense-looking girl behind the Centaur. Her shirt was a different color and read a different phrase. Her purple shirt said, "Camp Jupiter."
"The Romans are here. As are the hunters." Rachel nodded to who seemed to be the leader of a group of strong looking girls. The dark-haired huntress nodded back. "I sense you've received the news then." The red-haired girl, Rachel spoke.
Campers whispered amongst themselves. With a simple turn of their leader's head, they shut to immediate silence.
"News?" The leader asked. "We've been waiting for news. The gods have their mouths sealed shut. They aren't revealing any information. No new campers are being claimed. We haven't had any word from them, no sign. Not even a vision."
"Then I assume you're aware of the strange occurrences. The mortals are being toyed with. It isn't fair, Chiron!" She pleaded.
"Rachel, I know. I am sorry, but we can not prevent it. We must have a prophecy, and willing campers to go on a quest. I insisted Percy and Annabeth return to their studies for the school year. Leo and Piper have joined them as well, as have Jason, Hazel, and Frank. They left when you did, Rachel. Just a week ago."
"Nico Di Angelo and Will Solace." Rachel spoke, as if reading the old man's mind. He hung his head, and shook it sadly.
"Gone. Missing. We've searched the entire area of camp. I have contacted Naomi Solace, Will is not at home either. We haven't a clue where they've gone--Apollo and Hades haven't shown any signs."
"Do the others know?" Rachel asked.
"No. They had gone through enough. The last thing they need is another quest. I didn't want them worried."
Rachel swore to herself.
"The torches."
"Hecate." Chiron answered, though Rachel had already known.
"What does Hecate want with Will and Nico? Let alone, any of the mortals. What is she planning? What is going on with the gods?"
"You know I will answer every question you have about our world, but I'm afraid I haven't an answer for this. I'm sorry. Go off to school, you mustn't worry."
"You mean--you haven't heard from the others since they've left?" Rachel asked.
"Rachel, what's happened?"
Rachel paced the ground. All of the campers were on the edge of their seats. An uneasy tension filled the air.
"I went to visit Sally Jackson, and do you want to know what I found out? Percy hasn't come home. She said she hasn't heard a word from him. This isn't good Chiron! He's missing."
"I'm not quite following you-"
"This means that some god or goddess wanted Percy and the others. I visited Annabeth's house, it was the same! I've tried to Iris message them, but nothing has worked. They're gone. I don't know where."
Chiron's calm expression had vanished completely. Campers gave concerned looks to Rachel and discussed their theories amongst themselves.
"No." He said, "this is not possible. This is the work of no god--"
"The gods are known to use demigods and mortals as their toys, Chiron. What makes you think they've changed?"
The campers were past the point of being able to be calmed by their leader now.
"This isn't right." The girl with the purple shirt stepped forward. "We need a quest, Roman, and Greek. We need to figure this out."
"What is a quest without its prophecy, Reyna?" one of the campers shouted back. Campers now began chattering amongst themselves, and Reyna's stare shot like two sharp daggers to the camper who had doubted her.
"I know Reyna, but Drew is correct. We need more information before we send demigods out with no facts!"
Just then, as if on cue, Rachel fell to the ground. Everyone stepped back, as though this were a normal occurrence. She then spoke in a voice that was not her own. The voice could break glass.
"Mother has angered magic, she's gone back on her word.
Half-Bloods are welcomed to a new, magical world.
The man in black is a villain, gone weak
Immortality is what he will seek
Light and dark listen in; not part of the plan.
Extinguished to a new, foreign land.
Seven half-bloods shall appear at the sight.
To wood or metal, they shall fight.
An oath is broken, and minds are changed.
All that is certain, is that things will never be the same."
"Seven half-bloods." Reyna was the first to speak; the campfire had gone dead silent. "But, nine are missing? This doesn't make sense."
"All I know," Chiron spoke, as he helped to support the faint Rachel, who now looked as though she could collapse any minute. After speaking the prophecy, she was as white as a ghost. "--is that we have a quest to plan. Reyna, you must go. Any volunteers to join her?"
***
HARRY: I awoke with chills coursing throughout my entire body, like tiny insects were crawling up and down my skin. The dream faded away as I opened my eyes, only a few lines remained clear. A prophecy?
Those words echoed again and again in my mind. Though I hadn't a clue what they meant, I know it gave me a very, very uneasy feeling.
I could always write to Ron or Hermione, or even Sirius to tell them about the strange phrases. Part of me still had hope, but the more practical part of my mind told me that was of no use. One reason is because I hadn't received a single letter from anybody this entire summer. What would make them respond now? Another reason is that I've been having nightmares every night for this entire summer ever since the Triwizard tournament. I should be grateful that I didn't remember all of this one, only the scattered lines.
My scar hurt.
That's what alarmed me.
As I tried to go back to sleep, I couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. Of course, something wasn't right. The ministry itself isn't right. Voldemort's inevitable return wasn't right. Right now, it wasn't those things that were bothering me, surprisingly.
I needed to write to Ron.
"Ron,
What's going on? I haven't gotten much of a chance to check out news in the wizarding world. I've only been able to watch Muggle news channels and the things I'm seeing are quite peculiar.
The Dursleys have been glued to the television more than they usually are and that's a problem.
You don't reckon these strange happenings could be in any way related to what I saw in the graveyard, do you?
Please, write back for once. I've just woken up from a rather strange dream.
- Harry."
I thought the letter was subtle enough. I didn't want to show a sense of too much urgency, I could already hear Hermione and Ron's responses to that:
"You've been through a lot," they'd say, "it's only natural to have a few strange dreams here and there."
Still, I needed to get the message across that I was in no mood to keep sitting around in the Dursleys all day just waiting for the world to explode. I needed to know if there were any signs of Voldemort's return and I needed to know before the end of the summer. I didn't want to return to Hogwarts with half of my classmates dead, and I hadn't done anything to help.
Especially with all of these strange occurrences...
From what I'd picked up on the muggle news network, it seems that their people aren't as oblivious as our ministry is when it comes to seeing something right in front of your face. There have been a number of bad things happening in the muggle world, things not exactly explainable.
Strange things have been happening in the muggle world. Random scenes of great catastrophe have been found, as though the chaos was circulating itself across the country. Weirdest of all, every scene, though not quite similar in destruction, had one similarity. At every scene, two, unlit torches were found at the base of the devastation.
By a miracle, no muggles have gotten hurt. But it's a matter of time before some tragedy happens...
That's what I found most suspicious of all. Voldemort hated muggles. Sadly, if a few muggles were to have their lives tossed away in the middle of one of his plans, Voldemort would be satisfied. Their deaths would be a bonus in his snake-like eyes.
Perfectly structured buildings, falling apart in an instant. Bridges collapsing. Even roads, that had been structured just fine, were randomly appearing cracked; destroyed. As though a giant tornado had gone through the trail. Muggles everywhere have different stories as to what they had witnessed. Strange winds, peculiar animals, and even earthquakes on causing the destruction. No one can explain the torches, however. Each of them had the same strange engravings. But before any police could inspect them, the muggles act as though they vanish out of their very hands. They say the second they look back, it's as though the torches had never been there.
As Hedwig noticed me sealing the envelope, she perked up immediately.
"It's too rainy. I don't want you getting hurt. Deliver it tomorrow morning." I told to the eager bird. She nipped at the bars of her cage fiercely.
"Alright, alright! Don't complain to me if you get yourself killed in the process." I unlatched the bars, purely out of guilt. I hadn't been able to let her out much this summer. I knew what it felt like to be trapped, I didn't wish that upon another person or creature. A cage and a cupboard both had their similarities, however, but I imagined living in a cage was just as bad as the cupboard.
"This is going to Ron. Try not to be seen. Don't get hurt. Reckon you can do that?"
Hedwig nipped my finger affectionately, and I smiled fondly as I opened the window. Hedwig gladly took flight, even through the thick rain. Resilient, she was.
I quietly shut the window, fearful of waking the Dursley's. Not that they were much of a threat to me, but it was simply too early in the morning to be annoyed by their ignorance.
I tried to go back to bed, but this was mostly just minute upon minute of me tossing back and forth trying not to ponder these strange events. Though my scar was still hurting, my head pounded with thoughts.
Just as I felt myself finally drifting off to sleep, I immediately shot awake when I heard three loud taps on the window. No, not taps; pecks.
I swore under my breath as I stumbled over to the window.
"Hedwig," I grumbled as I tackled off my blankets. At times, sure, she could annoy me. But Hedwig was my greatest connection to the magical world. I was grateful for my companion.
"Back so soon?" I said as I tiredly opened the window. "It's alright girl, tomorrow will be fine."
But I had received another surprise when he realized that the owl was, in fact, not my bird.
"What the--hey! Settle down!" I commanded, careful not to raise my voice too much.
The small bird zoomed rapidly across the room, nearly knocking down a picture that I had hanging on the wall.
"Cage. Get in the cage!" I ripped open the cage and shoved the bird into it, careful enough as not to harm it.
"Okay. Drop the bloody package! Thank you!"
I opened up the letter attached to the package and closed the cage. The energetic bird shook out its sopping wet feathers.
"Harry,
Sorry, we haven't had much time to write to you. A lot has been happening over the summer. Mum, dad, and Dumbledore have told me not to tell you much information. Believe me, I would've done this in an instant if I was allowed.
The package attached to this letter contains a bag of floo powder. Use it, speak very clearly, and direct yourself to the Burrow.
Hermione is here as well mate, as is someone else who is quite...interesting. I expect you two better meet.
As for all of these strange happenings in the muggle world, they are just too odd for muggles!
Each witness has said something stranger and stranger each time, and the two torches found left at every scene are just too...strange!
I can't put this all in a letter.
Get here by tomorrow. Take all of your stuff.
The ministry suspects this hasn't anything to do with You-know-who. But my dad said he's heard rumors that this could be a different force, something greater than him.
Please, write back as soon as possible.
(P.s. Sorry about Pig, she couldn't wait to deliver something. She's a bit eager.)
Your friend, Ron Weasley"
Right, Ron's stupid owl. I'd nearly forgotten.
Alarmed, I quickly gathered all of my things into my trunk. Finally, I felt a small hint of relief. At least Ron was okay. From what it sounded like, my suspicions were not falsely placed. The only thing that bothered me is that Ron acted as though someone else was staying at his house...who? More importantly, why?
Pig chirped happily in the cage, seemingly pleased.
"Settle down!" I wished now more than ever that I was allowed to use magic outside of school. With a simple silencing charm, I wouldn't have to fret about the Dursleys waking up.
The Dursleys.
What would they say?
Would they let me go?
I tried not to worry about that too much. Right now, all I was worried about was my pounding headache and the wizarding world. Something bigger than Voldemort? What wizard or witch in existence, besides Professor Dumbledore, of course, was more powerful than Voldemort?
***
"Any volunteers to join her?" Chiron asked.
Surprisingly, a number of people stood up.
A beautiful girl stood up, having not said much before.
"Leo," she spoke. "We were finally together. But fate has torn us apart, yet again. Let me help."
The satyr bleated.
"Percy has gone on a quest to save me before. Annabeth has saved my tail plenty of times too. Let me go. It's time for me to return the favor." Grover the satyr argued.
"Let me go! My brother and I have been at this camp for years, and neither one of us have had the pleasure of embarking on a quest! Let us be the heroes for once!" I boy with a mischievous smirk stood up, followed by someone who seemed to be his brother.
"My brother is missing! And Annabeth, her and I were close. I need to be the one to do this." Thalia, the huntress spoke.
"Brother." Quite a tall man stood up, which alarmed some kids. "Percy needs found. Annabeth. Gone too. Someone needs to find them. It can be anyone, they just need found." Campers all stared solemnly into their laps. Whoever this tall man was, he missed his brother, a lot.
"We'll find him, Tyson. We will. I swear on the river Styx," Grover promised. He turned back to Chiron. "Well, who should it be?"
"Reyna, you may choose your two companions. Please, choose wisely. Choose quickly. For we have a lot to accomplish in a short amount of time." Chiron spoke, silencing the camp.
"Thalia, Grover. I think this is a job for us. Sorry, Calypso." The beautiful girl who had spoken up about the boy called Leo sat down in defeat, looking quite annoyed. The two brothers rolled their eyes and slumped into their chairs.
"Once Rachel is well and up to the task, I will see if she can present us with any more information. Now, she needs to rest. All of you do. Campers, off to bed. You three, get packing. Tomorrow we have a journey to plan."
The campers around the fire all anxiously left their seats. Some annoyed they didn't get chosen for the quest, most seemed slightly relieved, but it was obvious all of them were worried.
Something was wrong in their world.
Something they could never imagine.
All could only assume that whatever it was, it was powerful.
***
I woke up again the next morning, and again, the dream I had slipped through my mind; it was gone in an instant. Only bits and pieces remained, all being nonsensical.
Thankfully, the Dursleys were kind enough as to let me go. They weren't entirely pleased about the fact that they had to unblock their fireplace, but they listened anyway. Truthfully, I felt that if they had a chance to get rid of me earlier than September first, it'd bring them joy.
I immediately wrote Ron back right after he had asked. (I was mostly relieved to get rid of that owl, who had kept me up most of the night with its endless squawking.)
"Ron,
I'll be over this afternoon.
- Harry."
I had thousands of question, one being: who exactly was this person that Ron said I had to meet? But I decided to keep the note short and simple.
The Dursleys didn't bother saying goodbye to me as I lugged my belongings into the fireplace. Though, aunt Petunia did surprisingly help me carry my trunk. Thankfully, nothing went wrong as I was worrying. With a handful of floo powder as I was standing in the fireplace, I exchanged awkward glances with my family.
"Uh...goodbye," I said. Right after, I threw the dust onto the ground, and shouted very clearly: "The Burrow!"
A thick, green smoke surrounded me. I could feel myself leave the presence of the house but didn't quite know where I was. Fireplace after fireplace, I watched them pass by until I felt dizzy. It was almost like some strange nightmare.
The smoke got thicker and thicker until it was the only thing I could see.