CHAPTER XXIII: THE BOGGART

Come life, come death, not a word be said;

Should I lose you living, and vex you dead?

I never shall tell you on earth; and in heaven,

If I cry to you then, will you hear or know?

                             A.C. Swinburne            

In the end, what made Harry's mind up was Chee Chong's announcement that Professor Snufflegint would be returning to China in a week's time, and that he wanted the Imperial scrolls restored within that period so that he could bring them back with him.

Harry received this piece of news with mixed feelings. This meant that if Snufflegint wanted to harm Jeanne, he was going to do it within the week. Or, if he didn't harm her, it meant he would soon be gone, and Harry wouldn't have to worry about him spying on Jeanne any more.

It also meant that Snufflegint had probably finished restoring Liu Pei's scroll, and had found out what he wanted to know. Was he going back to China because the Great Occurrence was going to take place there? Why had he come to Hogwarts in the first place? If he had been the one who had stolen the scroll from Liu Pei's office, he could have restored it easily enough back at Tian-Long. Unless, someone else had slipped the scroll in with the other Imperial scrolls, and Snufflegint had come to Hogwarts to retrieve it. Or had he come to Britain to spy on Jeanne?

With so little time left, Harry wanted some answers fast, and he decided that they'd better get the books from the Restricted Section, however remote the chance was that they'd find anything useful in them.

"Good luck," murmured Hermione, as they made their way to their seats during the next Divination class. Harry, unsure of producing a convincing enough performance, had asked her to step on his hand, if necessary, if he wasn't groaning loudly enough.

They had fabricated some really dismal predictions for themselves that week, and read them out as solemnly as they could, with the exception of Robert who persisted in reading his very matter-of-factly, as if it were a shopping list. Professor Trelawney seemed both surprised and moved. By the time she came to Hermione, who for once wasn't looking scornful, she was close to tears.

"My dears," she said in her misty voice, pulling out a gauzy handkerchief and dabbing her eyes, "It appears, indeed, that the portents for this month are not good . winter is always a bleak period. But we must endure . spring, with all its tender mercies, will eventually reign again."

She moved on to Neville. Ron, turning to look at Harry, mouthed "Now!"

Harry took a breath, and then, falling to the floor, began writhing and yelling as loudly as he could, clutching his head in his hands.

Parvati and Lavendar cried out in fright, while Professor Trelawney gave a small scream and turned around. Fatty, Chee Chong and Pixie sat where they were, startled, as Ron and Hermione jumped up and hurried over to Harry, trying their best to look worried.

"Harry!" Hermione grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him, "Snap out of it! What's the matter?"

Professor Trelawney, seeing what was happening, came rapidly over.

"Allow me, Miss Granger!" she cried, "I have experience in such matters! Potter is undoubtedly the recipient of some unworldly premonition. Let me minister to him!"

Harry had stopped yelling, and was now lying on his back, looking blearily up at them.

"Keep groaning," whispered Ron, before making way for Professor Trelawney.

Harry groaned again, but very half-heartedly. Hermione, screwing her eyes shut, brought her foot down on his left hand, which he had flung to one side so that it was hidden under a tablecloth.

Harry winced, and his groans became more convincing.

Professor Trelawney was now kneeling next to him, an eager gleam in her eyes, which looked even more enormous than ever.

"Arise, Potter!" she cried. "The dark night has passed! Relax your tense limbs, and let yourself be receptive to the clairvoyant vibrations in this room!"

She caught hold of Harry's shoulder, and held it in a vice-like grip, as if afraid he would run away. Harry winced, and groaned again, more realistically this time.

He sat up, and let Professor Trelawney help him to a chair, still grasping his shoulder.

"Now tell us, Potter," she said, fixing her huge eyes on him, "exactly what you saw and felt."

Harry took a breath.

"I saw an old fortress, in ruins," he muttered, carefully avoiding Ron's eye, "bats were pouring out of it. And there was a storm.thunder and lightning."

"An omen of ill-intent!" said Professor Trelawney, her nostrils quivering slightly. "Continue, my dear!"

"And then - I felt a blinding pain in my head," said Harry, "And I heard a snarling voice in my ears - "

"The sign of Great Evil, my dears!" cried Professor Trelawney, looking at the rest of the class, who had gathered around Harry and were listening breathlessly. "A terrible Event approaches!"

Lavendar put a hand to her mouth, and gave a frightened gasp. Professor Trelawney turned, and looked expectantly at Harry again.

"I closed my eyes, because of the pain, and when I opened them I found myself in the fortress," continued Harry, "and this three-legged demon was there, in front of me .all covered with slime."

"The foul Mirkindole!" cried Professor Trelawney, becoming more and more excited. "The accursed beast who lurks in the shadows, and snares human prey for its repasts!"

Harry's eyes suddenly met Shan's, and he felt an uncontrollable desire to laugh. He looked away, and found he had forgotten what he was supposed to say next.

He closed his eyes. He had rehearsed it, five times that morning, with Hermione.

"Courage, Potter!" said Professor Trelawney, catching his shoulder in her pincer-like grip again. "Do not leave us! Awaken, and finish your tale!"

Harry opened his eyes; he decided he'd had enough. "I can't remember the rest."

Professor Trelawney looked disappointed. Harry hastily said, "I think the demon came up to me, and stared at me, and then.I passed out again, because of the pain. That's all."

He slumped back in his chair, trying to look despondent and worn out.

Professor Trelawney looked commiseratingly at him.

"Peace, Potter," she said, patting his hand, "The ordeal has passed. Your vision tallies with what I have already foreseen for you . pain and suffering . fear of your deadly enemy . the shadow of the Grim, always hovering over you ."

She gave a deep sigh, and gazed sorrowfully at Harry, then stood up and looked around at the other students.

"We shall end here for today," she said mistily, a melancholy expression on her face, "and let Potter recover from his harrowing experience. Potter, I shall ponder the profound consequences of this premonition, and divulge my conclusions to you during our next class."

"Good job," muttered Ron, coming over with Hermione, who was looking apologetic.

"Sorry if I hurt you, Harry."

"Forget it," said Harry, and turned to Shan, who was standing nearby with Robert, holding the letter which they had already prepared. "Let's get that signed, and get out of here."

He took the letter from Shan, and hurried after Professor Trelawney, who was moving to the other end of the room.

"Professor?" he said, holding out the letter. "Some of us would like to do additional research . since this is a cultural exchange, and we're studying the movements of the planets . we'd like to borrow some books from the Restricted Section of the Tian-Long library, so that we can compare both Chinese and Western methods."

Professor Trelawney looked extremely moved.

"Potter, your diligence is astounding," she said, signing the letter without even looking at it, "Displaying such determination even after what you endured today . it saddens me, that one endowed with courage should be destined to meet such a fate as I have foreseen for you ."

She returned the letter to him, and left them, holding her hand to her chest, as if clutching at her heart, and still looking moved.

"Done it!" said Shan, looking delighted. "Harry, you were marvellous!"

"OK," said Harry, handing the letter to her, "I've done my part, time for you to do yours."

They were in a hurry to get the books, as they wanted to find out what Snufflegint was up to before he left, so Shan had volunteered to transform into a Silverwing, and Apparate back to Tian-Long to get the books.

"Chen-Kang will get them for me, he owes me a favour or two," she had told Harry. "He's discreet, and he won't ask what it's for. I'll be back in time for Defence Against the Dark Arts."

Ron and Hermione, who didn't know that Shan could transform, were curious to know how they were to get the books on time, but seeing there was some secret, had decided to be tactful and not ask.

Pixie felt a chill settle into her bones. Snape's office was even creepier than the Potions classroom, and mould appeared to be growing on the walls. The room was full of shadows, and the sightless eyes of pickled animals stared out at her from the shelves of jars which lined the walls.

            Pixie had a horror of all things and places dark and slimy. Although no one at home seemed to have any time for her and she often felt lonely there, still her parents' house was bright and cheerful, and filled with the beautiful objects of her father's trade. In Tian-Long, the classrooms were all pleasant enough, and although there existed regions under the school which were less appealing - as Harry had discovered - she managed to avoid those as far as possible. The Potions classes in Hogwarts she had tolerated so far, because Ron and the others were there, and Jeanne managed to make the lessons fairly entertaining. But to be all alone in Snape's office, without her friends around, was decidedly unsettling.

            Snape wasn't around at the moment, having gone off for one of his classes. Pixie carefully removed the sting from the tail of a scorpion. She glanced at the clock, and saw that there were still fifteen minutes left before she'd have to go for Defence Against the Dark Arts.

            She had initially felt she hated Snape, and when her detention ended that first day she would probably have felt a great relief and vowed never to step foot in that office again, if Jeanne had not happened to come in, carrying a box of potions ingredients.

            Pixie's first reaction was one of relief when she saw Jeanne. It was some consolation, at least, to have a fellow human being in the room with her, even for a few minutes. She was also secretly hoping Jeanne might persuade Snape to let her off.

            Jeanne looked surprised to see Pixie sitting in a corner, but a few words with Snape soon explained the situation to her. She gave Pixie a sympathetic smile, then began to unpack and store away the ingredients.

            Pixie noted that Jeanne seemed quite familiar with Snape's office and knew where everything should be kept. Having emptied her box, she was about to leave, when Snape called her over to the desk and began discussing the progress of Lady Han-Yin's Tian-Long project with her.

            The terms they were using were so technical that Pixie wasn't sure what they were talking about. She wondered how Jeanne, who was no more than the gamekeeper's assistant, seemed to know so much about Potions. She continued extracting the tongues from preserved salamanders and keeping them away in small jars, only half-listening to the conversation.

            After a few minutes, Jeanne and Snape finished their discussion of the project, and then Snape went on to talk about other things - the way the school was being run, how badly some of the classes were being taught, what he would do if he were in charge, what a mess the Ministry of Magic was in, among others. Pixie found herself listening and watching. Snape criticised the way Jeanne had taught the Potions exchange class. He had plenty to say about Professor Lupin, and made no effort to hide how much he loathed him. Jeanne listened in silence, a neutral expression on her face, and only a slight flicker of anger in her eyes betrayed the fact that some of the cutting and hurtful remarks disturbed her.

            Pixie had forgotten about the salamander tongues. She watched Jeanne putting up with Snape. She watched Snape talking. From the way he looked at Jeanne, it seemed that he almost hated her, and yet at the same time he was like a dam bursting, as if he harboured a desire to communicate all the feelings and plans and ambitions that he had, to another person.

            Snape talked for about twenty minutes. Jeanne said less than ten words in reply. Snape ended by looking impatient, and saying he was busy, implying Jeanne was encroaching on his time and should leave. Jeanne said quietly that she would check if any more bats had frozen in a cave somewhere in the grounds, since he wanted bats' intestines for the project. She then turned, and left.

            Snape turned and frowned at Pixie, who quickly looked down and began extracting tongues again. She looked up at Snape every now and then. He was sitting at the desk, staring sourly at the project report on it. Pixie had the impression that Snape thought the project a waste of his time, even though Lady Han-Yin was doing most of the work back in Tian-Long. She finished extracting and putting away the salamanders' tongues, and then turned to a huge pile of scorpions. She knew she'd never be able to finish it within the day.

            She had only managed to remove ten scorpions' stings when Snape suddenly snapped at her to get out, because it was lunchtime and her time was up. She looked up at the sallow face, at those eyes which always had that awful glitter in them, but which never betrayed any sign of emotion.

            Her offer to come back another day and finish the scorpions was received with a curt, almost indifferent nod. She left the room, but didn't go to the Great Hall; instead she went up to the Gryffindor common room, which was empty, still thinking about Snape's conversation with Jeanne, which for some reason disturbed her.

             Defence Against the Dark Arts was going to start soon, and Shan had still not returned. Robert, who was painstakingly restoring Liu Pei's duplicated scroll in the common room, told Harry to go first, saying he would wait a bit longer for her.

As Harry came down the corridor, he saw Seamus and Dean carrying a large packing-case into the classroom : a packing-case that shook and wobbled, as if something inside was trying to free itself and come out.

            Harry looked at his watch; Lupin should be coming any minute. He hurried toward the classroom, hoping that Shan wouldn't make it back in time for the lesson.

            Neville, Fatty and Chee Chong were already there, looking curiously at the box in which the Boggart was imprisoned. Seamus was trying to get Chee Chong to say "Riddikulus" without mixing his r's and l's up.

            Parvati and Lavendar soon came in, and so did Hermione, together with Ron and Pixie. Pixie was applying ointment to her hands, and looked rather subdued.

            "Professor Lupin said he'd be a bit late," said Lavendar, "I just saw him in the staff room. He's being held up by a meeting." She noticed the packing-case. "What's that?"

            "Boggart," said Seamus, proudly.

            "But, I thought we're doing Red Caps, today," said Parvati.

            "Well, we can do those another day," said Dean. "We've been waiting for this Boggart for ages."

            They waited for five minutes, and then Harry said, "Let's just start. Robert said that he and Shan will be coming soon. You've already explained what we're to do, and we know how to handle Boggarts, by now." He was hoping they would get rid of the Boggart before Shan came.

            The others agreed, so Pixie, Fatty, and Chee Chong queued up near the packing-case, the latter two looking rather excited.

           "OK," said Seamus, and pointed his wand at the packing-case, so that the lid flew off.

            A corpse-like zombie stepped out, its limbs and body stinking and decomposed, with a small piece of red paper attached to its face. Pixie, who had been  standing in front of the packing-case, took a step back, her face rather pale. Then, she lifted her wand, and pointed it at the zombie.

            "Riddikulus!" she cried. There was a noise like a whip-crack, and the zombie stumbled; it was now dressed in frilly pink dress robes, the same ones that Pixie had given Ron for Christmas.

        "Fatty, you next," said Seamus, looking excited. Fatty came forward, wand ready in his hand. Crack! The zombie turned into the ghost that Harry had seen in the tunnel leading to the Lake Blood. Except that this ghost was twelve feet tall, and his face was completely black. His sightless eyes stared down at Fatty, boring themselves into him.

            At this moment, the door opened, and to Harry's dismay, Shan came in.

            "What's happening?" she said, seeing him standing near the door, and then opened her bag with a smile to show him that she'd managed to get the books.

            "Where's Robert?" asked Harry, wondering desperately if he could 'accidentally' exterminate the Boggart before her turn came.

            "Outside, talking to Professor Lupin," said Shan. "They'll be coming in in a few minutes."

            Harry wanted to go outside and tell Lupin about the Boggart, but he didn't dare leave the classroom in case Shan decided to give the Boggart a try. Wishing that Lupin would hurry up and come in, he turned, and saw that the red-faced ghost had now shrunk to the height of a child's doll, and was hopping up and down and squeaking in rage.

Chee Chong, looking nervous, came forward. Crack! The tiny ghost disappeared, and a large demon with three heads and long tentacles appeared. It came toward Chee Chong, its tentacles writhing.

Chee Chong had gone very pale. He retreated a few steps, and raised his wand.

            "L-liddikurus!" he squeaked.

            The demon came bearing down on him, a cold light in its pale eyes. Chee Chong, looking alarmed, retreated a few more steps, and then stood still, as if paralysed.

            Shan was watching Chee Chong with a rather worried look on her face. Before Harry could stop her, she suddenly ran forward, pushed Chee Chong aside, and turned to face the demon.

            There was a crack! and the demon disappeared. A corpse lay on the ground; it was a man, whom Harry instinctively knew was Shan's father. His eyes were closed, and he lay, sprawled as if he had fallen from a great height, blood staining his robes.

            Then the corpse began to transform, into another lifeless form, that of a woman. Harry recognised Mrs Chen. Her eyes were wide open and staring, fixed unseeingly on Shan, and there was a look of great bitterness and hatred on her face.

            Shan stood as if frozen, staring at it. Her face had gone very white. She brought her hands to her mouth, and began trembling. Then, she suddenly burst into a storm of loud weeping.

            The classroom door flew open, and Professor Lupin came in, with Robert behind him. Lupin took the entire scene in with one look, and then strode swiftly over to Shan and pointed his wand at the still form on the floor, so that it rose from the ground and flowed back into the packing-case in a strange, fluid motion. He put a hand on Shan's shoulder, and she automatically turned and clung to him, still sobbing uncontrollably.

            Lupin put one arm around her, and his eyes met Harry's.

            Harry felt himself shaking slightly. He looked miserably back at Lupin.

"She - she ran forward so fast," he said. "I couldn't stop her."

Lupin shook his head slightly, as if to say it didn't matter, then glanced at the weeping girl.

"I'll bring her outside," he said quietly, looking around at Seamus and the others, who were standing nearby with sober faces, and then turned back to Harry. "You might as well finish the lesson with the Boggart. I know you and the other Hogwarts students can handle it on your own." Then he turned and led Shan, still weeping, out of the room.

            Seamus and the others watched as they disappeared out the door, looking startled and dismayed. Harry felt terrible. Lupin probably thought he was hopeless; he hadn't even been able to keep Shan away from the Boggart.

            Dean and Seamus turned back to Chee Chong, and tried to get him to perfect his pronunciation of "riddikulus" again. Robert was standing as if rooted to the spot, staring at the door which Shan had just gone through, his face pale.

            "I - I've never seen her cry like that, before," he said, sounding rather shaken, when Harry came over to him. Hermione, too, was coming over.

            Robert continued to stare at the door. Harry looked uncertainly at him for a moment, then said, "D'you - d'you want to have a go with the Boggart?"

            Robert suddenly turned, and looked at the packing-case. With one silent, awful movement, he lifted his hand and pointed a finger at it, and it immediately exploded violently into flames. Then he made a gesture at Shan's bag, which was lying on the ground nearby, and it flew over to him. Holding both Shan's and his own things, he turned, and left the room without a word.

            Harry looked at what was left of the packing-case. The flames were rapidly dying down, and soon nothing but small pieces of ash were left.

            Ron and the others were watching, stunned.

            "What did he do that for!" said Seamus, half-startled, half-annoyed. "We haven't finished with the Boggart yet!"

            Chee Chong was looking crestfallen. The others stood around for a few moments, looking at a loss, then, since the Boggart had obviously been obliterated, started collecting their things and leaving the room. Pixie said something to Ron, then picked her bag up and followed suit.

            Ron came over to Harry and Hermione, looking gloomy.

            "She's gone off to Snape's office again," he said. "What's with Robert, anyway? Over-reacting a bit, isn't he?"

            Hermione was looking at the small pile of ashes on the floor with a rather odd expression in her eyes.

            "Oh, Ron," she said softly, "don't you see - he's in love with Shan."

            There was a silence for a few seconds, as Harry and Ron both turned to look at her.           

"What?" said Ron, "Robert? C'mon, Hermione, the guy's hardly human - he never shows any emotion!"

Hermione looked as if she regretted saying anything.

            "Did he tell you that?" asked Harry quietly.

            "No," she said, rather hesitantly, as if unsure whether to tell them or not, "Jeanne told me. She said that Sang Nila told her, while we were still in Tian-Long. Sang Nila knows everything about Robert."

            "That Merlion?" said Ron incredulously. "Who'd believe anything it says?"

            "Explain what we just saw, then," said Hermione, impatiently. "Why d'you think he carries that book that she gave him around all the time? You're so dense, Ron; you don't understand anything about people."

            Harry had recently decided he didn't want to have Shan as anything more than a friend. He knew that she only regarded him as such, anyway. Even so, he felt a sudden pang in his heart, and a loneliness spread over him. 

            "Well, in that case, bully for Robert," said Ron sourly, glancing at Harry. Ron was still harbouring hopes that Harry and Shan would get together. "He's always with her anyway, isn't he? Nothing to stand in his way."

            Hermione said nothing, but looked sadly at the pile of ashes on the floor, then picked her bag up and left the room. Harry watched her, feeling rather confused. Of course, Robert cared for Shan. That had been obvious all along - he was, after all, her cousin. But this put things in a different light.

            He left the room with Ron, feeling rather uncomfortable. They passed a flight of steps that led down to the dungeons, and Ron, glancing at it, looked gloomy.

            "Tell you, Snape's bewitched her, Harry," he said, referring to Pixie. "She's been going to his office, almost every other day."

Harry didn't reply; he was still thinking about Shan and Robert. Malfoy was still making annoying comments about Harry and Shan, because he knew it made Harry uncomfortable, and although he always did it out of earshot of Robert, Harry felt sure the news was capable of filtering down to the latter. Some of the Gryffindors, especially the girls, also seemed to assume Harry and Shan were a couple, and kept giggling and making silly remarks. If Sang Nila was right, then how would Robert feel when hearing such comments? He had remained perfectly friendly to Harry, all this time. Jeanne could have been mistaken. What could a Merlion know about human feelings anyway?

            Shan and Robert didn't turn up for dinner. Harry checked the Marauder's Map, but couldn't find them anywhere. He happened to meet Jeanne, and asked her if she knew how Shan was.

            "Remus spent some time talking to her," said Jeanne, "I didn't ask him what he said to her. She still resents my presence, so I made myself scarce." She looked rather hurt, as she said this.

            Harry felt rather worried. "Where is she now?"

            "I don't know," said Jeanne. "Remus said she and Robert left our room a while ago. He said Shan was all right; she just wanted to go somewhere quiet for a while, and think things out."

            Harry, hearing this, guessed that Shan and Robert must have gone to the Plateau. He knew Shan liked it there; she had once commented on how serene the place was, and that whenever she went there she felt as if all her troubles had been left behind in the tunnel.

            Robert didn't come back to the boys' dormitory that night, but both he and Shan appeared in the Great Hall the next morning for breakfast. Robert looked his usual calm self, while Shan looked composed enough, though her eyes were rather red. They were very quiet throughout the meal, and the other students in the exchange class left them alone, unsure what to say to them.

            Harry had been so distracted by the previous day's events that it wasn't until he saw Chee Chong heading toward the Astronomy Tower that he remembered that Professor Snufflegint was due to leave in three days' time. The scroll and its interpretation lay in Shan and Robert's hands, and Harry didn't have the heart to badger them about it at present. However, he needn't have worried. Shan and Robert promptly took the scroll as an excuse to isolate themselves from the rest of the class, and began to spend all their free time in a corner of the Gryffindor common room, restoring and translating it.

            By the third day, Harry noticed that the entire scroll had been restored. Shan had brought out the calculator scroll that she had bought in Dervish and Banges, and Robert seemed to be writing all kinds of complicated equations on it, which faded once he tapped the scroll with his wand, to be replaced by an answer a few seconds later.

            Chee Chong had reported that Snufflegint had left early that morning, and that the chamber and his office were now empty. Jeanne was still going around doing her chores, and Harry felt relieved that no harm had apparently come to her. He suspected that Robert and Shan had made some kind of breakthrough, for they skipped lunch and spent most of the early part of the afternoon looking at the scroll and their calculations, softly discussing something in a mixture of English and Chinese.

He was tempted to take the Translator out and eavesdrop on them, but resisted. Shan seemed to have forgotten her unhappiness; there was a curious light in her eyes, and she was talking animatedly to Robert, as if trying to persuade him to do something.

            Finally, around four o'clock, they took the scroll and bronze vessel, and disappeared out the portrait hole. After about ten minutes, Shan came back in to look for Harry. She seemed her normal cheerful self again, and there was an air of suppressed excitement about her.

            "Robert and I think we have solved the scroll, Harry," she said. "Get Ron and Hermione, and come to the empty classroom at the end of the corridor outside, and we'll show you what we've found."

             Harry's heart leapt in excitement, but even as he turned to look for Ron and Hermione, he stopped, and looked back at her.

            "Are you all right now?" he asked.

            She hesitated, then shrugged.

            "I guess so," she said. "I had a long talk . first with Professor Lupin, then with Robert. I'm working on it ... I'll sort it out, eventually."

            She looked rather sad as she said this, but then remembered the scroll, and the excited look came back into her eyes.

            "Call Ron and Hermione quick, Harry," she said, "We don't have much time."

            Robert and Shan were sitting on the floor in a corner of the classroom, looking at the scroll, when they arrived. Hermione seemed excited, but Ron looked wary. The way in which Robert had destroyed the Boggart had unnerved him, and Harry suspected that Ron was secretly rather afraid of Robert.

             Robert seemed as placid as ever. He brought a sheet of parchment out, and handed it to them.

            "It looks as if Wu-Hsien was quite famous in his day," he said. "Several legends seem to have gathered around his person. We found a passage that tells a story which possibly shows how the vessel and scroll are related; we've written out a translation for you."

            Harry, Ron and Hermione bent over the parchment, and began to read.         

Wu-Hsien had at one time become very poor, and had had as a neighbour one Wang Lao, who often helped him. Wu-Hsien had tried to make some return, especially during the Khai-Yuan reign period when he was in high favour with the Emperor. Eventually Wang Lao, having killed someone, was imprisoned, and called upon Wu-Hsien for help. Wu-Hsien went to see him and said, "If you want gold and silver I can give you all you want, but as for the law, I cannot change it." Wang Lao reproached him, saying, "What good is it to me that I ever knew you", and so they parted. 

Later Wu-Hsien was in the Hun-Thien Temple, where there were several hundred workers. He ordered some of them to move a huge pot into an empty room. Then he said to two servants, "In a certain place there is a ruined garden. Do you hide there secretly tomorrow, from noon to midnight. Something will come - if it is seven in number, put them in the pot and cover them up, and if you lose one I shall give you a great beating." About six o' clock in the evening, sure enough, a herd of seven pigs appeared, and they caught them all and put them in the pot, and covered it with a wooden cover and matting. Then they ran off and told Wu-Hsien, who was very pleased.

Before long Wu-Hsien received a message to go urgently to a certain palace, where the Emperor met him and said, "The Head of the Astronomical Bureau has just informed me that the Great Bear has disappeared. What can it mean?" Wu-Hsien replied, "This sort of thing has happened before. In the Later Wei dynasty they even lost the planet Mars. But there are no previous records of the disappearance of the Great Bear. Heaven must be giving you an important warning, perhaps of frost or drought. But your Majesty, with your great virtue, can influence the stars. What would most affect them would be a decision on your part in favour of life rather than death." The Emperor agreed, and issued a general amnesty.

Later the seven stars of the Great Bear reappeared in their places in the heavens. And when the pot into which the pigs had been put was opened, it was found to be empty.

            Ron finished reading first, and looked up.

           "Wang Lao's name is on the bronze vessel, isn't it?" he said. "So this means he and Wu-Hsien knew each other."

            Shan nodded.

            "There's more," she said. "Wang Lao was later poisoned by one of his enemies. He took refuge in Wu-Hsien's house, where he repented of his misdeeds, and as he was dying he left whatever possessions he had to Wu-Hsien, including a collection of old bronze vessels. We're guessing that this bronze vessel was one of those."

            Harry looked at the vessel. "What do the inscriptions on it say?"

            Robert turned the vessel around.

            "There's still a lot of dispute as to how these inscriptions are to be interpreted," he said. "I can only make a guess. It seems to say, 'I, Wang Lao, was present at the Great Event on - ' and then a date is given. I'm estimating that the year is around 1000 B.C., and the month is Hsiao Han - the time of lesser cold, which is the first fortnight of January. The day I haven't been able to figure out yet, because it's given by a time-recording term."

 Seeing the others looking blank, he continued.

"There are several time-recording inscriptions which appear on bronze vessels during the Western Chou period," he explained. "They refer to a day based on the observation of a particular lunar phase, such as a crescent or a full moon. They were used together with the month and year, to record historical events. But so far no one knows which lunar phase these time-recording terms refer to."

Ron looked confused.

            "That means, Wang Lao was the one who carved the inscriptions on the vessel," said Hermione.

            Robert nodded.

            "But, I thought this was a Western Chou bronze!" said Hermione.

            "It is," said Shan, smiling.

            "But it can't be," protested Hermione.

            Harry and Ron turned to look at her. "Why not?"

            "Robert said Wu-Hsien lived during the Tang Dynasty," said Hermione. "If Wang Lao lived during the Western Chou Dynasty, he would have been more than a thousand years old when he met Wu-Hsien!"

            Robert was smiling now. He took another sheet of parchment out, and passed it to them.

            "Here's what the scroll itself says," he said. "Maybe you'll understand after you read it."

I leave you this scroll and vessel behind as my legacy. I, Wu-Hsien, say this to you. When Sui-Hsing is in Fang, Tai-Bai is in Wei, and Tai-Yin completely hides her perfect face from us, then shall the Great Occurrence take place again. When that day approaches, bring your sons and daughters with you to Khun-Lun. Then will our family build a Dynasty, one that shall prevail and endure forever.

            Harry and Ron looked blank after reading it. Hermione was frowning.

            "Khun-Lun," she said. "I've heard of that somewhere."

            "Er, I don't get it," said Ron. "What's all that Sui-Hsing and Tai-Yin stuff?"

            "Sui-Hsing is Jupiter," said Robert, "Tai-Bai is Venus. Tai-Yin is the moon; Fang and Wei are two of the Lunar Mansions."

            Harry was trying to collect his thoughts together.

            "So, you're saying, the scroll is giving us the position of the planets in the sky when the Great Occurrence will take place."

            Shan nodded. Hermione's eyes suddenly widened.

           "Khun-Lun!" she said. "I remember now . the western paradise!" Her eyes grew larger. "So . that's what Professor Snufflegint is after!"

            Shan and Robert grinned, and nodded at her. Harry and Ron were beginning to feel very cross.

            "If you don't tell us what's happening soon, I'm going to get violent," said Ron, glaring at them. "What? What is Snufflegint after?"

            Shan looked solemnly at him.

            "Immortality, Ron," she said. "That's what Li-Kai is after. Immortality."

            Hermione, seeing that he and Harry still looked blank, continued.

            "There's a legend that in Mount Khun-Lun, there grows a peach tree which fruits every three thousand years," she said. "Its fruit, when eaten, can give eternal life."           

            Harry looked at the bronze vessel again.

            "You said Wang Lao carved the date 1000 B.C. on the vessel," he said. "That was three thousand years ago. Wang Lao must have been present the last time the tree fruited, and managed to eat one of the peaches. That's why he was able to live until Wu-Hsien's time, when he was poisoned."

            Robert nodded.

            "So you're saying he told his secret to Wu-Hsien, and Wu-Hsien recorded it in the scroll, and passed it down to his sons," said Harry. "He probably figured if his descendants could become immortal, they'd have a chance to start a dynasty that would last forever."

            Ron's eyes were rather large.

            "So, the Tree's going to fruit again?" he said. "When?"

            "It's not easy to estimate," said Robert, "We can't tell the exact date the Tree last fruited from the vessel because no one knows which lunar phase those time-recording terms refer to. We only know that it'll be this year and sometime in early January. However, Wang Lao might have given the exact date and time to Wu-Hsien, so that Wu-Hsien was able to calculate the time the Tree was going to fruit next. That's what the star-map and the text on the scroll is all about."

            "Well, that solves it, then," said Ron, looking at the scroll, "You can calculate, can't you, when the planets will be in that position?"

            Robert took out his sheaf of calculations.

            "Not directly from Wu-Hsien," he said. "The methods of prediction during the Tang Dynasty weren't very accurate. I've had to calculate backward from the answer he arrived at, using his methods, and then calculate forward again to get the correct answer."

            Hermione looked excited. "So when is it going to take place?"

            "Tonight," said Robert, "anytime between eight and midnight."

            Harry's heart sank. There wasn't enough time; they would never be able to figure out how to get to Khun-Lun, wherever it was, in time.

            "Snufflegint probably knows," he said. "That's why he's gone back to China. He must have reached this Khun-Lun place by now, wherever it is."

            "What's the use of knowing," said Ron, grumpily. "We can't go to China anyway. Unless, someone here can fix up a Portkey to bring us there."

            "We don't need to Portkey," said Shan. "And Master Li-Kai isn't as far away as you think. He's probably camping out on the Plateau, right now."

            They stared at her.

            "Are you saying," said Harry, "that one of the trees in the peach orchard is the Tree?"

            Shan nodded.

            "It seems likely," she said. "The Khun-Lun mountains lie between Sinkiang and Tibet, which is exactly where the Plateau seems to be located. And we can even guess which tree it is - one of the trees there seems to be dying. It has lost all its flowers, and even the leaves are beginning to wilt now, while all the other trees are still in full bloom."

            Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at each other.

            "It's a good guess," said Hermione, "But I still don't understand what all this has to do with Professor Dumbledore. How did that tunnel leading to the Plateau get into the wooden chest?"

            No one could answer her. Harry, looking around, could see that one thing was for certain, anyway : all of them intended to go to the Plateau that night.

            "Of course we must go," said Shan, speaking this thought aloud. "But are we just going to be bystanders? Or are we going to stop Li-Kai?"

            "Yes," said Harry and Ron, at the same time.

            Robert spoke up.

            "Despite his background, I don't believe Li-Kai is evil."

            Hermione hesitated, and looked at Ron and Harry.

            "I agree with Robert," she said. "I don't believe Professor Snufflegint is evil. Desiring to be immortal is not a crime. I don't think we have any right to stop him from taking the Peaches."

Shan said something in Chinese to Robert, a hopeful look in her eyes. Robert just gave her a small smile, and shook his head firmly. Ron scowled, evidently thinking that Hermione just wanted to side with Robert.

"Well, I guess we can't decide anything now," said Harry quickly. "Let's just see what happens when we get there."

So, that evening, they swallowed their dinner and left the table as soon as they could. Four of them just managed to squeeze under the Invisibility Cloak, because Robert was so small. He was carrying Shan, who had transformed herself into a little green snake, in his pocket. Ron and Hermione were led to believe that Robert had transfigured Shan into a snake. Hermione looked slightly disapproving, because such an act was against the rules, but since she had a soft spot for Robert, she said nothing.

Holding the Cloak tightly about them, they made their way over to the storeroom, and down through the wooden chest to the Plateau.

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