Of Death and Fire

mortis


CHAPTER 11: Mortis Invictus
 
Two weeks after Halloween, the wheels of Fate took another spin.
It all begun in the afterglow of a misty afternoon, during one more staff meeting, this one to discuss the upcoming Halloween celebration and weather they should cancel the scheduled party or not. Hagrid had been absent and, in the middle of a heated discussion between Mr. Filch and Professor McGonagall concerning the Weasley twins, he stormed in the room.
"Headmaster, please", he addressed the Headmaster. "Please, I need your assistance. One of the enchanted creatures of the Dark Forest is gravely injured and I can't handle it on my own". His voice was colored by genuine concern and faith in Dumbledore's guidance.
Everyone followed Hagrid and Dumbledore to the edge of the Dark Forest. Just outside the tree line stood a glorious Unicorn, a stallion. He was snorting impatiently, digging the ground with his front hooves, and staring suspiciously to the creatures before him.
"This is most unusual", commented Professor McGonagall. "Unicorns rarely leave the safety of the Forest. In fact, I've never seen this happen before. However, he doesn't seem injured to me".
"It's not this one, Professor", replied Hagrid. "Look behind him", he said, pointing at a spot closer to the trees.
Behind the stallion they saw his mate. It was a beautiful mare, her belly swollen by advanced pregnancy. Blood was flooding from what appeared to be a deep wound on her neck.
"The big guy here won't let me get near them", continued Hagrid in distress. "Is there something you can do, Albus?"
"This is an unfortunate situation, Rubeus", replied Dumbledore sadly. "Unicorns won't let anyone but the purest individuals to touch them. The old tales that speak of a maiden taming a unicorn are true. I fear that no one here, with the abilities to help the poor creature, qualifies as such".
Hagrid looked devastated. And so was Dumbledore. It was a shame Fawkes had just gone through a burning, his tears could cure her, he thought. And the baby inside her would die too. And then he felt an overwhelming feeling of deja vu. He had seen this before, a dying mother, with the baby inside her dying with her. He raised his eyes and looked at Morgaine.
Unnoticed by all, Morgaine stood motionless in the mist. Her eyes were fixed on the injured creature, a battle raging inside her soul. The blood had been drained from her fand and she looked more like a ghost than an elf. With the battle inside her reaching it's conclusion, she lifted her chin and started walking towards the unicorns. She had the haunted look of someone who is walking to certain death.
For a brief moment, no one dared move. Entranced, they all watched her getting closer to the beasts. Hagrid tried to stop her, but he was held back by Dumbledore's firm grip.
"Headmaster, she'll die!" cried Hagrid.
"It's her life, Rubeus", replied the old mage. "It's hers to give as she pleases". He was trying to look calm, but he was obviously worried as well. Behind them, a crowd of students had begun to assemble, to witness the incident.
As she got closer the stallion, he snorted angrily, and advanced a few paces, holding his head low, his sharp horn in a straight line with her stomach. But she never flinched, keeping her pace steaShe She raised her arm and touched the unicorn's head, whispering something in High Elfish. The beast calmed down and rested his head on her shoulder.
A sea of whispers rose in turmoil among the spectators of this incredible sight, but silence was again restored by an angry look from the Headmaster. As she moved closer to the injured mare and knelt behind her, Dumbledore spotted Harry Potter among the crowd and waved at him.
"Go to her", he told the boy, "see if she needs anything, a potion or ingredient". Seeing the boy's worried look he added, "You've survived Voldemort, I don't think that a unicorn will be a threat to you, right?"
~*~
Morgaine knelt close to the injured unicorn. The wound was bad, and the labour pains had already begun. She had to stop the bleeding first, and help her deliver the baby. But she wouldn't dare use any necromantic charms on a delivering female; the mix of life and death could lead to a disaster. And then she heard a voice behind her asking if she needed anything. She turned to see Potter's face.
"Yes, Harry, thank you. See if you can find any floo powder and, please, hurry. Hagrid might have some in his house", she replied, feeling relieved.
In a few moments Harry was back with the floo powder. Morgaine poured some on the wound, then summoned the fire in her blood. A silver flame sprung from her fingertips, ignited the thin layer of floo and cauterized the wood. The bleeding stopped. They both sighed in relief, realizing they had been holding their breath all the t
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"It won't hold for long, judging from the size of the injury. But it will give us time to help her have her baby", Morgaine said, positioning herself closer to the mare's belly.
The birth of a unicorn is a miracle rarely seen by mortal eyes, and this day stayed in Hogwarts' history. The world stood silent as the new creature came to life, even through the suffering of its mother. They all watched in awe, as the tiny unicorn tried to stand on its legs, stumbled and fell, then rose again shaking its head in puzzle and ran to its father. The stallion lowered his head and touched noses with the little one. He pushed it gently towards is mother, and it sniffed her belly looking for milk.
But there was no milk; only blood.
~*~
Despite Morgaine's efforts and Potter's assistance, the mare was dying. Morgaine looked at the poor creature and at the young one, desperately looking for a tit to suckle among the blood. She remembered the story her own birth, the void in her heart from her mother's absence. She took her decision, and raised her eyes to Harry.
"Go, Harry", she told him, her eyes haunted by visions of death. "Go, and tell the Headmaster to send the students back inside. This is not a sight for children's eyes". As the boy ran back, he heard her mumbling something, as she was pushing the baby unicorn under its father's protection.
Dumbledore did exactly what Morgaine had asked. He sent everyone inside, save for Hagrid, McGonagall, Snape and Pomfrey. They stayed there to offer any possible assistance if needed. At the last moment, he waved at Potter.
"Tell me, Harry, what was the last think you said before you left?"
"It was a strange incantation, sir", replied Potter. "Something starting with 'Mortis Invictus', if I heard right".
Dumbledore's face turned white. He released Potter to meet with the others, and he turned his attention to the drama played before his eyes.
"What is it, Albus?" asked Professor McGonagall, seeing his expression. "What does this incantation do?"
Dumbledore stood silent. He had never fully understood what Aurion Whitebone had gone through to bring Morgaine to life, keeping her dead mother among the living. He had been gravely ill for months after his casting, and he only did it for a short period of time, releasing the dead woman to her rightful place. Morgaine was attempting to cheat death from his trophy. The consequences of her actions could be disastrous.
"It's an ancient ritual, known only to few necromancers. She's exchanging her life for the mare's life. If done properly, both members will survive. If not".... He paused, daring not to speak the words.
All eyes filled with terror, turning to witness the summoning.
~*~
Morgaine had lost every link with the mortal realm. She drifted through the oceans of oblivion, carried away by mystical tides and unseen, arcane forces. In the chaos that exists between the planes, she felt many entities present. Some were desperate, some were lost, some were hungry... and some send out psychic tentacles, trying to seize her. This was a place were demons dared not enter and angels feared. For her, it was home.
With her mind she reached out to touch the core of her being, the essence of both death and life. She remembered the ancient incantation, as spoken by her mentor.
"Death Unconquerable,
Death Eternal,
All that I am,
All that I have been,
Is yours alone.
Let death be Life,
As all Life is Death,
By my breath,
By my blood,
By my Life.
Through Death and Fire,
So mote it be!"
Few would dare address the Great Ripper himself. Fewer would dare propose an exchange. But Morgaine did not fear Death, as she had been born dead, at least partly. She felt that all of her life had led her up to this specific place and time. Death was family, and her voice never faltered as she begun her incantation, feeling the silver threads of life flowing from her finger's to the dying unicorn.
The offering had been accepted.
~*~
The only thing anyone heard was the first two words, "Mortis Invictus". Then a strange wind rose and clouds covered the fading sun. They could see flashes and sparkles between the necromancer and the unicorn, and heard her cry the last lines of the incantation in the wild wind, raising her arms to the heavens. A lightning broke the silence, hitting the ground between elf and beast.
The storm was gone at a blink of an eye, as fast at it had come. Morgaine was still on her knees before the mare. Slowly, they all watched in amazement the unicorn rising from the ground. A bit unstable at first, she moved closer to her mate and child, greeted them with soft happy neighing, and guided her offspring to the Dark Forest. The male touched Morgaine's cheek with his nose and looked up, meeting Dumbledore's eyes. It's your turn now, he seemed to say. And he followed his family to the forest depths.
As soon as the unicorns left, they all ran to Morgaine, who was still sitting still. Hagrid reached her first.
"Are you OK, lass? You've scared the hell out of us!" he cried.
But as he touched her shoulder, she collapsed and stood motionless on the ground, barely breathing.
"Quickly, Reubus, take her to the hospital", ordered Dumbledore. "There may be time still to save her life. Madame Pomfrey, come with me. You too, Severus, for this is no ordinary ailment. Minerva, please send an urgent owl to Aurion Whitebone. His assistance would be valuable".
In moments, they carried Morgaine's listless body inside.
 
 
If you could listen close enough, you could hear Death laughing.