The Forgotten Olympian |BOOK 1| PJO X HP | Alexandra Marine

Chapter 175 - Percy - Deceit And Deception

"I really feel bad about this," Alex said as we entered.

As my eyes became accustomed to the brilliant glare, I saw clocks gleaming from every surface, large and small, grandfather and carriage, hanging in spaces between the bookcases or standing on desks ranging the length of the room, so that a busy, relentless ticking filled the place like thousands of minuscule, marching footsteps. The source of the dancing, diamond-bright light was a towering crystal bell jar that stood at the far end of the room.

"This way!" Harry said excitedly.

"Oh, look!" said Ginny, as we drew nearer, pointing at the very heart of the bell jar.

Drifting along in the sparkling current inside was a tiny, jewel-bright egg. As it rose in the jar, it cracked open and a hummingbird emerged, which was carried to the very top of the jar, but as it fell on the draught its feathers became bedraggled and damp again, and by the time it had been borne back to the bottom of the jar it had been enclosed once more in its egg.

"Keep going!" said Harry sharply, because Ginny showed signs of wanting to stop and watch the egg's progress back into a bird.

"You dawdled enough by that old arch!" she said crossly, but followed him past the bell jar to the only door behind it.

"This is it," Harry said again, "it's through here--"

He glanced around at us all; we had their wands out. He looked back at the door and pushed. It swung open.

We were there, we had found the place: high as a church and full of nothing but towering shelves covered in small, dusty glass orbs. They glimmered dully in the light issuing from more candle-brackets set at intervals along the shelves. Like those in the circular room behind them, their flames were burning blue. The room was very cold.

"Harry?" Annabeth asked palely.

"Yeah, he's right around here somewhere."

"Did you specifically see this place- the crystal balls and all?"

"Of course-"

Annabeth turned to us with an odd look on her face- fear. 

"Maybe this isn't the best idea," Jason screeched to a halt. 

"What d'you mean?" Harry asked. "We're so close."

Harry edged forward and peered down one of the shadowy aisles between two rows of shelves. 

"You said it was row ninety-seven," whispered Hermione.

"Yeah," breathed Harry, looking up at the end of the closest row. Beneath the branch of blue-glowing candles protruding from it glimmered the silver figure fifty-three.

"We need to go right, I think," whispered Hermione, squinting to the next row. "Yes... that's fifty-four..."

"Row ninety seven-" I muttered. "That's the...." prophecy.

"Harry," Nico warned. "Maybe we shouldn't."

"Keep your wands ready," Harry said softly.

We crept forward, glancing behind us as we went on down the long alleys of shelves, the further ends of which were in near-total darkness. Tiny, yellowing labels had been stuck beneath each glass orb on the shelves. Some of them had a weird, liquid glow; others were as dull and dark within as blown light bulbs.

"This really isn't a good idea, Harry- what if it was a dream?" Will said.

"It was not!" Harry hissed.

"What makes you say so?" Hermione asked.

"Because- row ninety-seven," Jason replied. "It's-"

"Ninety-seven!" whispered Ron.

We stood grouped around the end of the row, gazing down the alley beside it. There was nobody there.

"He's right down at the end," said Harry, whose mouth had become slightly dry. "You can't see properly from here."

And he led us between the towering rows of glass balls, some of which glowed softly as they passed...

"He should be near here," whispered Harry, convinced that every step was going to bring the ragged form of Sirius into view on the darkened floor. "Anywhere here... really close..."

"Harry," Alex sighed. "There's no one here."

"Harry?" said Hermione tentatively.

"Somewhere about... here..." he said.

We had reached the end of the row and emerged into more dim candlelight. There was nobody there. All was echoing, dusty silence.

"He might be..." Harry whispered hoarsely, peering down the next alley. "Or maybe..." He hurried to look down the one beyond that.

"We need to get out of here," Nico said.

"Harry?" said Hermione again.

"What?" he snarled.

"I... I don't think Sirius is here."

Nobody spoke. Harry ran up the space at the end of the rows, staring down them. Empty aisle after empty aisle flickered past. He ran the other way, back past his staring companions. There was no sign of Sirius anywhere, nor any hint of a struggle.

"Harry?" Ron called.

"What?"

"Have you seen this?" said Ron.

"What?" said Harry, but eagerly this time. He strode back to where we were all standing, a little way down row ninety-seven, but found nothing except Ron staring at one of the dusty glass spheres on the shelf.

"What?" Harry repeated glumly.

"It's--it's got your name on," said Ron.

Ron was pointing at one of the small glass spheres that glowed with a dull inner light, though it was very dusty and appeared not to have been touched for many years.

"My name?" said Harry blankly.

He stepped forwards. In spidery writing was written a date of some sixteen years previously, and below that:

S.P.T. to A.P.W.B.D.

Dark Lord

and (?)Harry Potter

Harry stared at it.

"What is it?" Ron asked, sounding unnerved. "What's your name doing down here?"

He glanced along at the other labels on that stretch of shelf.

"I'm not here," he said, sounding perplexed. "None of the rest of us are here."

"Please don't touch it," Alex said as Harry stretched out his hand.

"Why not?" he said. "It's something to do with me, isn't it?"

"Don't, Harry," said Neville suddenly. Neville's round face was shining slightly with sweat. He looked as though he could not take much more suspense.

"It's got my name on," said Harry.

He closed his fingers around the dusty ball's surface. Harry lifted the glass ball down from its shelf and stared at it.

Nothing whatsoever happened. The others moved in closer around Harry, gazing at the orb as he brushed it free of the clogging dust.

"Put it back," Nico warned. "Seriously."

And then, from right behind him, a drawling voice spoke.

"Very good, Potter. Now turn around, nice and slowly, and give that to me."

"Not to say 'I told you so'," Alex muttered as we turned to face Lucius Malfoy, "but I told you so."

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