The University of Avalon
A Harry Potter UNIVERSE/ Sasporilla Bucket Fan Fiction
by Darren Kelly
Chapter 15
Dawn whispered softly across the winter morning sky as the Hogwarts Express pulled into Hogsmeade station. Anxious students from Hogwarts, eager to begin there Christmas Holidays, lined the platform ready to return home. Of course first they had to wait for the midnight passengers to disembark and the train to reconfigure.
Angelo held up his arms and lifted Sasporilla down from the train car, spinning her around as they kissed. There no was no longer hiding the love they had for each other. They were deeply, passionately, head over heals in love and Sassy honestly didn't care who knew it. The rest of the world just didn't seem to matter to her right now.
"Zac please don't!" The voice of Karry Curtiss echoed through Hogsmeade. "Zac Stop!"
"Damn!" Sassy said pulling away from Angelo's strong embrace. "We have to go! Leave the bags, we'll come back for them! I have a plan!"
Karry Curtiss stood in crying in the center of Main Street, in front of her home, holding her blanket wrapped child. Her husband Zac, his head shaved bald sporting a freshly grown goatee, stood on the front step levitating his wife and child’s bags out the door into the street.
"Take your things and leave," Zac Curtiss insisted, "silly mud blood girl! I don't need you, or your half breed spawn!"
"Zac!" Karry screamed. "Why are you doing this? This isn't you?"
"No it isn't." Sasporilla said stepping in front of Karry drawing her wand. "It most certainly is not our Zac. The question is do you know who I am, Salazar?"
"You are a clever girl Sasporilla Bucket." Salazar Slytherin hissed raising Zac’s wand. "I know everything about you Zaccariah knows."
"And I know that everything you sent out from your vault was a Horcrux." Sassy spat. "Including that ring!"
"The ring?" Karry sobbed. "Oh my god no! He's been wearing it for months!"
"Yes!" Salazar Slytherin smiled holding up his hand exposing the ring finger. "You'll never get the ring off us now, no matter how hard you try, no matter what spell you cast. It's a part of us! We are almost one!"
With one quick motion Angelo appeared behind Zac in the door way, pushed the garden sheers past Zac's shoulder and clipped the finger from his hand just below the ring. Sasporilla through a small metal box in the air and cast "CAPTIS LIGANTUM!" The box swallowed the finger and the ring then locked itself closed. Magical chains wrapped around it as it hung in mid air shaking and banging. Salazar Slytherin trapped very much inside. Zac fell back weak into the arms of Angelo Lazarus who cast a quick Bandaging charm on Zac's finger.
"Zac!" Karry yelled running to his side. "Who the hell are you? What have you done?"
"Karry!" Sasporilla said helping Angelo get Zac to his feet, "this is Angelo, my boy friend. He was acting on my instructions. It was our only choice. Even Madam Pomfrey can regrow a missing finger, and we had to get the Horcrux off! We still this have to destroy the Ring, as long as it has flesh to corrupt it's dangerous! Look at how they brought back Voldemort!"
"I'm..." Zac said in his normal very tired voice, "I'm so sorry... I would never hurt y.."
Zac passed out in the arms of his friends as they dragged him back inside.
"Lay him on the couch." Karry insisted Casting 'LEVICORPUS' to help support her husbands weight. "Can you watch the baby Sasporilla while I run to school and fetch Madame Pomfrey?"
"I can go Karry!" Sassy said, "You stay with Zac and the baby. I'll get Madame Pomfrey. I want to consult Professor McGonagall on destroying this bloody Horcrux anyway!"
A loud knock on the front door followed by a bang as the door fell off its hinges and hit the floor in the front hall.
"Sorry 'bout tha'" Hagrid said as Professor McGonagall and Madame Pomfrey pushed passed the giant and rushed into the Curtiss living room.
"Oh goodness," Madam Pomfrey gasped looking at the passed out young man with the bloodied bandage on his hand. "What happened here."
"Long story short," Sasporilla said matter of factly. "We cut off his finger to save him from a ring that was a Horcrux."
"A bit of an over reaction don't you think Ms.Bucket?"; Madame Pomfrey snapped.
"Why not just take the ring off of him?"
"I'm not sure it would have come off." Sasporilla said stiffly. "He's been wearing it for months and it had almost completely taken him over."
"Do you still have the ring?" Professor McGonagall asked.
"Yes." Sassy said pulling out the box and handing it to her. "It's bound in here. Still attached to the finger."
"We'll need to bring in a curse breaker." The headmistress said. "Mrs.Curtiss, where did this ring come from?"
"It's one of the many 'GIFTS' sent out from the vault found in the chamber of secrets." Karry said.
"And I suppose it never occurred to anyone in charge that those Items could be cursed?" Headmistress McGonagall asked her eyebrow raised and lips pursed.
"It was suggested Headmaster," Karry sighed," but the section supervisor said I, we were being silly worry warts and to send them out!"
"Well I shall assure you there will be an inquiry!" Professor McGonagall said.
"Minerva the curse is preventing any and all healing." Madame Pomfrey said. "We'll have to transport the young man to St.Mungos."
"I'll take 'im there by flue!" Hagrid said picking Zac up and heading for the fireplace. "Fastest, safest way."
With a splash of flue powder the words "SAIN' MUNGO'S" Hagrid and Zac were away in a flash of green Flame.
"We'd best follow him Minerva!" Madame Pomfrey insisted heading in after them.
"I should go too, Sasporilla." Karry said getting her coat and bag. "I'm sorry. I guess this ruins our Christmas plans."
"It's ok." Sassy said. "In some ways I kind of saw it coming. Here's a letter from Professor Splatterpalette of Avalon University. It's about the Horcrux wand you sent her from the vault."
"Oh gosh." Karry gulped. "Look I may stay over in London, but you’re free to stay here at the house over Christmas! Enjoy it! It's all done up anyway. There are some prezies in front for you. Even one for your young man, who I promise I will meet properly one day."
"We shouldn't." Sassy said.
"No, I insist!" Karry smiled hugging her friend. "And don't do anything I wouldn't do!"
"Karry Curtis!" Sassy gasped. "What sort of slag do you think I am? I wouldn't do ninety-five percent of what you done with Zac before you were married!"
"Shut it you!" Karry laughed smacking her friend on the shoulder then realizing. "Ninety-five percent?" Karry asked.
"Eighty-five maybe?" Sasporilla blushed.
Karry handed her child to Headmistress McGonagall, hugged her friend and whispered something in her ear that made Sasporilla blush beat red.
"Oh now I must go." Karry said taking back her child and heading into the fire place. "I wish we could stay but Zac will need me. ST.MUNGO'S!"
"Sasporilla." Headmistress McGonagall smiled. "You and your young gentleman friend are most welcome to come and share Christmas dinner at Hogwarts in the great Hall on the twenty fifth."
"Thank you Headmistress McGonagall." Sassy smiled. "That's very kind."
"Hogwarts will always welcome you home." Professor McGonagall smiled stepping into the fire place and throwing down her hand full of flue powder. "ST.MUNGO'S"
and in a green flash, the old witch was gone.
Sasporilla became acutely aware of the loud tick, tick, tick of the grand father clock in Kerry’s hall echoing through the large empty house.
Angelo walked up behind his pink haired love and placed one hand on her waist and one on her shoulder. Sasporilla took his hands in hers, and rubbed her cheek down to his hand on her shoulder.
"What do you want to do?" Angelo asked.
"We'll stay." Sasporilla said. "We can unpack, put their presents under the tree and get a quick bite of breakfast. Then we can head to St.Mugo's. By then we won't be in the way. The healers should have answers for us and I'm sure there will be Aurors with questions for us."
***************
It was almost three hours later Sasporilla and Angelo arrived in the St.Mungo's lobby via flue network. As always, the lobby was alive with activity. The bloodied, the bruised the victims of spells gone wrong and those who realized no one wins a duel in a street fight.
Sassy stopped in at the gift shop and picked up a Weasley’s Wiggle Digit! A large foam finger that wiggled and made rude gestures at people that Zac could strap to his hand while he regrew a new finger.
"Don't you think that's a tad insensitive?" Angelo asked.
"It's truly in bad taste yes," Sasporilla sighed, "but it's funny and I'm hoping it will cheer him up. Show him that I'm sorry and everything will be ok."
"So thoughtful." Angelo said kissing Sassy on top of the head. "You could've just got flowers?"
"God no!" Sasporilla gasped. "Zac would think he was dying!!! Sometimes laughter is the best medicine. We'd best inquire as to which floor he's on?"
The nurse at the inquiries desk was chubby, pleasant old elf name Dwindlley. She was fixture at St.Mungo's from the time it had opened and very much considered a member of the family around there. No one came or went through the Wizarding Hospital that she didn't know about.
"Excuse me." Sasporilla asked the desk nurse. "I'd like to inquire as to where my friend was taken to when he was brought in tonight, Zac Curtiss."
"Zac Curtiss..." The elf smiled, "Superficial missing digit wound on right hand but has complications due to a curse there fore he was taken too... my word!!! Sasporilla Bucket! As I live and breathe! I haven't seen you in a while! Since you'd come to visit your uncle Nick. How is University?"
"It's very difficult Dwindlley." Sasporilla said with a shy scrunched up one sided smile. "But I'm doing ok. Learning a lot! And of course I have met someone special. May I introduce my boy friend Angelo Lazarus."
"Ah!" The chubby old elf smiled climbing awkwardly up onto the reception desk to get a better look at the boy. "Hmmmm yes! Acceptable!"
"Pleased to meet you mam." Angelo said holding out his hand.
"So polite. Good manners are so important." Dwindlley smiled shaking the young mans hand. "Oooo. Firm handgrip. Good sized hands too! Very important!"
"Dwindlley!" Sasporilla laughed. "I think that is very much enough of that!"
"Indeed!" Dwindlley said plopping herself back into her overstuffed chair. "But he will make a good Illyarnveru."
"What is that?" Angelo asked.
"It's not important." Sasporilla smiled. "What floor?"
"Zac Curtiss is here on the first floor, being held in the stubborn curses wing." Dwindlley smiled. "Follow the red line to the jagged blue line, then follow the blue line until it becomes the jagged blue line. Hold your left foot up in front of you and hop three times until it turns into a green circle. Then turn around and follow the yellow line past the gift shop..."
Angelo was desperately trying to follow and remember the complex instructions until Sasporilla couldn't hold in her laughter anymore and started to chuckle. "Oh Dwindlley you're terrible."
"Oh you've spoiled it!" Dwindlley laughed. "I wanted to see if he'd hop?"
"Oh I see," Angelo smiled, "Very funny. Make fun of the non-elf."
"Oh sweet-heart no." Sasporilla said. "Honestly she was just having fun with you." Sassy smiled, "don't be mad."
"Gottcha." Angelo smiled.
"Oh!" Dwindlley spun her chair around laughing. "He has a sense of humour! Dwindlley highly approves! Miss Daisy, Dwindlley's first cousin would have been most impressed!!! You may go in!"
As they walked away from the desk Angelo asked again, “Ummm What exactly is an Illyarnveru?”
“The Husband to a an Elf Prinncess or Queen.” Sassy Laughed taking his hand. “Like I said silly, It’s not important!”
Sasporilla and Angelo went through the side doors into the emergency ward. Headmistress McGonagall stood with Madame Pomfrey, a short fat doctor in white robes and Auror Nick Owlmore.
"Hello everyone." Sasporilla smiled walking up.
"Well it's about bloody time you showed up!" Nick said holding up his badge walking over to Angelo. "Detective inspector Nick Owlmore sunshine, and you're under arrest for assault with a muggle weapon."
Nick forced the compliant young mans arms behind his back as the auror drew his wand and cast "CAPISTRO!" forming magical bonds on Angelo's wrists.
"Uncle Nick stop this!" Sasporilla insisted.
"I don't see why you have to be so rough with the boy Nicholas." Minerva McGonagall pursed her lips judgmentally. "You don't have to impress your god daughter like you did her father all those years ago. Always seeking his approval!"
"You just keep gettin' up my nose old woman!" Nick Owlmore said pointing his wand Angrily.
"PETRIFICUS COETUS!" Sasporilla cast, petrifying everyone in the waiting room.
"It's the Horcrux." Sasporilla cried. "None of you are thinking straight. Salazar Slytherin is attacking your thoughts through the curse of the Horcrux. Making you fight each other. I won't let you hurt one another."
"Neither will I!" I young tall handsome red haired man said bursting through the emergency room door. "DESISTAO MALADICTUM!"
A purple glow enveloped the room and released everyone from the bonds of both the petrifaction spell and the effects of curse. With a flourish of his wand he returned it to his long green and gold Egyptian robes.
"Looks like I made it just in time!" The red haired man smiled.
"Who are you?" Sasporilla asked.
"Weasley," the man said pulling off his sunglasses, "Bill Weasley. Curse breaker."
All witches and wizards couldn't help but shake out the cob webs from their foggy heads. Nick Owlmore rubbed his eyes as Minerva McGonagall teetered on unstable feet. Bill Weasley steadied the old witch with his trade mark rock star smile. The werewolf scar on his face only added to his particular magical machismo.
"Easy there Headmistress." Bill Weasley smiled. "Looks like I got here just in time. Where's the afflicted young man and the cursed artifact?"
Sasporilla walked over to Nick Owlmore and placed her hand on his shoulder gently.
"Are you ok Uncle Nick?" Sassy asked.
"Ya." Nick smiled. "It's good to see you kid."
"Good." Sassy smiled giving the grumpy old Auror a hug. "Now would you mind taking the bloody binding spell off my boyfriend?"
"Sorry my sweet girl," Nick apologized, "but until this is all cleared up he's being held officially."
"You're getting a bloody lump of coal in your stocking Uncle Nick." Sasporilla said turning in a huff.
"Just one?" Nick shouted after her, "I get three free months rent from the amount of coal I give the super to stoke the boiler with!"
Angelo had to laugh, despite the fact that he was in hand cuff's he had to admit he kind of liked Nick Owlmore?
"What are you smiling at my lad?" Nick asked. "I still have some questions for you."
"Ask me anything." Angelo said. "Sasporilla told me how to get in the back door, where the muggle garden shears were and that a sharp muggle device might be the only way to get the ring off."
"Interesting." D.I.Owlmore said stroking his thick dark beard. "Let's discuss your relationship with my angelic innocent little God daughter."
"Oh boy." Angelo gulped.
Everyone was taken into the curse containment isolation area where Zac was being held. The young wizard lay on a very uncomfortable looking stone table shivering, surrounded by a bubble of red protective spells.
Karry stood to his side holding her mother’s hand. Mr.Curtiss, Karry's father stood further away trying to distract the baby reading a story from a worn out copy of 'Poggie Pompouries Magical Stories.'
Bill Weasley walked inside the bubble and pulled a hand full of sand from a pocket in his robe. He made three small piles on Zac's chest and cast "QUANTEREA" as he dragged his wand through the piles of sand making a circle between them. The circle began to glow with a bright pulsing red light.
Reaching inside his robe, Bill Weasley pulled out a crystal Pyramid and placed it point down above the circle, giving it a spin and casting, "ALRAMALNAQUIA TASTAMIDU ALMALEUNATMIN HADALHIW"
The red glow of the circle changed to green as a whisp of green smoke formed inside the crystal spinning and whirling. Bill looked at concerned then picked up Zac's hand.
"Of course." Bill Weasley said. "Some one give me the finger."
Sasporilla and Karry looked at each other biting there lips trying not to laugh having spent far to much time in the company of Lyra Lee-Ashwolf. A Doctor brought the box over which shook even more violently the closer it got to the curse breaker.
"Ah there you are." Bill Weasley said. "Hmmm. Nice work. Who cast this curse bind?"
"I did sir." Sasporilla said holding up her hand like a scolded schoolgirl.
"Very advanced!" Bill said admiringly. "I'm going to hold it down by the hand and get you to cast the unbind for it please. If my guess is correct, the finger will fly out and reattach itself!"
"Isn't that Dangerous?" Professor McGonagall asked?
"Don worry Minerva," Bill gave his ex professor a cheeky wink, "Defense against the dark arts was my best subject... remember? Now!"
"CONTRAPISTRO" Sasporilla cast pulling the bindings from the little box and forcing the lid open. The finger leapt from the box and flew to the hand, wiggling its way into place where in a flash of green magical energy it healed itself onto the hand.
Zac's eyes flickered opened, glowing with a malevolent green energy, but the smug triumphant grin that appeared on his face was quickly replaced with one of fear and confusion. The green energy dimmed in Zac's eyes as the smoke in the Crystal pyramid took the form of Salazar Slytherin.
"Well Salazar, you have been naughty old sod haven't you?" Bill smirked pulling the crystal up to hold it up in front of his face. The little figure of the angry old wizard cast spell after spell, which crashed ineffective, against the crystal prison he was trapped in. "Now, now. Show some decorum old boy! It looks like as long as Ms.Bucket is around Salazar, your just not going to get away with these little shenanigans of yours."
"I didn't do much?" Sasporilla said.
"No?" Bill asked. "You stopped him in the dark city ya? Now you took it upon yourself, to ask someone to cut off a finger, of a person during a Horcrux transference, seconds before completion, which saved your friend and stopped Salazar Slytherin again! So yes... you're right you did nothing! but um detective inspector I think your prisoner is less a SUSPECT and more a HERO in this story? Just my opinion by the way."
With that Bill Weasley pulled a box from his robe in which he placed the pyramid. And with a bow he bid his adieu and disapperated with a wink.
Karry kissed Zac, who though very weak, felt like his old self. Sasporilla took Angelo into her arms as Uncle Nick released him from magical binding. Offical introductions were in order and with everybody present, even though the setting was a bit awkward, there was no better time than the Present.
*************************
Dwindlley smiled at the elf who delivered the single bundle of the Daily Prophet to St.Mungo's every evening.
"Evening Edition on time Dwindlley." The elf smiled holding up a clip board for her to sign. "They finally done it you know? It's started! Is she here?"
"Shhhhhhh!" Dwindlley shushed the elf signing the receipt for the bundle delivery. "I swear Grimblley you and yours! Yes the princess is here! They've done what?"
Grimblley plonked a fresh copy of the Daily Prophets Evening edition up on the counter.
Dwindlley's eyes bulged wide at the picture of Homunculus Bucket topped by the headline which read "HOUSE ELF KING ASSASSINATED!"
Dawn whispered softly across the winter morning sky as the Hogwarts Express pulled into Hogsmeade station. Anxious students from Hogwarts, eager to begin there Christmas Holidays, lined the platform ready to return home. Of course first they had to wait for the midnight passengers to disembark and the train to reconfigure.
Angelo held up his arms and lifted Sasporilla down from the train car, spinning her around as they kissed. There no was no longer hiding the love they had for each other. They were deeply, passionately, head over heals in love and Sassy honestly didn't care who knew it. The rest of the world just didn't seem to matter to her right now.
"Zac please don't!" The voice of Karry Curtiss echoed through Hogsmeade. "Zac Stop!"
"Damn!" Sassy said pulling away from Angelo's strong embrace. "We have to go! Leave the bags, we'll come back for them! I have a plan!"
Karry Curtiss stood in crying in the center of Main Street, in front of her home, holding her blanket wrapped child. Her husband Zac, his head shaved bald sporting a freshly grown goatee, stood on the front step levitating his wife and child’s bags out the door into the street.
"Take your things and leave," Zac Curtiss insisted, "silly mud blood girl! I don't need you, or your half breed spawn!"
"Zac!" Karry screamed. "Why are you doing this? This isn't you?"
"No it isn't." Sasporilla said stepping in front of Karry drawing her wand. "It most certainly is not our Zac. The question is do you know who I am, Salazar?"
"You are a clever girl Sasporilla Bucket." Salazar Slytherin hissed raising Zac’s wand. "I know everything about you Zaccariah knows."
"And I know that everything you sent out from your vault was a Horcrux." Sassy spat. "Including that ring!"
"The ring?" Karry sobbed. "Oh my god no! He's been wearing it for months!"
"Yes!" Salazar Slytherin smiled holding up his hand exposing the ring finger. "You'll never get the ring off us now, no matter how hard you try, no matter what spell you cast. It's a part of us! We are almost one!"
With one quick motion Angelo appeared behind Zac in the door way, pushed the garden sheers past Zac's shoulder and clipped the finger from his hand just below the ring. Sasporilla through a small metal box in the air and cast "CAPTIS LIGANTUM!" The box swallowed the finger and the ring then locked itself closed. Magical chains wrapped around it as it hung in mid air shaking and banging. Salazar Slytherin trapped very much inside. Zac fell back weak into the arms of Angelo Lazarus who cast a quick Bandaging charm on Zac's finger.
"Zac!" Karry yelled running to his side. "Who the hell are you? What have you done?"
"Karry!" Sasporilla said helping Angelo get Zac to his feet, "this is Angelo, my boy friend. He was acting on my instructions. It was our only choice. Even Madam Pomfrey can regrow a missing finger, and we had to get the Horcrux off! We still this have to destroy the Ring, as long as it has flesh to corrupt it's dangerous! Look at how they brought back Voldemort!"
"I'm..." Zac said in his normal very tired voice, "I'm so sorry... I would never hurt y.."
Zac passed out in the arms of his friends as they dragged him back inside.
"Lay him on the couch." Karry insisted Casting 'LEVICORPUS' to help support her husbands weight. "Can you watch the baby Sasporilla while I run to school and fetch Madame Pomfrey?"
"I can go Karry!" Sassy said, "You stay with Zac and the baby. I'll get Madame Pomfrey. I want to consult Professor McGonagall on destroying this bloody Horcrux anyway!"
A loud knock on the front door followed by a bang as the door fell off its hinges and hit the floor in the front hall.
"Sorry 'bout tha'" Hagrid said as Professor McGonagall and Madame Pomfrey pushed passed the giant and rushed into the Curtiss living room.
"Oh goodness," Madam Pomfrey gasped looking at the passed out young man with the bloodied bandage on his hand. "What happened here."
"Long story short," Sasporilla said matter of factly. "We cut off his finger to save him from a ring that was a Horcrux."
"A bit of an over reaction don't you think Ms.Bucket?"; Madame Pomfrey snapped.
"Why not just take the ring off of him?"
"I'm not sure it would have come off." Sasporilla said stiffly. "He's been wearing it for months and it had almost completely taken him over."
"Do you still have the ring?" Professor McGonagall asked.
"Yes." Sassy said pulling out the box and handing it to her. "It's bound in here. Still attached to the finger."
"We'll need to bring in a curse breaker." The headmistress said. "Mrs.Curtiss, where did this ring come from?"
"It's one of the many 'GIFTS' sent out from the vault found in the chamber of secrets." Karry said.
"And I suppose it never occurred to anyone in charge that those Items could be cursed?" Headmistress McGonagall asked her eyebrow raised and lips pursed.
"It was suggested Headmaster," Karry sighed," but the section supervisor said I, we were being silly worry warts and to send them out!"
"Well I shall assure you there will be an inquiry!" Professor McGonagall said.
"Minerva the curse is preventing any and all healing." Madame Pomfrey said. "We'll have to transport the young man to St.Mungos."
"I'll take 'im there by flue!" Hagrid said picking Zac up and heading for the fireplace. "Fastest, safest way."
With a splash of flue powder the words "SAIN' MUNGO'S" Hagrid and Zac were away in a flash of green Flame.
"We'd best follow him Minerva!" Madame Pomfrey insisted heading in after them.
"I should go too, Sasporilla." Karry said getting her coat and bag. "I'm sorry. I guess this ruins our Christmas plans."
"It's ok." Sassy said. "In some ways I kind of saw it coming. Here's a letter from Professor Splatterpalette of Avalon University. It's about the Horcrux wand you sent her from the vault."
"Oh gosh." Karry gulped. "Look I may stay over in London, but you’re free to stay here at the house over Christmas! Enjoy it! It's all done up anyway. There are some prezies in front for you. Even one for your young man, who I promise I will meet properly one day."
"We shouldn't." Sassy said.
"No, I insist!" Karry smiled hugging her friend. "And don't do anything I wouldn't do!"
"Karry Curtis!" Sassy gasped. "What sort of slag do you think I am? I wouldn't do ninety-five percent of what you done with Zac before you were married!"
"Shut it you!" Karry laughed smacking her friend on the shoulder then realizing. "Ninety-five percent?" Karry asked.
"Eighty-five maybe?" Sasporilla blushed.
Karry handed her child to Headmistress McGonagall, hugged her friend and whispered something in her ear that made Sasporilla blush beat red.
"Oh now I must go." Karry said taking back her child and heading into the fire place. "I wish we could stay but Zac will need me. ST.MUNGO'S!"
"Sasporilla." Headmistress McGonagall smiled. "You and your young gentleman friend are most welcome to come and share Christmas dinner at Hogwarts in the great Hall on the twenty fifth."
"Thank you Headmistress McGonagall." Sassy smiled. "That's very kind."
"Hogwarts will always welcome you home." Professor McGonagall smiled stepping into the fire place and throwing down her hand full of flue powder. "ST.MUNGO'S"
and in a green flash, the old witch was gone.
Sasporilla became acutely aware of the loud tick, tick, tick of the grand father clock in Kerry’s hall echoing through the large empty house.
Angelo walked up behind his pink haired love and placed one hand on her waist and one on her shoulder. Sasporilla took his hands in hers, and rubbed her cheek down to his hand on her shoulder.
"What do you want to do?" Angelo asked.
"We'll stay." Sasporilla said. "We can unpack, put their presents under the tree and get a quick bite of breakfast. Then we can head to St.Mugo's. By then we won't be in the way. The healers should have answers for us and I'm sure there will be Aurors with questions for us."
***************
It was almost three hours later Sasporilla and Angelo arrived in the St.Mungo's lobby via flue network. As always, the lobby was alive with activity. The bloodied, the bruised the victims of spells gone wrong and those who realized no one wins a duel in a street fight.
Sassy stopped in at the gift shop and picked up a Weasley’s Wiggle Digit! A large foam finger that wiggled and made rude gestures at people that Zac could strap to his hand while he regrew a new finger.
"Don't you think that's a tad insensitive?" Angelo asked.
"It's truly in bad taste yes," Sasporilla sighed, "but it's funny and I'm hoping it will cheer him up. Show him that I'm sorry and everything will be ok."
"So thoughtful." Angelo said kissing Sassy on top of the head. "You could've just got flowers?"
"God no!" Sasporilla gasped. "Zac would think he was dying!!! Sometimes laughter is the best medicine. We'd best inquire as to which floor he's on?"
The nurse at the inquiries desk was chubby, pleasant old elf name Dwindlley. She was fixture at St.Mungo's from the time it had opened and very much considered a member of the family around there. No one came or went through the Wizarding Hospital that she didn't know about.
"Excuse me." Sasporilla asked the desk nurse. "I'd like to inquire as to where my friend was taken to when he was brought in tonight, Zac Curtiss."
"Zac Curtiss..." The elf smiled, "Superficial missing digit wound on right hand but has complications due to a curse there fore he was taken too... my word!!! Sasporilla Bucket! As I live and breathe! I haven't seen you in a while! Since you'd come to visit your uncle Nick. How is University?"
"It's very difficult Dwindlley." Sasporilla said with a shy scrunched up one sided smile. "But I'm doing ok. Learning a lot! And of course I have met someone special. May I introduce my boy friend Angelo Lazarus."
"Ah!" The chubby old elf smiled climbing awkwardly up onto the reception desk to get a better look at the boy. "Hmmmm yes! Acceptable!"
"Pleased to meet you mam." Angelo said holding out his hand.
"So polite. Good manners are so important." Dwindlley smiled shaking the young mans hand. "Oooo. Firm handgrip. Good sized hands too! Very important!"
"Dwindlley!" Sasporilla laughed. "I think that is very much enough of that!"
"Indeed!" Dwindlley said plopping herself back into her overstuffed chair. "But he will make a good Illyarnveru."
"What is that?" Angelo asked.
"It's not important." Sasporilla smiled. "What floor?"
"Zac Curtiss is here on the first floor, being held in the stubborn curses wing." Dwindlley smiled. "Follow the red line to the jagged blue line, then follow the blue line until it becomes the jagged blue line. Hold your left foot up in front of you and hop three times until it turns into a green circle. Then turn around and follow the yellow line past the gift shop..."
Angelo was desperately trying to follow and remember the complex instructions until Sasporilla couldn't hold in her laughter anymore and started to chuckle. "Oh Dwindlley you're terrible."
"Oh you've spoiled it!" Dwindlley laughed. "I wanted to see if he'd hop?"
"Oh I see," Angelo smiled, "Very funny. Make fun of the non-elf."
"Oh sweet-heart no." Sasporilla said. "Honestly she was just having fun with you." Sassy smiled, "don't be mad."
"Gottcha." Angelo smiled.
"Oh!" Dwindlley spun her chair around laughing. "He has a sense of humour! Dwindlley highly approves! Miss Daisy, Dwindlley's first cousin would have been most impressed!!! You may go in!"
As they walked away from the desk Angelo asked again, “Ummm What exactly is an Illyarnveru?”
“The Husband to a an Elf Prinncess or Queen.” Sassy Laughed taking his hand. “Like I said silly, It’s not important!”
Sasporilla and Angelo went through the side doors into the emergency ward. Headmistress McGonagall stood with Madame Pomfrey, a short fat doctor in white robes and Auror Nick Owlmore.
"Hello everyone." Sasporilla smiled walking up.
"Well it's about bloody time you showed up!" Nick said holding up his badge walking over to Angelo. "Detective inspector Nick Owlmore sunshine, and you're under arrest for assault with a muggle weapon."
Nick forced the compliant young mans arms behind his back as the auror drew his wand and cast "CAPISTRO!" forming magical bonds on Angelo's wrists.
"Uncle Nick stop this!" Sasporilla insisted.
"I don't see why you have to be so rough with the boy Nicholas." Minerva McGonagall pursed her lips judgmentally. "You don't have to impress your god daughter like you did her father all those years ago. Always seeking his approval!"
"You just keep gettin' up my nose old woman!" Nick Owlmore said pointing his wand Angrily.
"PETRIFICUS COETUS!" Sasporilla cast, petrifying everyone in the waiting room.
"It's the Horcrux." Sasporilla cried. "None of you are thinking straight. Salazar Slytherin is attacking your thoughts through the curse of the Horcrux. Making you fight each other. I won't let you hurt one another."
"Neither will I!" I young tall handsome red haired man said bursting through the emergency room door. "DESISTAO MALADICTUM!"
A purple glow enveloped the room and released everyone from the bonds of both the petrifaction spell and the effects of curse. With a flourish of his wand he returned it to his long green and gold Egyptian robes.
"Looks like I made it just in time!" The red haired man smiled.
"Who are you?" Sasporilla asked.
"Weasley," the man said pulling off his sunglasses, "Bill Weasley. Curse breaker."
All witches and wizards couldn't help but shake out the cob webs from their foggy heads. Nick Owlmore rubbed his eyes as Minerva McGonagall teetered on unstable feet. Bill Weasley steadied the old witch with his trade mark rock star smile. The werewolf scar on his face only added to his particular magical machismo.
"Easy there Headmistress." Bill Weasley smiled. "Looks like I got here just in time. Where's the afflicted young man and the cursed artifact?"
Sasporilla walked over to Nick Owlmore and placed her hand on his shoulder gently.
"Are you ok Uncle Nick?" Sassy asked.
"Ya." Nick smiled. "It's good to see you kid."
"Good." Sassy smiled giving the grumpy old Auror a hug. "Now would you mind taking the bloody binding spell off my boyfriend?"
"Sorry my sweet girl," Nick apologized, "but until this is all cleared up he's being held officially."
"You're getting a bloody lump of coal in your stocking Uncle Nick." Sasporilla said turning in a huff.
"Just one?" Nick shouted after her, "I get three free months rent from the amount of coal I give the super to stoke the boiler with!"
Angelo had to laugh, despite the fact that he was in hand cuff's he had to admit he kind of liked Nick Owlmore?
"What are you smiling at my lad?" Nick asked. "I still have some questions for you."
"Ask me anything." Angelo said. "Sasporilla told me how to get in the back door, where the muggle garden shears were and that a sharp muggle device might be the only way to get the ring off."
"Interesting." D.I.Owlmore said stroking his thick dark beard. "Let's discuss your relationship with my angelic innocent little God daughter."
"Oh boy." Angelo gulped.
Everyone was taken into the curse containment isolation area where Zac was being held. The young wizard lay on a very uncomfortable looking stone table shivering, surrounded by a bubble of red protective spells.
Karry stood to his side holding her mother’s hand. Mr.Curtiss, Karry's father stood further away trying to distract the baby reading a story from a worn out copy of 'Poggie Pompouries Magical Stories.'
Bill Weasley walked inside the bubble and pulled a hand full of sand from a pocket in his robe. He made three small piles on Zac's chest and cast "QUANTEREA" as he dragged his wand through the piles of sand making a circle between them. The circle began to glow with a bright pulsing red light.
Reaching inside his robe, Bill Weasley pulled out a crystal Pyramid and placed it point down above the circle, giving it a spin and casting, "ALRAMALNAQUIA TASTAMIDU ALMALEUNATMIN HADALHIW"
The red glow of the circle changed to green as a whisp of green smoke formed inside the crystal spinning and whirling. Bill looked at concerned then picked up Zac's hand.
"Of course." Bill Weasley said. "Some one give me the finger."
Sasporilla and Karry looked at each other biting there lips trying not to laugh having spent far to much time in the company of Lyra Lee-Ashwolf. A Doctor brought the box over which shook even more violently the closer it got to the curse breaker.
"Ah there you are." Bill Weasley said. "Hmmm. Nice work. Who cast this curse bind?"
"I did sir." Sasporilla said holding up her hand like a scolded schoolgirl.
"Very advanced!" Bill said admiringly. "I'm going to hold it down by the hand and get you to cast the unbind for it please. If my guess is correct, the finger will fly out and reattach itself!"
"Isn't that Dangerous?" Professor McGonagall asked?
"Don worry Minerva," Bill gave his ex professor a cheeky wink, "Defense against the dark arts was my best subject... remember? Now!"
"CONTRAPISTRO" Sasporilla cast pulling the bindings from the little box and forcing the lid open. The finger leapt from the box and flew to the hand, wiggling its way into place where in a flash of green magical energy it healed itself onto the hand.
Zac's eyes flickered opened, glowing with a malevolent green energy, but the smug triumphant grin that appeared on his face was quickly replaced with one of fear and confusion. The green energy dimmed in Zac's eyes as the smoke in the Crystal pyramid took the form of Salazar Slytherin.
"Well Salazar, you have been naughty old sod haven't you?" Bill smirked pulling the crystal up to hold it up in front of his face. The little figure of the angry old wizard cast spell after spell, which crashed ineffective, against the crystal prison he was trapped in. "Now, now. Show some decorum old boy! It looks like as long as Ms.Bucket is around Salazar, your just not going to get away with these little shenanigans of yours."
"I didn't do much?" Sasporilla said.
"No?" Bill asked. "You stopped him in the dark city ya? Now you took it upon yourself, to ask someone to cut off a finger, of a person during a Horcrux transference, seconds before completion, which saved your friend and stopped Salazar Slytherin again! So yes... you're right you did nothing! but um detective inspector I think your prisoner is less a SUSPECT and more a HERO in this story? Just my opinion by the way."
With that Bill Weasley pulled a box from his robe in which he placed the pyramid. And with a bow he bid his adieu and disapperated with a wink.
Karry kissed Zac, who though very weak, felt like his old self. Sasporilla took Angelo into her arms as Uncle Nick released him from magical binding. Offical introductions were in order and with everybody present, even though the setting was a bit awkward, there was no better time than the Present.
*************************
Dwindlley smiled at the elf who delivered the single bundle of the Daily Prophet to St.Mungo's every evening.
"Evening Edition on time Dwindlley." The elf smiled holding up a clip board for her to sign. "They finally done it you know? It's started! Is she here?"
"Shhhhhhh!" Dwindlley shushed the elf signing the receipt for the bundle delivery. "I swear Grimblley you and yours! Yes the princess is here! They've done what?"
Grimblley plonked a fresh copy of the Daily Prophets Evening edition up on the counter.
Dwindlley's eyes bulged wide at the picture of Homunculus Bucket topped by the headline which read "HOUSE ELF KING ASSASSINATED!"
PLEASE REMEMBER
I am in no way affiliated with Warner Bros. or with J.K.Rowling. My work is purely that of fan fiction & do not ask for, nor accept money, gifts or other compensation for my work. If you really feel you must do something, donate to J.K.Rowling's charitable foundation LUMOS! Link below! ( https://www.wearelumos.org/ )
I am in no way affiliated with Warner Bros. or with J.K.Rowling. My work is purely that of fan fiction & do not ask for, nor accept money, gifts or other compensation for my work. If you really feel you must do something, donate to J.K.Rowling's charitable foundation LUMOS! Link below! ( https://www.wearelumos.org/ )